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Fireside Adventures – Who We Are & What We Do

Fireside Adventures was founded in 1991 by Jeff “Willy” Willis. What began as a personal vision — to connect people via nature, learning, and leadership — has blossomed into a global community of passionate educators, youth, families, and partners. Today, Fireside delivers immersive outdoor and educational experiences grounded in adventure, social awareness, and personal growth.  

Our mission, captured in three guiding words — Challenge. Strive. Learn. — shapes every program. We believe life’s challenges can spark growth, striving fosters transformation, and learning — both inner and outer — builds resilience, empathy, confidence, and connection. Fireside Adventures

We run adventures across British Columbia and the Yukon — and beyond our borders to destinations such as Japan, Fiji, Ecuador, Colombia, Scotland, and more.

Core Program Streams

Kids & Youth Camps

From day-camps on the coast to overnight wilderness camps, Fireside offers a welcoming, adventurous summer for children and teens. Programs include gourmet outdoor cooking, parkour and filmmaking camps, wilderness introduction, leadership training, environmental education, and more. Whether ages 5 or 17, young participants are encouraged to explore, grow, and discover confidence in nature. 

World Bound — Climate, Culture & Leadership

In response to the critical urgency of climate change, Fireside created the “World Bound” series — experiential climate-leadership and cultural immersion courses for youth, young adults, and educators. These expeditions blend outdoor adventure with deep learning, cultural exchange, climate-change education, and direct engagement with nature and communities. Locations span from Yukon and Canada to Fiji, South America, Japan, and beyond. 

These courses are designed to give participants both knowledge and empowerment: they learn to navigate wilderness, understand environmental and social issues, build leadership skills, and return home equipped to contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Educator Courses & Adult/Educational Adventures

Recognizing the need for professional development rooted in real-world context, Fireside offers programs for educators and adults seeking meaningful, hands-on outdoor education and climate leadership training. These courses allow educators to grow personally and professionally, and to return to their communities with fresh insights, tools, and a deeper connection to environmental education. 

Family & Group Adventures

Fireside also welcomes families, friends, and community groups who want to explore together. From Yukon canoe trips to coastal getaways, these group adventures foster bonding, shared learning, and unforgettable experiences in nature. 

Why It Matters

Fireside Adventures is more than just travel or camps — it’s a commitment to fostering positive identity, leadership, social responsibility, and connection to nature and community. Through carefully designed outdoor education and experiential learning, Fireside helps participants of all ages grow into thoughtful, courageous, engaged individuals.

In a world facing environmental and social challenges, Fireside believes that education, adventure, and community can inspire real transformation — for individuals and for society.

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Host a case study competition with your class and learn more about Canada's wetlands!

The Prairie Pothole Region Case Study will guide students through the background, research, and presentation of a management plan for wetlands in the Prairie Pothole Region.

This resource includes a student workbook and teaching guide. The case study is designed by scientists and education staff from Ducks Unlimited Canada and includes questions to assist students in their research as well as resources to support their learning.

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With Aquatic Species at Risk, educators will have the tools to guide students in their learning about incredible ocean creatures. This online, self-paced course will teach students about Basking Sharks, Steller Sea Lions, and more. Students will participate in hands-on activities and meaningful discussions that will encourage curiosity about the ocean. Students will create Action Projects in groups, brainstorming inspiring and creative ways to spread awareness about threats to ocean life. By the end of this course, students will feel empowered to create meaningful change in their communities to protect aquatic species at risk.

Included in this course are guided slides and video content, additional student resources, and educator grading rubrics for Action Projects. Educators will also gain access to a Teacher Information Package, which includes information on how to best guide students through the course and Action Project design.

Best suited for students Grade 3-8, Aquatic Species at Risk connects with Core and Curricular competencies. This course can be taught in schools, community/ youth groups, and other educational settings.

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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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Browse through our downloadable guides and lesson plans for activities on rock and mineral identification. Take the pebble guide with you on a field trip to help you discover the names of pebbles you might collect. Have fun learning more about the rocks and minerals in your collection.

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The Wormshop uses the indoor, appropriate vermiculture system as a vehicle to teach kids about composting and waste reduction. The students can also take what they learn in the Wormshop and apply it at home, creating their own wormbin composting system, regardless of whether they live in a house or an apartment.

