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Prior to European colonization, Indigenous peoples got what they needed from the land and water around them. Indigenous peoples have relied on salmon since the fish became abundant in the Fraser River about 5000-6000 years ago. They used native plants for food, medicine, building materials and more. This program explores the connection between Indigenous peoples, salmon, and the broader Fraser River Basin. Students experience the movement of salmon, storytelling and oral histories, and the many uses of native plants through an Indigenous perspective.

Grades: K-3                          Length: 1.5 hours                Maximum group size: 30 students

Program Components:

Introduction to the First Salmon Ceremony through a storybook and discussion.

Understand the stages of a salmon’s life cycle and migration by acting out the story of one salmon’s life.

Learn about some of the edible and medicinal native plants in our region, and then create your own plant, including its uses.

Hear the story of how sockeye came to the Fraser River from two First Nations elders. View map of the traditional lands of the First Nations people in the Fraser River Basin, and use a visual metaphor to understand how long the First Nations people have lived along the Fraser River.

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Our program serves students in grades 4-12 across British Columbia through interactive workshops and a four-week climate challenge. Elementary students (grades 4-7) participate in an engaging 60-minute workshop and complete 25 take-home actions with their families. High school students (grades 8-12) attend two advanced workshops over 4-6 weeks, exploring climate justice, systems analysis, and actionable solutions. Both programs empower students to reduce emissions and foster community impact. Workshops are delivered virtually or in person, with prizes and comprehensive resources provided.

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Ocean Design Lab is an innovative program that will inspire curiosity and passion for future ocean heroes. This program will educate students about the environmental damage caused by overfishing.

This two-hour workshop begins with an informative lesson highlighting the environmental consequences of bottom trawling. Students will then collaborate in teams to redesign fishing nets to minimize environmental impact. The teams will build and test their prototypes in a friendly competition.

Students will use provided materials and a pretend budget to build their nets while learning important skills like problem-solving and teamwork. Ocean Design Lab helps students understand how different fields work together to address environmental challenges for a sustainable future. 

Available for Grades 3-12, this program connects with Core and Curricular Competencies. Ocean Design Lab can be taught in schools across Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland and can be delivered in schools, community/ youth groups, and other educational settings.

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Get a sneak peak of A Walking Curriculum on imaginED with multiple sample walks and resources. Special edition for Early Years also available! https://www.educationthatinspires.ca/walking-curriculum-imaginative-ecological-learning-activities/

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Evans Lake has been operating as a camp and outdoor education facility since 1960. The Centre is located 15 kilometres North of Squamish, BC on a picturesque mountain lake. Surrounded by forest, the Centre offers a feeling of wilderness seclusion while featuring all your basic amenities, accommodations and full catering.

The Centre is also open year-round and available for school field trips, family events, weddings, corporate retreats and private bookings. Rentals over 41 people offer exclusive use of the facility including full catering, use of all activity equipment and accommodations for 120.

We believe Outdoor Education is an experience every child should have. By taking the classroom to the great outdoors kids have an opportunity to get their hands dirty, learn in an interactive and fun environment, and develop personally.

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The Wilder Institute Calgary Zoo's programs serve students in-person from Calgary and surrounding areas. Our programs are curriculum connected based on the current Learn Alberta Program of Studies for Kindergarten - Grade 12. We also offer custom programming by request. Virtual programs are available seasonally, December - February, and are great for students from anywhere across the country.

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Students use an open inquiry model to investigate processes taking place in aquatic, forest or winter ecosystems. They will be given an opportunity to explore a novel environment and develop and test a scientific question. They will explore local and current research and utilize scientific equipment to conduct an investigation from start to finish. Students will construct a question, conduct background research, revise their question, collect data, synthesize data and ultimately finish with a poster and/or paper outlining their research and conclusions. Our programs take place at the Barrier Lake Field Station, in Kananaskis Country, 80km west of Calgary, AB.

