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

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The Bodo Archaeological Site & Centre offers experiential educational programs for students of all ages, both at our centre and site, and in the classroom. We have had thousands of students visit Bodo to take part in our interactive, hands-on activities and learning experience. Students learn about archaeology and the history of the Bodo Archaeological Sites and the Great Plains in a meaningful and memorable way. We offer in-person visits (1/2 day and overnight field trips) and in-classroom visits.

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Discover what salmon need to survive and what makes healthy salmon habitat. Students also experience the obstacles salmon face during their migration through interactive games.

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 K-3 $95

Grade 4 $105

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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.

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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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Get to Galiano Island easily with BC Ferries! We're a short 1-1.5 hour trip from the Tsawwassen ferry terminal in Vancouver or the Swartz Bay ferry terminal in Victoria. Our hands-on, nature-based programs have proudly been developed over 20+ years. Programs serve to introduce youth to nature in a fun, safe and meaningful way. Our activities are designed to reflect the BC K-12 curriculum, resonate local Indigenous voices and foster youth environmental leadership.

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Goldstream Nature House on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from March 26 – May 16 for three unique, one-hour programs: Junior Explorers, Wildlife Detectives, and Eco-Stewards. Students will learn about the vital ecosystems of Goldstream Park. This spring, the Discover Parks Ambassadors will offer the following programs for school groups: 

JUNIOR EXPLORERS - GRADES: K-3

A sensory exploration of the natural environment in Goldstream. 

WILDLIFE DETECTIVES - GRADES 4-7

Investigating ecosystems and species relationships.

ECO-STEWARDS - GRADES 7-12

Learn vital environmental stewardship skills and become an advocate for nature.

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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 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.

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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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This program serves schools that are driving distance to Elbow falls or to Canmore (fall program).

The Field School started in the Spring in 2005

We provide both spring and fall programs since 2008

We offer a virtual Field Study program since spring 2021 (virtual programs can be booked September-mid April)

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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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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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Worms Love Leftovers gives children a peek into the amazing world of worms and how they help recycle organic waste, turning it into healthy living soil. This is an inquiry-based opportunity that fully engages participants in hands-on learning and incorporates several cross-curricular competencies.

Available for schools in Calgary. Subsidies are available so cost is not a barrier to participation.

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Join us as we journey down the river of stories from the headwaters to the mouth of the Fraser. Travelling along an interactive map, students will learn all about the Fraser River Basin through stories from the near and distant past. The program ends with a reflection on our place in this landscape, as students add their own story to the map.

Grades:  K-2             Length: 70 mins           Maximum group size: 30 students

To participate in this program, you will need:

A classroom with a projector we can connect our laptop or USB to

Curricular connections:

This program supports curricular competencies in English Language Arts as students engage actively as listeners, viewers and readers; create stories to deepen their awareness of self; and use oral storytelling processes. This program also supports competencies in Social Studies as students learn about cultural characteristics and ways of life of local First Peoples, and understand the significance of the Fraser River Basin to individuals and groups. 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 exploration of one’s own identity. Further, this program supports students in the process of developing a positive personal and cultural identity.

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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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Water Scientists will learn about the water cycle, and make a water necklace. *This workshop is free for schools in the Township of Langley (limited spaces available).

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