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We offer educational tours for the UBC Botanical Garden, Nitobe Memorial Garden, and the Greenheart TreeWalk. As part of the Faculty of Science, we strive to deliver ecology and environmental learning grounded in science and place-based learning. Sustainability is a key theme of our tours and we aim to raise awareness of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.  Our tours can be tailored to all age groups and knowledge levels and range from 1 to 2 hours in length. Located at UBC, we serve groups located in or visiting the Greater Vancouver Area. We offer our tours from Wednesday-Saturday between the hours of 10:00am and 4:30pm. 

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Our Resources for Rethinking (R4R) search engine makes it easy to find great sustainability resources for every grade and subject!

Search by:

Language (English/French)

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Grade, subject and curriculum unit

Sustainability theme (14 themes and 96 issues)

Resource type (lesson plan, children’s literature, video, outdoor activity, games/apps)

The UN Sustainable Development Goals

Indigenous Knowledge Theme

Easy access to the resources you're looking for

Over 2,000 of the best resources available from hundreds of publishers including commercial publishers, non-profit organizations, government, school boards, teachers’ federations. Most resources are available free for download from the publisher’s website.

Quality Professional reviews

Resources are reviewed by the people best equipped to judge the value of an educational resource: teachers! The rigorous review process was developed in collaboration with teachers from across Canada. To be included in the database resources must meet stringent sustainability and pedagogical criteria recommended in the research on teaching and learning.

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In this program, students learn about pollution by examining different types of pollutants and where they come from. They will then evaluate how individual actions contribute to the health of the river. A slide presentation introduces students to the Fraser River, then the class breaks into smaller groups to explore pollution sources and the way pollution moves through our ecosystems and communities. Student’s also discuss the difference one individual’s actions can make.

Grades: 2-5                          Length: 1.5 hours               Maximum group size: 30 students

Program Components:

Learn about the sources and causes of pollution in the lower mainland.

Play a fun board game where students can watch how one person can make a difference against the pollution problem.

See how plastic pollution effects birds who live in the Fraser River Basin.

Full Description

THE RIVERWATCH MISSION: The RiverWatch Institute of Alberta delivers science education and environmental awareness experiences along Alberta’s rivers and watershed systems. Through our professional river guides, school science float trips, stewardship activities, and water monitoring equipment, participants learn about the science and health of our waterways. By becoming watershed knowledgeable, Albertans of all walks of life will better understand, enjoy and care for our environment.

YOUR RIVERWATCH SCHOOL SCIENCE FLOAT EXPERIENCE

We believe the best way to study a river is by taking your science classes on a float trip aboard our professionally guided large rafts, fully equipped as floating laboratories! Our science education programs align DIRECTLY with the Alberta provincial curriculum and have been a go-to resource for Alberta secondary science classes since 1995. Our hands-on and experiential science float programming is offered in the fall from early September to the end of October and again in the spring (late April to mid-June) once the ice is off the river.

With a laser focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), students explore their local river ecosystem aboard rafts equipped as mobile water quality laboratories. A day of guided rafting takes the student classroom into the real natural world to experience an interesting mix of ecology, wildlife, history, geology, engineering, technology, industry, water quality monitoring and data collection. Our programs showcase science in ways students have never seen before, creating an experience they’ll never forget, INCLUDING A TOUR OF LOCAL WASTE WATER TREATMENT PLANTS! Over the years, close to 200,000 students have adventured out with us to become young scientists for the day.

YOUR RIVERWATCH GUIDES

All RiverWatch guides are highly trained and possess a minimum Class 1 PROAOA certification to meet Transport Canada Commercial Rafting Standards. All our river guides complete an intense week of training involving rafting, emergency response, health and safety, bus driving, equipment maintenance, water quality monitoring, and local/natural history interpretation. To work for RiverWatch Guides must possess Standard First Aid certification and/or may also have Wilderness First Aid, National Lifeguard Society, Swift Water Rescue or Emergency Medical Responder training. The result is an experienced group of certified and professional river guides ready to provide a safe, engaging and fully immersive rafting experience. Your RiverWatch raft guide will help students gain new insights and appreciation for our rivers’ history, culture, bio-diversity and stewardship. Everyone will finish the day more connected to nature and the river!

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Indigenous people have relied on salmon since the fish became abundant in the Fraser River about 5000-6000 years ago. This program explores the connection between Indigenous people and salmon on the Fraser River. Students get hands-on experience with fishing technology, learn about wind-drying salmon, and discover that salmon is in the hearts of Indigenous people living along the Fraser River today.

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

Program Components:

Watch and discuss a film, featuring two Indigenous Elders telling stories about how Salmon came to the Fraser River, and their connections to the Fraser River.

Explore authentic and replica tools to learn about Indigenous fishing techniques, and create a group presentation.

Learn about wind-drying salmon through the replica drying rack, and practice sharpening a kwetsetel (Indigenous slate knife).

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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 Classroom Gardener offers practical school garden expertise and customized consultations for non-profits, government agencies, community partners, school districts, and university faculties on gardening with children.

We offer researched and responsive whole system thinking with proven solutions for start up, maintenance, enhanced use, and seasonal frustrations associated with school garden use.

We offer comprehensive and relevant pedagogical applications of curricular learning in gardens, which supports the daily practice of education professionals.

