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Full Description

With 100% of proceeds going back into outdoor learning non-profit initiatives, The Outdoor Learning School & Store is a charitable social enterprise grown in the homelands of the Secwépemc and Ktunaxa, and flourishing across Turtle Island (North America).

Our awesome team works hard to provide a refined list of excellent resources, equipment, tools & training. We offer this in partnership with over 70 non-profit organizations from across North America.

Outdoor learning is being increasingly adopted to enhance student learning, and to support the physical, emotional and mental health of teachers and students. We’re pleased to help support this, along with other key social and environmental issues such as the climate crisis, the rapid loss of biodiversity, nature-deficit disorder, and the obesity epidemic.

Read about our Ethical Policies and Practices.

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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 (K-12), Animal Detectives (K-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), and Grizzly Bears Forever (Gr. 7-12).

Full Description

LunchLAB is an innovative school meal program that serves students accessible, nourishing, culturally relevant lunches prepared by students with the mentorship of a team of chefs-in-residence. LunchLAB empowers youth to cook food for themselves and their peers providing opportunities for kids to find delight, dignity, and belonging in their interactions with food. 

Lunches change each day and menus are inspired by the communities we serve. Each meal includes a fresh salad bar and a hot item, whether that’s tacos, chickpea curry, palak paneer, ramen soup, or lasagna, it’s sure to be packed with delicious flavours and fresh veggies.

We offer a sliding scale pay-what-you-can model to balance affordability for families and the long-term sustainability of LunchLAB. As part of the registration process, families decide what they can afford with opportunities to receive a subsidy or subsidize families in their community.

Watch our CBC mini doc to get a flavour of LunchLAB and find out more on our website!

Full Description

This field trip is offered in spring (April, May, June) and fall (September and October) at our schoolyard farms in Vancouver. Situated at Vancouver Technical School (2600 E Broadway, Vancouver) and David Thompson Secondary School (1755 E 55th Ave, Vancouver), our farms are a short walk from many elementary schools and community centres. All field trips include a farm work experience, as well as a chance to harvest and taste veggies, when seasonally available. We require 1 teacher/chaperone for every 8 grade K-3 students and for every 10 grade 4-12 students.

Max number of students: 30

Learn more and book your trip.

Full Description

This field trip is offered in spring (April, May, June) and fall (September and October) at our schoolyard farms in Vancouver. Situated at Vancouver Technical School (2600 E Broadway, Vancouver) and David Thompson Secondary School (1755 E 55th Ave, Vancouver), our farms are a short walk from many elementary schools and community centres. All field trips include a farm work experience, as well as a chance to harvest and taste veggies, when seasonally available. We require 1 teacher/chaperone for every 10 grade 4-12 students.

Max number of students: 30

Full Description

Cost
Subsidized rate of $99 for 90-minute field trips for Grade K-3 classes.

Subsidized rate of $120 for 120-minute field trips for Grade 4-12 classes.

The fees charged help EYA recover part of our costs for staff time and materials needed to host your classroom. If cost is a barrier, please let us know on the request form.

Length
90 minutes for Grade K- 3 field trips
120 minutes for Grade 4-12 field trips

Group Size
We can host up to 30 students per field trip.

Available Dates
Field trips are available from March - June and September - November. When completing the request form, please provide us with 2-3 date options to facilitate scheduling.

Location
Our field trips will take place at the Strathcona Community Gardens (759 Malkin Ave).

Strathcona Community Gardens is a 1.4 hectare community-run greenspace in East Vancouver with a native plant teaching garden, greenhouse and native plant nursery, plant medicine gardens, rewilding areas, and solar-powered eco-classroom.

Eligibility
Elementary and high school classes from VSB public schools, with priority given to alternative schools and schools located in East Vancouver.

Full Description

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

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.

