Math second period, language arts third, then right after lunch, flying saucers!

School curricula could use an injection of close encounters of the third kind, Area 51, Roswell, and alien abductions, says Chris Rutkowski, Manitoba's best-known UFO investigator.

Chris Rutkowski UFO
©Wayne Glowacki / Winnipeg Free Press
UFO investigator Chris Rutkowski relaxes with some pals in his office.


Rutkowski, who has a science degree in astronomy and a master's in education, has developed a study guide in Unidentified Flying Objects he's offering to Manitoba schools.

"I've had a number of requests over the years from people wanting me to make a presentation to their classes. Educators are aware this material is out there -- it's a matter of introducing it in a fun and useful way," Rutkowski said.

The truth is out there -- but a class in UFOs isn't just about kids learning about sightings of mysterious objects in the sky and government coverups of alien invaders, said Rutkowski, a communications specialist and recent co-author of the book The Canadian UFO Report.

"Junior highs are probably the best target for this. They need something to capture their attention and imagination," he said.

As teachers often do, Rutkowski talks about using a topic that encompasses all the core subjects.

"You can talk about the physics of space travel," he suggested. "In social studies, what would aliens think of our society?

"I'm an alien -- explain to me the concept of money. What is a shopping mall? What is war?" he said.

Language arts is a natural for reading or writing about UFOs. Use math to look at the sizes of planetary bodies and the immense distances between stars. Chemistry gets into the conditions conducive to life forms, biology looks at how life forms adapt to various conditions, physiology explores how a life form eats or breathes, said Rutkowski.

The kids watch the movies and they know X-Files, he said.

"They're all familiar with the big science fiction movies," he said.

"In terms of stimulating the imagination, there really is no unique age," Rutkowski said.

And there's material here to check out some of Manitoba's renowned UFO cases, such as a reputed close encounter of the third kind near Falcon Lake, and the summer of sightings in the skies over Carman.