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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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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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Sea Smart's shoreline clean-up will inspire students to learn about plastic pollution, marine animals, and ocean stewardship. These sessions are facilitated by Sea Smart’s highly experienced team of marine biologists and environmental educators, to deliver informative, hands-on learning. Sea Smart will provide sustainable equipment and protocols needed to ensure a safe cleanup.

We measure metrics such as the area of habitat cleaned, the weight of garbage removed, and the number of cigarette butts removed. These data allow you to share your student's efforts in a measurable and meaningful way. Participants will also join hands-on, educational activities to learn about plastic pollution, marine animals, and how we can help our ocean.

Available for Pre-K - Grade 12 Students, our Shoreline Cleanup Workshops connect with Core and Curricular Competencies. Shoreline Cleanups can be delivered throughout Metro Vancouver and the Lower Mainland, with schools, community/ youth groups, and other educational settings.

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EcoCooks Elementary consists of two modules and EcoCooks Secondary consists of four modules. Classes can take any number of modules, in any order.

Each EcoCooks module has four sessions and each session is about 60-70 min long. These four sessions are typically taken over the space of 1 to 4 weeks. The first three sessions tackle the environmental component with fun hands-on activities designed for a classroom space, while the last session is a cooking class where students learn how to apply their new knowledge while preparing food. This cooking session can be done in a traditional classroom space or in a specialized foods room.

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The Beaverhill Bird Observatory (BBO) is the oldest bird observatory in western Canada and has been monitoring the local breeding and migratory birds since 1984.The BBO conducts research focused on monitoring bird populations and environmental education.

In the winter months, BBO runs our BirdSmart Education Program where staff bring a live educational bird of prey to give presentations to schools, daycares, after-school groups, senior’s residences, and private and other events. Most presentations are 60 minutes, with adapted 30 minute presentation for Pre-K/Kindertgarten audiences, or groups that require a shorter time frame.

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Discover the many wonders of the only mammal that can fly. Find out how bats live, hunt, echolocate, and adapt to their habitat using their unique bodies. Because bats are nocturnal, we will not see any live bats during the program. Instead, we will explore their habitat with unique props and activities. Bats really are beautiful; learn why in this interactive forest adventure. One-and-a-half-hour program for Pre-K – Grade 3.

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Algonquin College's Play, Learn, and Teaching Outdoors in the Early Years certificate program immerses early learning professionals in outdoor pedagogical practice through the Outdoor ECE National Framework of the Canadian Centre for Outdoor Play. In this program, you explore concepts of active engagement, nurturing holistic development, and building meaningful connections in outdoor pedagogical practice.

Learners explore the benefits of risky outdoor play, strengthen a justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion lens, and build cultural competency guided by evidence from the Canadian Pediatric Society. They gain advocacy, communication, and practical skills through place-based learning and a culminating action-research project applied to their own professional setting.

Upon completion, graduates are prepared to champion inclusive, culturally responsive outdoor play in diverse contexts, including early learning programs, kindergartens, child and family centres, community health agencies, and governmental or non-governmental organizations serving children and families.

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Are you looking for creative educational resources to engage learners of all ages about the wonders of nature? Well then, we've got you covered.

Bring Nature Home is an educational toolkit that will help youth and adults of all ages engage in environmental education in the comfort of their own home.

This toolkit includes some of CPAWS Southern Alberta’s very own tried and tested games and activities for youth and adults, as well as other online resources to support learning.

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Visit our website for full details, updated annually to reflect current offerings.

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The Flood:ED program offers flexible, self-paced activities ranging from 1-2 hours in length. Among these activities, is also our Flood:ED Simulator, an interactive tool that takes approximately 1 hour to complete and allows learners to explore flood resilience strategies in a virtual setting. With a variety of highly adaptable activities, Flood:ED can be easily integrated into different learning environments.

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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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Engage students in an interactive online course, where students will be exposed to Coast Salish environmental knowledge, the Southern Resident Killer Whales, and the threats facing these species at risk. Students will learn to become effective environmental stewards, making a real difference in protecting the ocean.

This five-hour, virtual course offers a self-paced online experience, ideal for students who can engage independently with minimal guidance. The course can also function as guided lessons or activities between students and teachers. Through interactive learning modules and hands-on projects, students will gain insight into the Salish Sea, orca behavior, and the broader impacts of human activities on marine ecosystems. The course incorporates the rich knowledge and history of the Coast Salish peoples, highlighting their connection and stewardship of the Salish Sea. Students will be inspired through this course to take sustainable action to protect orcas, and become environmental stewards.

Orcas in the Salish Sea meets B.C. Curriculum Connections and Learning Outcomes for Grades 3-8, and the First Peoples Principles of Learning. This online, self-paced course is available nationwide for students and educators. Thank you to Prince of Whales for sponsoring this course.

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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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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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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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Please allow a minimum of 2 weeks notice if you are seeking a new lesson not listed in our lesson plans.

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UBC Farm field trips immerse children in a working certified organic farm through dynamic, themed experiences. Students engage their senses while planting, harvesting, and cooking with fresh produce (Food & Farming); learning about pollinators, food webs, and ecological connections (Nature & Ecosystems); or building forts and practicing wilderness skills (Exploration & Skills). These two-hour guided visits involve walking across varied farm features, with tailored programming by age group and flexible timing.

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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.

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Company of Adventurers provides instruction in many outdoor wilderness activities with a strong focus on environmental education and stewardship. A low guide to participant ratio promotes safety and enhances the quality of the experience. Program length varies from day- to multi-day adventures.

See website for different program offerings and to register

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Winter is time for reflection on gardens and this event invites you to reflect on your local biodiversity. Do you have a diverse collection of plants in your neighbourhood? Have you noticed different kinds of insects? What about birds and mammals? Biodiverse gardens provide habitat for many animals. The variety of plants helps a garden be resilient to weather events and temperature fluctuations. As our city grows larger and yards become smaller, it is increasingly important for urban gardens, even patio and balcony gardens, to provide a variety of habit for the animals in our urban ecosystem. To help us consider options for growing biodiversity in our gardens, this year’s Think Spring! topics include moths, birds, urban biodiversity, and alternative lawn plants.