Book an on-site start up conversation, a consultation for a new garden build, hire us for your summer maintenance, book an entire year of curriculum-aligned garden-based learning, or book our team for your next professional learning event!

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Farm to School BC brings healthy, local, and sustainable food into schools across British Columbia and provides students with hands-on learning opportunities that develop food literacy, all while strengthening the local food system and enhancing school and community connectedness. The F2SBC team includes Regional Coordinators to provide localized support across all 60 school districts in BC, including independent and First Nations schools, divided into 5 geographic areas. Specific program activities include:

•Annual Farm to School BC grants program that opens each October

•Webinars covering a variety of food literacy topics throughout the school year

•Educator resources, lesson plans, toolkits, and activity ideas for in and outside the classroom in any season

•School Garden Mentorship resource library with recorded webinars and resource lists taking you through building or enhancing a school garden program month-by-month

•Pro-D and Regional Gathering events and opportunities

•Connections to local food producers, organizations, districts, and businesses to assist with individual educator and school inquiries

Farm to School BC is a program of the Public Health Association of BC and is supported by the Province of British Columbia.

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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Project WET Canada offers professional development certification workshops for educators, available both in-person and virtually. Our water education program features complete, engaging, inquiry-based lesson plans and activities. Guides include Foundations in Water Education, Water in Earth Systems, Projet WET Module 1 (French), Climate, Water and Resilience (Grades 6–12), and Getting Little Feet Wet (ECE). Workshops are led by fully trained Project WET Facilitators. Length and fees vary by guide(s), format, and location. Contact Maxine Koskie or Billie Jo Reid for more information.

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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.

Full Description

At Cheakamus Centre, learners of all ages connect with nature, community, and Indigenous culture on a 165-hectare ecological reserve. Field School programs feature outdoor studies, recreation, and team building in day or overnight formats, all tied to the BC curriculum. Indigenous Cultural Programs, led by Skwxwú7mesh educators, immerse participants in Coast Salish traditions through hands-on, interactive learning in the longhouse and rainforest, fostering curiosity, understanding, and respect.

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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.

Full Description

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.

Full Description

Every class in your school receives an age-appropriate lesson about your local watershed, the wildlife within it, and how to protect it from storm drain pollution. Children then paint their Dreamfish, which becomes part of a permanent fence mural installed by professional designers. The fish represent each student's dream of a healthy future for our freshwater habitats, while the mural reminds everyone that, even though we can't always see our creeks and other waterways, what we do impacts them.

Full Description

The Eco 360 program offers a flexible learning experience, featuring a variety of hands-on activities ranging from 1-3 hours. This program provides opportunities to expand learning through topics including types of plastics, waste in the environment, understanding the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals in relation to a circular economy and so much more! Educators and learners can select activities that align with their needs, making it a very adaptable program.

Full Description

Our Mission

To nourish young minds and support local agriculture by delivering fresh, high-quality BC products to schools across the province. Through FRESH for KIDS, we create lasting connections between students, schools, and local farmers while promoting healthy eating habits.

Program Benefits

Direct delivery of fresh BC produce to schools

Support for local farmers and agriculture

Competitive bulk pricing

Flexible delivery schedules

Quality assurance and food safety standards

Professional distribution network reaching all corners of BC

How It Works

Schools or districts choose their preferred program length

FRESH for KIDS coordinates with local farmers and suppliers

Products are delivered directly to schools on a regular schedule

Students enjoy fresh, nutritious BC products

Schools track program success through our online platform

Supporting BC Agriculture

When you participate in FRESH for KIDS, you are not just feeding students – you are supporting an entire ecosystem of local farmers, distributors, and agricultural workers. Our program creates sustainable market opportunities for BC farmers while ensuring that students receive the freshest possible produce.

The program is supported by schools who choose to use their Feeding Futures Grant, support of school PAC or other funds from the community.

Support FRESH for KIDS

We believe every student deserves access to fresh, nutritious food. Visit our fundraising platform at freshforkids.ca to:

Support local schools in your community

Help expand our program reach

Contribute to student nutrition initiatives

Make a difference in BC’s food security

Full Description

This program will show students how to predict and prepare for extreme events using a stream table, a tool that can simulate river processes. Students will also have a chance to conduct their own research about how their communities may be at potential risk and to propose solutions. Students will be able to share those ideas with guest scientists through a follow-up online workshop.  

*NOTE: This program is currently only being held as an in-person field-trip.

Grades 3-5  

Students explore the basics of climate science and river processes. Using a stream table model, students model different climate change scenarios and design infrastructure that could mitigate the damage caused by climate change. 

Grades 6-12  

Students discuss connections between climate change and land management practices, both traditional Indigenous and current industrial. Using a stream table model, students model different climate change scenarios and design infrastructure that could mitigate the damage caused by climate change. For the optional action project, students research how their communities may be susceptible to extreme weather events and climate change and present their findings using ArcGIS Story Maps. A follow-up online workshop connects students to knowledge holders. 

Grades: 3-12                Length: 1.5 hours                      Maximum group size: 30 students 

Program Components: 

Basic river landscape geomorphology as well as traditional and industrial methods of flood risk management 

How climate change will impact infrastructure planning across the Fraser River Basin 

Analytical and design thinking to create action plans towards mitigating future natural disaster incidents that will be available to local community leadership 

Students will receive 3D printed models and Climate Action Science Spotlight briefs relevant to their research 

Full Description

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.

Full Description

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