Nature & Biodiversity

BioKits are interactive activity books that can be printed and taken with your class on any outing in the community or natural parks! Activities connect to the various sights and sounds of the community, including signs of wildlife, and encourage students to explore the services in their community and think about topics such as transportation/green transportation, recycling/waste services, and more!

BioKits are also available in French. 

Canada's Outdoor Learning Store sells a variety of book bundles, guides, and kits to aid educators in taking learning outdoors. Search the shop by seasons, themes, type, language, and age level. It is run as a social enterprise which allows them to provide a return for outdoor learning non-profit organizations from across the country, and beyond.

Walking Together is a resource developed for teachers to help increase their understanding of Indigenous perspectives. Topics include Traditional Environmental Knowledge and Connection to Land. The guide can be worked through at your own pace and includes interactive elements and video interviews with speakers bringing a range of perspectives, including Kainai, Dene, Woodland Cree, Plains Cree, Métis, Nakoda, and more. 

In the article Nature Can Be as Engaging as Video Games — How to Help Kids Fall in Love With the Outdoors, which also contains a TEDx video and useful linkes, Scott Sampson encourages parents to help kids fall in love with nature just like he did: through direct experience. He recommends three steps that we — along with the children in our lives — can take to connect with nature. You don’t need to go to a national park to help your kids fall in love with nature; a walk around the block can be enough. Tech also doesn’t have to be the enemy. Instead, use it as a tool to enhance their awe.

How to Make the Most of Indoor Play When You Can't Go Outside is an article with advice, activities, and links on how to bring environmental education into the indoors. This article provides tips on how to redefine what “outdoors” can really mean for each of us. For those who only have access to a backyard or are fully homebound, check out this resource for activities to maximize a small space or bring the outdoors in! 

Learning Inside Out is a seven-week course of activities curated from the LSF's Resources4Rethinking database, with themes from the Step Outside Nature Guides and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which cover everything from climate change to equity. Different activities are listed for different age groups from K-12.

Children’s Author, Amelia Lionheart, in her fictional JEACs book series (JEACs: Junior Environmentalists and Conservationists), endeavours to educate and create awareness through the means of fun adventure stories, about the vital importance of conservation and environmental issues. Join the JEACs as they embark on adventures around the world to advocate for animal conservation, environmental issues and solve mysteries. The youngsters deal with a variety of issues; they also believe in using their talents, doing fundraising and volunteer work and having lots of fun! The JEACs firmly believe some of the key factors in saving our planet are: PACE - Participation, Awareness, Co-operation and Education. The books are educational on many levels, and the facts about the animals are accurate; the rest is fictional. Real groups of JEACs in Calgary, formed by children who read the books, raised funds for several conservation and environmental organizations, including WWF, The Cochrane Ecological Institute and the Calgary Zoo. Visit the website at: www.jeacs.com, and check out the books,
read excerpts, etc. (Advanced readers of 7 years and older, [including adults], are also reading the books. The language level is high, but there is a Glossary at the end of each book.)

The books can be purchased directly through Amelia Lionheart, who may be contacted at: amelia.lionheart@shaw.ca for details. Amelia is in Calgary and will be happy to: sell the books at a discounted rate, donate a percentage of the sale to ACEE, sign the books if requested, and add a bookmark. She lives in Calgary, but is happy to ship books within Canada (the cost of shipping will be added to the total sale of books).

The books can also be purchased at the following Indigo/Chapters Stores in Calgary (you would have to pay full price there and the books will not be signed):

• Indigo - Dalhousie and Signal Hill;
• Chapters - Crowfoot, Spectrum and Shawnessy.

This article describes easy-to-use tools and methods for finding and identifying different types of rocks and minerals in your backyard!

The Into Nature guide from Back to Nature Network contains helpful tips on how to start an outdoor education program in your teaching. The second half features dozens of activities (beginning on page 24). More detailed lesson plans begin on page 51.

How to Germinate Beans in your Kitchen (Gr. K-6)

Upcycled Flower Pot (Gr. 7-12)

Biodegradable Paper Planter (Gr. 4-12)

How to make a Mud Kitchen (Pre-K-Gr.1)

Tailpipe Pollution Challenge (Gr. 5)

Birding 101 (K-12)