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

Study BC WATERSHEDS,

Show possible ECOREGION SHIFTS as a result of CLIMATE CHANGE,

See the impact of Beneficial MANAGEMENT Practices,

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

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At Seedlings Forest School, we strive to foster a sense of community and belonging among children, where they can develop positive relationships with each other and the natural world. Our experienced educators lead activities and encourage children to take risks, problem-solve, and make their own choices.

We believe that by providing children with regular access to nature, they will develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural world and learn to live in harmony with it. Supporting inquiry-based learning empowers children to ask questions, explore their surroundings, and construct their knowledge through hands-on experiences Our goal is to help children become responsible and respectful citizens of the earth.

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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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Students also discuss how household hazardous products can be harmful outside the home and learn safer choices for their families and the environment.

Available to schools in SD35 and SD36.

Schools outside of Langley will be charged mileage. Teachers outside of these districts may enquire about workshop availability.

Duration 60 minutes. Cost $95

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The Fraser River is one of the world’s great rivers not only in its contribution to the environmental, cultural, and historical wealth of British Columbia, but because of its current pivotal role in the economy of BC.  We are going to explore how people have used and shared the resources of the Fraser River, focusing on the tumultuous time when Indigenous peoples and fur traders shared the river.

Grades: 4-7                          Length: 1.5 hours               Maximum group size: 30 students

Program Components:

Visual presentation introducing the history of trade on the Fraser River.

Learn proper archaeological protocol, excavate archaeological artifacts, and learn what each represents.

Keep an archaeologist’s journal, drawing diagrams and answering questions about stone and metal tools.

Play a fun and competitive game to understand the value of items traded between First Nations and European traders.

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Through our inclusive experiences, Albertans of all ages and abilities can explore regional ecological issues, develop an ethic of environmentalism, and gain the hands-on tools to protect our province's wild spaces and species.

Our experiences grow skills in Problem Solving, Cultural and Global Citizenship, Critical Thinking, Personal Growth and Well-being, Collaboration, Creativity, and Innovation.

Available topics include Wild Wellness (3-12), Animal Detectives (Gr. 3), Community Science (Gr. 3-9), Water Rangers (Gr. 4-5), Why Grasslands? (Gr. 4-9), Climate Game Changers (Gr. 4-12), Fabulous Forests (Gr. 6), Grizzly Bears Forever (Gr. 7-12), and Aquatic Field Studies (Gr. 8-12).

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Get inspired by a list of wetland projects that you could do. Check the planning guide for students and the supporting guide for adults to get off to a good start.

Taking action is about being proud of where you live, respecting your environment and taking ownership of its health. This resource booklet gives you inspiring examples and step-by-step ideas on activities, from beginner to advanced, to take action.

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We currently run Club programs in Metro Vancouver and Kelowna - reach out if you're looking for a program near you.

This is an 8-week/workshop after school program. Youth can do the program once. Participants take part in fun interactive activities each week and develop cooking skills by making a plant-based dinner at each workshop.

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The invasive plant program takes place at the Weaselhead in SW Calgary and is a fully outdoor program that requires students to manually remove plants. The day will include several activities including:

● Introduction, Land Acknowledgement, park rules, and expectations

● Learning about invasive plants (their characteristics and adaptations, impacts and how to control)

● Invasive Plant matching game.

● Field Guide practice game.

● Botany walk to learn about native plants in the park

● Plant Scavenger Hunt

● Plant mapping

● Density Game

● Transects and Quadrats

● Invasive Plant removal in the Aspen Forest

● Invasive Plant Manager Game

This field trip is designed as a full day trip but can be shortened to half a day.

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Our aim is to help teachers get students outside, make scientific observations in the natural world, and submit these observations to projects that assist the work of professional scientists! Help your students connect with nature and protect it using technology.

"Birds," "Pollinators," and "Urban Wildlife” are the three Edu-Kits currently offered.

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In this experiential course, Grade 10-12 students will learn through site visits, hiking tours and guest speakers about everything that connects them to the environment. The 3-credit course is part of the Career and Technology Studies area of the Alberta curriculum. Students will learn about topics from human-wildlife coexistence, vegetation identification and waste water treatment to energy production, Îyethka traditional knowledge, Indigenous practices to care for the land and the Nakoda language. We also welcome you to explore the Activity Guide.

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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.