Thursday, August 20, 2026
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
October 19-23, 2026
Free
Did you know that Take Me Outside Day is an official EcoSchools Canada Action Card?
By participating in Take Me Outside Day, your school can earn points toward its EcoSchools certification while encouraging outdoor learning, environmental stewardship, and student wellbeing. The action card provides a simple way to celebrate outdoor learning and demonstrate your school's commitment to connecting learners with nature.
We encourage schools to add the Take Me Outside Day Action Card to their 2026–2027 EcoPlan. Participating in Take Me Outside Day not only supports EcoSchools certification, but also helps DSBN track and celebrate the collective impact of outdoor learning across the board.
Download the Take Me Outside Day Action Card:
Why add it to your EcoPlan?
Together, we can continue building a culture of outdoor learning and environmental action in every DSBN school.
Find everything you need to promote Take Me Outside Week and Take Me Outside Day, including downloadable graphics, social media content, newsletter and website copy, key messages, media resources, and more.
We will be announcing our amazing line up of virtual guest speakers and field trips starting in August 27!
Begin the week by learning from Indigenous voices and exploring relationships with the land, place-based learning, and ways of knowing that deepen our understanding of the world around us.
Join author and educator Leona Prince for a special reading of Be a Good Ancestor and an interactive conversation about what it means to care for ourselves, one another, and the world around us. Together, students will explore the small actions that can grow into something much bigger, from caring for a plant or noticing the world around them to helping another person and thinking about the generations still to come.
Because being a good ancestor doesn't begin someday. It begins with what we choose to do today.
Suitable for grade 1+
Leona Prince is an award-winning Dakelh author, educator, and speaker whose work centers Indigenous ways of knowing, relationship, belonging, and our responsibilities to one another and the natural world. Her home community is Nak'azdli Whut'en and she is also a proud member of Lake Babine Nation. Leona draws upon her experiences as an educator, storyteller, and lifelong learner to invite people to think differently about their relationships with land, community, and future generations. For more information please visit https://www.leonaprince.com/
Explore the natural world through inquiry, environmental stewardship, and climate education that empowers learners with knowledge, action, and hope.
Join internationally recognized educator, author, and hope scholar elin kelsey for an inspiring exploration of what it means to cultivate hope in a changing world.
Through stories of resilience, cooperation, regeneration, and positive change, elin will invite learners to look beyond the challenges we face and discover the many ways people and nature are working together to create a more hopeful future.
Connected to this year's Hope Grows Outside theme, this presentation will explore how spending time in nature can nurture curiosity, connection, and a sense of possibility—and remind us that hope isn't about ignoring challenges, but about recognizing opportunities for meaningful action.
A powerful invitation to step outside, pay attention, and discover the stories of hope growing all around us.
Suitable for grade 4+
elin kelsey, PhD (she/her/elle) is an award-winning author, speaker and thought-leader for the evidence-based hope and climate justice solutions movement. She co-created the viral social media campaign OceanOptimism and is currently leading intergenerational collaborations with climate influencers to make evidence-based hope more shareable online. A best-selling children’s book author, her picture books reveal the intimate connections between humans and the greater than human world. Her work as a podcast host, film writer and exhibit creator celebrates the resilience that exists within ourselves, and across species. She is an Adjunct Faculty member of the University of Victoria School of Environmental Studies. She regularly leads workshops for environmental organizations, youth climate activists, educators and community groups on evidence-based hope and serves as a hope scholar in residence for schools around the world. For more, please visit https://www.elinkelsey.org
Join Parks Canada on location to discover how conservationists are helping restore the Westslope Cutthroat Trout, a species at risk in Banff National Park. Through the story of Hidden Lake near Lake Louise, students will explore species recovery, invasive species, biodiversity, and the role science and stewardship play in protecting native ecosystems. Discover how dedicated restoration efforts are helping this iconic mountain fish return to its historic habitat, with natural spawning offering new hope for the species' future.
A story of resilience, restoration, and possibility, reminding us that when we work together to care for the natural world, hope can take root.
Suitable for Grade 4+
Join educators and learners across Canada by spending at least one hour learning outdoors and celebrating the many benefits of outdoor learning.
Get ready to sing, move, and celebrate the natural world with eco-singer Remy Rodden! This fun and interactive sing-along invites learners to discover the wonder of nature through music, with catchy songs and plenty of opportunities to join in.
Remy is passionate about helping children connect with and learn about the natural world through the power of song.
Bring your voices, your curiosity, and your love of the outdoors for a joyful celebration of nature!
Suitable for EVERYONE!
Eco-singer Remy Rodden, a bilingual teacher, biologist, and environmental educator, uses fun, curriculum-connected songs to inspire children to learn about and care for the natural world. Drawing on decades of experience as an educator, adventurer, camp leader, and performer, including teaching in Yukon, Remy brings energy, humour, and wonder to every performance. His interactive songs explore topics such as biodiversity, habitats, and sustainability, encouraging young audiences to connect with nature and take action to protect it.
Discover how outdoor learning supports physical, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing while encouraging movement, mindfulness, resilience, and joyful learning.
How do we navigate the uncertainty of climate change without losing sight of hope and possibility?
Join Abhay Sachal, founder of Break The Divide, for an engaging conversation about climate anxiety, youth leadership, and taking action in the face of a changing climate. Abhay will explore the emotional realities young people experience when thinking about climate change and share ways to move from feeling overwhelmed to finding connection, purpose, and opportunities for meaningful action.
Through stories and insights from his work with young people, Abhay will invite teens to consider how they can respond to climate challenges with curiosity, courage, and hope—and recognize that they are not alone in creating change.
Suitable for grade 7+
Abhay Singh Sachal is a Canadian youth climate justice activist whose research and work resides at the intersection of climate change, ecoanxiety, mental health, and spirituality. He is the founder of Break The Divide, a non-profit organization that empowers young people with resources to understand climate emotions and connects communities to build resilience and share knowledge amidst the climate crisis . Abhay served as one of 10 advisors in the inaugural Environment and Climate Change Canada Youth Council. Outside of his activism, Abhay is currently a student at the University of Regina, completing a Masters of Education in Educational Psychology; a public speaker on environmental and climate issues; and, an avid ice hockey player and pianist.
Celebrate the week's experiences, reflect on new learning, and explore ways to continue taking learning outdoors throughout the school year.