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With 55-acres of beautiful green space in the middle of Vancouver, VanDusen Botanical Garden represents a safe and interactive learning experience for school and community groups looking for local field trip opportunities!

Guided programs are available to students in grades K through 12. 45 minute programs are bookable year round and 90 minute programs are bookable October, November, April, May, and June. Take a look at the selections listed below to find the perfect option for your class! 

90-Minute Programs (available October, November, April, May, and June)

A Sense of Nature (K-Gr.2)        

Ecosystem Explorers (3-Gr.6)

Fantastic Flowers (Gr.1-Gr.4)

Pond Peering (Gr.1-Gr.4) May and June only

Seed Secrets (K-Gr.4) October and November only

45-Minute Programs (available year round)

Glimpse of the Garden (K-Gr.7)

Natural Heritage Walk (Gr.8-Gr.10)

Strategizing Sustainability (Gr.8-Gr.12)

Self-Directed Program 

Self-Directed programs are available year round. 

Pollinator Days (late May annually)

Please choose from 1 of 3 available dates. Pollinator Days runs from 10am-2pm. Classes from preschool to grade 6 are encouraged to attend one of the three event days.

Full Description

The CREDtalks, Columbia Region Ecological Discussions, include speakers addressing a diversity of topics such as science communication, active ecological management, citizen science, research skills and techniques, applied ecological research projects, and more. These talks are unique because they feature leading scientists and practitioners right from the Columbia Mountains region. You can find details and talk recordings here: https://cmiae.org/event/cred-talks-columbia-region-ecological-discussions/

There are full seasons where we delve deeply into what climate disruption means for the Columbia Basin from various perspectives, or what is being done to safeguard or bolster ecological connectivity in fractured landscapes, and much more.

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Flexible outdoor education programming available for kindergarten through grade 12 taking place in Weaselhead Park in SW Calgary. All students will learn about the Weaselhead Special Protected Area in Calgary while making Alberta curricular connections in science and social studies. All classes are guided through the park by our trained Naturalists with activities ranging from identifying tracks and signs to invertebrate pond dips, plant identification, removing invasive plants and conducting water quality and human impact studies. Each grade level has targeted learning outcomes and suggested activities but there is flexibility to focus on topics of interest to specific classes in the park. Kindergarten through grade 2 classes are typically scheduled for a half day (2 1/2 hours) from 9:30am-12pm while grade 3-12 can be either a half day or a full day (5 hours). Programs run from September-November and April-June.

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Did you know there’s a 6-meter-long, 100-year-old fish living in the Fraser River? Learn all about the endangered white sturgeon through interactive activities, with both Indigenous and Western science perspectives. Students will listen to a First Nation’s story about sturgeon, construct theories from available research, and communicate their learning through art.

Cost: $50           Grades: 4-8           Length: 1 hour           Maximum group size: 30 students

To participate in this program, you will need:

A stable internet connection.

The ability to join the video conference with the FRDC educator.

Curricular connections:

This program incorporates the First Peoples Principles of Learning, specifically that learning is relational; recognizes the role of indigenous knowledge; is embedded in story; and requires recognizing the consequences of one’s actions. This program supports science competencies through analyzing data and constructing theories, and applying First people’s perspectives. This program supports the ELA Big Idea that stories help us make connections with others and the world. And this program supports the Arts Education competency of expressing feelings, ideas, stories, observations, and experiences through the arts.

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Student Leadership for Change (SLC) is a free online library of interactive eco-social learning resources that explores over 40 topics. The resources support students to meet curriculum requirements, take meaningful action in their communities and foster skills in critical thinking, problem-solving, team collaboration, and socio-emotional connection. 

SLC includes lesson plans for teachers based on our 5 modules, a range of fun engaging activities, and Action Packs for students to conduct research, engage in reflective dialogue and take action. It is bet suited for grade 5-12 but can be adapted to different age groups.

