APRIL LEARNING CHALLENGE RESOURCES

Signs of Spring Grades: All Subjects: Arts & English Language Arts; Natural Sciences; Math We love activities with low prep times and rich learning experiences, and a nature walk in Spring sure is it. This is a great excuse for your students to connect with the natural world while using all their senses. From melting ice to birds chirping, to the smell of rain and new blossoms: the signs of Spring are all around us! For the younger ones, create a checklist of spring signs they can discover on a scavenger hunt outside, and for higher grades, a sensory nature walk ...

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MARCH TAKE ME OUTSIDE FOR LEARNING CHALLENGE RESOURCES

Sound Maps Grades: All Subjects: Arts & English Language Arts; Social Sciences; Natural Sciences; Math This was one of our most popular activity suggestions during the Winter Challenge, and luckily, it is great fun all year long! This is a great way to extend a sit spot activity, engage our senses and add in some art skills! Head outside with a clipboard, some paper and a pencil, crayon, or charcoal and pick a nice “sit spot”. Close your eyes, relax, and listen: what do you hear? Some sounds might be nature sounds; what human-made sounds can you hear? What ...

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FEBRUARY TAKE ME OUTSIDE FOR LEARNING CHALLENGE RESOURCES

Winter Bingo Grades: All Subjects: Arts & English Language Arts; Social Sciences; Natural Sciences; Math Learners can create their own winter bingo cards and set out on a quest to fill in the squares, or use a template like these great ones from the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Use images or words to scale sheets through the grades, count natural items, measure snow depth or ice thickness, check out some snowflakes, and keep track of our animal friends who hibernate, go into torpor, and stay out all winter! Either print out a template and head on out, or have ...

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January Take Me Outside for Learning Challenge Resources

Crime Scene Creative Writing All Ages Curricular Areas: English Language Arts & Arts Education   Either have learners create their own crime scene using props and natural materials or have an outdoor crime scene staged already before they arrive. Challenge students to develop a story inspired by the crime scene they create or discover. You can also have learners create a story map for their stories prior to having them write it down!     Create a Math Trail All Ages Curricular Areas: Math & Physical Health Education A ...

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December Take Me Outside for Learning Challenge Resources

Fox Walking All Ages; especially beneficial for building in self-regulation and fine motor skills and control in all learners.  Curricular Areas: Careers, Physical Health Education, Arts Education, Science Most fox walking sessions begin with a question such as "how many of you like to see wildlife? Who would like to learn how to get close to wild animals?" Next it is time to demonstrate how to fox walk. The first step is to completely relax the body and slowly relax the mind, gently bend your knees, and step forward slowly with one foot leading with your toes. As ...

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November Take Me Outside for Learning Challenge Resources

Nature Scavenger Hunts Curricular Areas: Math & Art Target Age Range: Primary (K-7) Outdoor scavenger hunts can range from relatively simple to complex. For this activity you can use whatever you have on hand and it can be done in an urban or natural setting. First you will need to have plenty of examples of geometric shapes, either 3D blocks from your classroom or printed out sheets of paper with a variety of geometric shapes cut out of them. Once outside you will get your learners to identify these shapes in the surrounding environment. Where can we see or find ...

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Act Your Way into Teaching Outside

A three-year-old girl is with her dad at the park down the street from their home on a sunny, autumn afternoon. Her dad brought something he dug out of the storage, something he hadn’t played with in years, it’s his old soccer ball. Finding an open patch of grass, he places the artifact of his athleticism down and kicks it towards his daughter. She laughs as the ball bumps into her shins, excited to see this new toy. She chases it and then swings her leg, her foot connecting to the top of the ball, sending it a few feet away. There are no rules attached. Her dad ...

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Reimagining School: What If We Physically Distanced From Four Walls and A Desk?

We know the future of school is likely to look a whole lot different when it reopens. As the current school year comes to a close, provincial education departments, educators, and parents are grappling with what September will bring in terms of educating children ...

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Webinar for Educators: Finding Hope Through Connecting to the Land

Thanks to all the educators who joined us on May 28th for our webinar - Finding Hope Through Connecting to the Land. We are grateful to Chief Joe Pierre for sharing the Ktunaxa Creation Story and inspiring educators to help connect their students to the land. The webinar was recorded with ...

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2019 Contest Winners

Congratulations to the 2019 Contest Winners! Here are the winning videos from each category. Stay tuned for details for the 2020 Contest coming soon! Grade 7-12 Category: Grand Prize and 1st Place Winner Michael Speciale and Daniel Marte from Woodbridge, ON 2nd Place Winner Jared Kelso from North Bay, ON 3rd Place Winner Mateen Missaghi from Vaughn, ON Grade K-6 Category: 1st Place Winner Lewis Keyes from Westlock, AB 2nd Place Winner Kayla Specht from Lower Sackville, NS 3rd Place Winner Christopher Neville from Kars, ON Rules

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