THE WONDERS OF WATER: PRACTICAL IDEAS AND RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS

Tues, April 16, 4 pm Pacific / 7 pm Eastern

With Water Education Experts: Rochelle Strauss, World Fish Migration Day, Water Rangers, and Oceanwise

Water is essential for life and each of us is part of the water cycle each day wherever we live. Join us for this collaborative workshop where we will discuss all things water education, from our place in the cycle, to the other beings we share the water with, how to study it and how we are linked to the oceans!

TAKE ACTION WITH WATER EDUCATION:

Water Education Resources & Tools

‘One Well’ by Rochelle Strauss

Water Rangers Resources

Learn to become ‘Oceanwise’

Celebrate World Fish Migration Day

Register for free!

C2C Winter Solstice Event

Success Stories in Place and Land-Based Learning

Thursday, December 15, 4:30 – 6:00pm PST (on Zoom)

On December 15, join teachers, community educators and other leaders online for our annual Winter Solstice Celebration to share successful practices, network and celebrate our work that connects learners with place, land and community.

Join us to…

• Learn about innovative programs and resources across B.C.

• Share ideas, inspiration and engaging strategies for teaching and learning linked to local places, the land and community

• Network and explore opportunities for collaboration and mentorship in your region

Register here

Connecting to Land through Indigenous Learning

On October 20, 2023, join educators and other leaders from across Turtle Island for our annual Provincial Specialists Association (PSA) Day Professional Development Gathering. We will connect ourselves to the land through learning and Indigenous perspectives.

Featuring:

• Interactive Keynote with Ariana Roundpoint, educator and author of Sila and the Land

• 2 x Indigenous-led interactive workshops including breakout sessions to connect with your colleagues and community

• Dive deeply into three themes - Storytelling and the Land, Health and Well-being and the Land, and Learning Outside with the Land

• Reflection tools for you to take outside

• Door prizes and more!

Learn more and register now.

Thursday, June 22, 5:00 – 8:00pm PST

False Creek, Vancouver

Join teachers, community educators and other leaders from across B.C. as we meet online to share successful practices and celebrate our work that connects learners with place and the outdoors!

5:00pm - Meet at Science World (Outdoors)

• Teaching about Climate and Sustainability using Tech Outdoors (Park & Garden around Science World)

6:00-8:00pm - Bao Down Restaurant

• Celebration and Success Story Sharing

Complimentary snacks and first drink on us!

Click here to register.

School Gardening: Teaching Tools & Resources

March, 7th 2023 - 4:00 PM Pacific / 7:00 PM Eastern (60)

With School Garden Educators, Kaci Rae Christopher and Megan Zeni

With spring around the corner, we are excited to bring back Megan Zeni and Kaci Rae Christopher, two amazing school garden specialists!

Kaci Rae is a School Garden & Farm Educator, and author of The School Garden Curriculum: An Integrated K-8 Guide for Discovering Science, Ecology, and Whole-Systems Thinking.

Megan is a Teacher and School Garden Educator, and the co-curator of the Soil Study and Inquiry Kit, as well as the Looking Closely Outdoor Learning Kit.

Kaci Rae & Megan will share some tips, tricks, activities and resources for taking your learning into your school or community garden. We will also share the learning resource that accompanies the Food Cycler for Schools.

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop, you will receive a link to the resources shared, the recording, and access your Certificate of Attendance.

Register here

A People’s Curriculum for the Earth

February, 28th 2023 - 4:00 PM Pacific / 7:00 PM Eastern (60)

With Author & Teacher, Tim Swinehart

Tim Swinehart is a high school teacher and co-author of A People’s Curriculum for the Earth: Teaching Climate Change and the Environmental Crisis.

This resource book for educators features some of the best articles from Rethinking Schools magazine alongside classroom-friendly readings on climate change, energy, water, food, and pollution – as well as on people who are working to make things better.

At a time when it’s becoming increasingly obvious that life on Earth is at risk, here is a resource that helps students see what’s wrong and imagine solutions.

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop, you will receive a link to the resources shared, the recording, and access your Certificate of Attendance.

Register here

Green Ummah & The Great Outdoors

February, 21st 2023 - 4:00 PM Pacific / 7:00 PM Eastern (60)

With Aadil Nathani, Co-founder of Green Ummah

Join Aadil Nathani of Green Ummah, a non-profit organization with the goal of creating a green movement in the Muslim community.

Aadil has responded to the urgent need to address climate change and the responsibility that we have to take care of the planet by co-founding Green Ummah with the hope that it can provide simple, practical solutions for Muslims to be more environmentally friendly.

Aadil will share some ideas and resources from the work of Green Ummah, and will also share the work of Ambreen Tariq, author of Fatima’s Great Outdoors, and of the founder of @BrownPeopleCamping.  

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop, you will receive a link to the resources shared, the recording, and access your Certificate of Attendance.