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The Energy Revealed program offers a flexible range of activities for junior and senior learners, with lessons that can be completed in as little as one hour, up to 1 week. Shorter lessons include classroom energy audits and tracking energy use, while activities like building and testing solar ovens, or generating energy through physical activities may span 3-5 days or up to a week. This flexible timing allows educators to choose lessons that best fit their schedule while still offering meaningful, real-world learning experiences.

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BC AdventureSmart delivers free outdoor-safety education across British Columbia—urban, rural, coastal, and mountain communities, year-round. Open to all ages (youth groups require a supervising adult). Format: 45–60-minute sessions or ~60-minute webinars with Q&A. Hosts: provide indoor space with screen/AV; we also deliver onsite or online. Programs include Hug-a-Tree & Survive, Survive Outside, Snow Safety, PaddleSmart, and Snowmobile Safety. Custom collaborations with SAR, schools, parks, and tourism partners available.

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The Alberta Tomorrow Foundation has a mission to deliver a platform that empowers youth to design and sustain a future for our shared ecosystem, with a vision of an informed society actively fostering sustainable futures. Use the simulation tool to:

Time travel into the PAST and FUTURE to see the impact of our actions on the ENVIRONMENT and ECONOMY,

Study Alberta's WATERSHEDS, including a virtual video tour of the Bow River,

Show possible ECOREGION SHIFTS as a result of CLIMATE CHANGE,

See the impact of Beneficial MANAGEMENT Practices,

Explore Alberta's Natural Regions with our 360 VIRTUAL TOURS,

Use the CITIZEN SCIENCE TOOL to store and share water quality data,

Explore MAP OVERLAYS of Treaty Areas and Traditional Territories, Traditional Languages, Metis Regions and Residential School locations,

Land Use Plan using INDIGENOUS INDICATORS vs Western Science Indicators

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In this 75-minute session, students learn about bioaccumulation in aquatic ecosystems by analyzing real (sanitized) freshwater litter. Children then go on a walking field trip to see how much garbage they can divert from their local creek.  The school is gifted a class set of garbage pickers, reflective vests, buckets, and weigh scale to continue this activity.

“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers and students alike. Personally, I’ve never seen my students so enthusiastic about garbage and neighborhood clean-ups—they were so engaged!” - Nataliia Kudryk, Grade 4/5 teacher

Full Description

In partnership with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), we are excited to deliver a hands-on program about freshwater pollution and how it connects to the ocean.

Sea Smart’s highly trained staff of marine biologists and environmental educators will visit your classroom to deliver three inquiry-based workshops. Your students will work in groups to create stewardship projects (i.e. projects to raise awareness and care for the environment) to engage their schools, and communities in diverting pollution from freshwater systems and the ocean.

Available for Grades 3-12, this program connects to Core and Curricular Competencies. Clean Water Champions can be taught across Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, this program can be delivered in schools, community/ youth groups, and other education settings.

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With this online collection of articles and toolkits, kids can learn facts about BC flora and fauna, along with practical ways to support their local environments and wildlife. These articles cover topics ranging from how to support salmon to the details of soil science, and include downloadable activities, flash cards, games, identification guides, resources for further reading, and more. 

Our articles encourage kids to explore how they might start their own citizen science projects through the provided resources and guides. With this collection, we aim to support educators in incorporating place-based learning into their work by bringing classrooms into nature.

Full Description

A three-lesson unit designed for Grades 4-6 (Ages 9-12) and Grades 7-8 (Ages 12-14), complete with a culminating 7Rs Action Project Guide featuring 20 project options. 

Solving Fashion’s Waste Problem invites students to examine the social and environmental effects of clothing waste, from the hidden consequences of clothing donations to the fashion industry's relationship to climate change. Learners will explore different perspectives on sustainability, reflect on environmental stewardship, and become familiar with positive climate action happening today. Through the lens of The 7Rs—strategies to reduce waste and rethink fashion consumption—a wide range of culminating Action Projects support students to envision and create their own hope inspiring actions that promote responsible citizenship and a more sustainable future.