Families

The Outdoor Education Toolkit for Grades 9-12 by the Ontario Physical and Health Education Association (Ophea) provides guidance, tips, safety considerations, and checklists for before and during outdoor education activities. The toolkit also includes lesson plans, conversation starters, and reflection activities.

Toronto Outdoor Education Schools has put together a searchable database of outdoor education activities for all grades and subject areas. 

Nature Companion is a free app/website introducing many of the plants and animals found in Canada’s four western provinces. In just one app, you’ll find basic information about over 300 common plants, trees, birds, animals, insects, reptiles, and amphibians. It's available on or off line. Nature Companion provides short, easy-to-understand descriptions and colourful photographs along with a Did you know? section with interesting, unexpected details about each species. It’s free with no ads or sign up and can be installed on your phone or tablet directly from the Nature Companion website.

The Indigenous Games for Children Resource is a collection of traditional Indigenous games and activities to help introduce or reconnect children to recreational and sport activities that reflect the rich cultural heritage of our Indigenous peoples across Canada. 

Energy. A topic that can divide, puzzle, inspire. Future Energy Systems is a research program out of the University of Alberta studying all aspects of the energy transition. Future Energy Systems researchers, graduate students and post-doctoral fellows are making home-learning resources available for students of all grade levels, as well as for members of the public. Content includes lab tours, at home experiments and crafts, mini talks, full lectures, storytimes with associated worksheets, and The Energy Adventures of Tommy and Remi, an educational children's book series! Register for weekly notifications of new videos and access to all content. 

Earth School by TedEd is a collection of short videos and lessons organized by the following topics:

• The Nature of Our Stuff
• The Nature of Society
• The Nature of Nature
• The Nature of Change
• The Nature of Individual Action
• The Nature of Collective Action

The Calgary Horticultural Society has a resource page with helpful guides to gardening including activities to get started, how to use compost, and soil tips. 

Friends of Fish Creek Provincial Park Society has a program called TD Learning Naturally in which students from K-6 have the opportunity to go on a curriculum-linked field trip to Fish Creek park who otherwise would not be able to afford it. 

Nature Calgary has a resource page to support anyone interested in birding. Resources include birding locations, checklist for birds in the Calgary area, birding software, migration date guide, and arrival times chart. 

Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden field trips include a horticultural experience learning about the plants and trees of Nikka Yuko.