Full Description

This field trip is offered in spring (April, May, June) and fall (September and October) at our schoolyard farms in Vancouver and Coquitlam. Situated at Vancouver Technical School (2600 E Broadway, Vancouver) and David Thompson Secondary School (1755 E 55th Ave, Vancouver), our Vancouver farms are a short walk from many elementary schools and community centres.

A field trip to our Coquitlam farm, located at Suwa’lkh School (1432 Brunette Ave, Coquitlam), is like no other Fresh Roots field trip. Our program space includes a native plant propagation greenhouse, medicine and food gardens, and a seven-acre forest with a forest classroom and a salmon stream. Field trips at Suwa’lkh focus on First People’s ways of knowing, helping students connect with Traditional Ecological Knowledge, in both cultivated and natural food lands. Suwa’lkh field trips are co-facilitated, whenever possible, with an Indigenous knowledge keeper and have been designed in consultation with Indigenous knowledge keeper Carrie Clark.

All field trips include a farm work experience, as well as a chance to harvest and taste veggies, when seasonally available. We require 1 teacher/chaperone for every 10 Grade 4-12 students at our Vancouver sites and 1 teacher/chaperone for every 10 Grade 6-12 students at our Coquitlam site.

Max number of students: 30

Full Description

Current lesson plans include Earth systems, Living systems, Time and place, Wetland ecosystems, Air and aerodynamics, Interactions in ecosystems, Fresh and saltwater ecosystems, Biological diversity, and Environmental stewardship.

Full Description

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

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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.

Full Description

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)

Full Description

This field trip is offered in spring (April, May, June) at our schoolyard farms in Vancouver. Situated at Vancouver Technical School (2600 E Broadway, Vancouver) and David Thompson Secondary School (1755 E 55th Ave, Vancouver), our farms are a short walk from many elementary schools and community centres. All field trips include a farm work experience, as well as a chance to harvest and taste veggies, when seasonally available. We require 1 teacher/chaperone for every 8 grade K-3 students.

Max number of students: 30

Learn more and book your trip.

Full Description

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.

Full Description

Grade 2 - Exploring Liquids

Grade 4 - Waste and Our World

Grade 5 - Wetland Ecosystems

Full Description

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.

Full Description

This field trip is offered in spring (April, May, June) at our schoolyard farm in Coquitlam. A field trip to Suwa’lkh School (1432 Brunette Ave, Coquitlam) is like no other Fresh Roots field trip. Our program space includes a native plant propagation greenhouse, medicine and food gardens, and a seven-acre forest with a forest classroom and a salmon stream. Field trips at Suwa’lkh focus on First People’s ways of knowing, helping students connect with Traditional Ecological Knowledge, in both cultivated and natural food lands. Suwa’lkh field trips are co-facilitated, whenever possible, with an Indigenous knowledge keeper and have been designed in consultation with Indigenous knowledge keeper Carrie Clark.

All field trips include a farm work experience, as well as a chance to harvest and taste veggies, when seasonally available. We require 1 teacher/chaperone for every 8 Grade K-5 students at our Coquitlam site.

Max number of students: 30

Full Description

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.

Full Description

This field trip is offered in spring (April, May, June) and fall (September and October) at our schoolyard farm in Coquitlam. A field trip to Suwa’lkh School (1432 Brunette Ave, Coquitlam), is like no other Fresh Roots field trip. Our program space includes a native plant propagation greenhouse, medicine and food gardens, and a seven-acre forest with a forest classroom and a salmon stream. Field trips at Suwa’lkh focus on First People’s ways of knowing, helping students connect with Traditional Ecological Knowledge, in both cultivated and natural food lands. Suwa’lkh field trips are co-facilitated, whenever possible, with an Indigenous knowledge keeper and have been designed in consultation with Indigenous knowledge keeper Carrie Clark.

All field trips include a farm work experience, as well as a chance to harvest and taste veggies, when seasonally available. We require 1 teacher/chaperone for every 8 Grade K-5 students at our Coquitlam site.

Max number of students: 30