Hope for Diversity in Outdoor Learning
I have loved the outdoors for my entire life. Both of my parents were born in Guyana. My mother in the capital city of Georgetown and my dad in the countryside (Land of Canaan). They grew up spending a lot of their time outdoors. My father is an avid outdoorsman (fishing, camping, etc.). Their love of nature and the outdoors definitely influenced me. Now, as a teacher, I share this passion with my students and their families. There are so many opportunities for learning when you take your class outside. Not just outside in the paved schoolyard. But ...
Take Me Outside Day 2021 video
https://youtu.be/WkI9B1xx6d4
Take Me Outside Day 2021 had 9,000 educators and 400,000 students across Canada participate - a commitment to heading outside to help advocate for outdoor learning. This video highlights the week's events and the work we're doing with partners.
Nurturing the Connection: 5 Tips for Raising Outdoors-Loving Kids
About Megan: Meghan J. Ward is an outdoor, travel and adventure writer based in Banff, Canada, and the author of The Wonders That I Find, a children’s book about a girl named Geneva who teaches her parents a thing or two about appreciating the small things in nature.
The house where I grew up was in suburbia yet it backed onto a protected wetland and forested area that contained a matrix of trails and secret forts. My sisters and I would take off for hours with other neighbourhood kids and play in those woods. We explored on foot, by bike, and even on skates when ...
June Learning Challenge Resources
Recycled Planters
Grades: All
Subjects: Arts, Natural Sciences and Math
Give recycling a new lease of life with this recycled planters lesson idea! This activity provides a context for a learning for sustainability, interdisciplinary project.
You will need: old plastic containers or cartons; paints, wool and other craft materials for decoration; glue and scissors; a mixture of top soil and compost; suitable crocks such as rocks, gravel or broken pots; and seeds or seedlings. Start by asking the children to consider the features needed for a plant pot such as ...
2021 Video Contest Winners
A huge congrats to Colin Fearing from Canmore, Alberta for being this year's grand prize winner! And congrats to all the winners in other categories who worked hard to make some great short films about our backyard in Canada and the importance of spending time outside. All of these winners will receive gift cards from MEC to help get them out there even more! And Colin's winning short film will be part of the internationally acclaimed Banff Mountain Book and Film Festival for 2021!
Congratulations to the 2021 Contest Winners!
Here are the winning videos from each ...
May Learning Challenge Resources
Nature Scavenger Hunt
Grades: All
Subjects: Arts & English Language Arts; Natural Sciences; Math
We’ll take any excuse to get outside, and an outdoor nature scavenger hunt is a great one. This is an activity that requires some preparation depending on your age group but we promise it's totally worth it! A nature scavenger hunt can keep kids engaged, excited and exploring all day if done right. Start by identifying a list of species or natural objects that exist in the nearby outdoors (a type of tree, flower, animal) or go for colours (this option cuts your ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