Register here

Taking Math Outdoors: Practical Ideas & Examples

February, 7th 2023 - 4:00 PM Pacific / 7:00 PM Eastern (60)

With Pamela Gibson & Janice Haines (Learning for a Sustainable Future)

Wondering how you can further the outdoor experience for your students beyond science and geography? Perhaps re-envisioning your Math Program can help. Join Pamela Gibson & Janice Haines of Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) for some inspiring ideas and practical ways of connecting math curricula with outside. It’s a liberating experience!

Pamela is a career long classroom teacher with k-10 experience and has been taking students outdoors for decades. To get at curriculum she uses a hands-on experiential approach, place based outdoor learning and inquiry.

Janice is an elementary teacher with a passion for learning outdoors and in the community. Janice has been using the Sustainable Development Goals to help children become informed active citizens who are taking action and making a difference in their communities.

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop, you will receive a link to the resources shared, the recording, and access your Certificate of Attendance.

Register now

Climate Change & Sustainability Education Resources

January, 31st 2023 - 4:00 PM Pacific / 7:00 PM Eastern (60)

With Ian Shanahan (Green Teacher) and Sam Levac-Levey (Solutions)

Join Ian Shanahan & Sam Levac-Levey to learn about some fantastic resources for educating, engaging, and empowering students around climate change and sustainability education.

Sam is the developer of the Solutions, a board game to inform and inspire hope and action for the climate. Solutions was designed with educators in mind. Each solution card played requires students to actively engage with the solution, think critically, and discuss it with their peers.

Ian is the Editor of Green Teacher, a world-renowned organization that has published hundreds of practical examples, activities, and lesson plans from teachers who are making a difference in their classrooms and communities.

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop, you will receive a link to the resources shared, the recording, and access your Certificate of Attendance.

Register here

Dirty Teaching: A Beginners Guide to Learning Outdoors

January, 24th 2023 - 4:00 PM Pacific / 7:00 PM Eastern (60)

With Author Juliet Robertson

With Jade Harvey-Berrill of the Outdoor Learning Store, Steph Korolyk of Take Me Outside hosting Author Juliet Robertson.

Juliet is one of the world’s leading education consultants specializing in outdoor learning and play. She is passionate about enabling schools, play organizations and early years settings to provide quality outdoor learning and play opportunities for children and young people. Juliet will share tips, tricks, and strategies from her renowned book, Dirty Teaching: A Beginners Guide to Learning Outdoors.

One of the keys to a happy and creative classroom is getting out of it, and this book will give you the confidence to do it. It contains a wealth of ideas that allow educators and parents to encourage outdoor learning and improve student participation.

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop, you will receive a link to the resources shared, the recording, and access your Certificate of Attendance.

Register here

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults

January, 17th 2023 - 4:00 PM Pacific / 7:00 PM Eastern (60)

With Indigenous Author Monique Gray Smith

Join us to learn from award-winning, best-selling author and professional consultant Monique Gray Smith as she shares about her most recent published book, the adaptation of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ for the Young Adult audience.

Join Monique for this engaging workshop on how to share Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants with Young Adults. Monique is Cree, Lakota and Scottish, and is well known for her storytelling, spirit of generosity and focus on resilience. She has written eight books including Speaking our Truth: A Journey of Reconciliation, My Heart Fills with Happiness, You Hold Me Up, Lucy and Lola, Tilly: A Story of Hope and Resilience, and When We Are Kind.

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! In addition in your confirmation email you will also be sent a discount code to access Indigenous Learning Resources at our non-profit Outdoor Learning Store, including Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults. Following the workshop you will receive a link to access your Certificate of Attendance.

Register here

C2C Winter Solstice Event

Success Stories in Place and Land-Based Learning

Thursday, December 15, 4:30 – 6:00pm PST (on Zoom)

On December 15, join teachers, community educators and other leaders online for our annual Winter Solstice Celebration to share successful practices, network and celebrate our work that connects learners with place, land and community.

Join us to…

• Learn about innovative programs and resources across B.C.

• Share ideas, inspiration and engaging strategies for teaching and learning linked to local places, the land and community

• Network and explore opportunities for collaboration and mentorship in your region

Register here

Accessibility in Outdoor Learning

November, 29th 2022 - 4:00 PM Pacific / 7:00 PM Eastern (60)

With Accessibility and Inclusion Consultant, Karen Lai

Join Karen Lai for an honest and open discussion on accessibility in the outdoors with a focus on people with disabilities and what real inclusivity looks like.

Karen is an experienced outdoor adventurer, consultant and facilitator who has been helping people with disabilities find their place for over twenty years. Karen demonstrates openness and curiosity in her work, creating an environment that encourages questions and conversations based on her own life experience with cerebral palsy.

Karen holds a Master of Arts in Human Kinetics and her thesis focused on social inclusion. Karen will guide educators on a journey into understanding what belonging and value means for different students.

Upon registration, registrants will receive a discount code by email to support them in accessing a variety of resources to support developing programming that is more inclusive.

Register here

C2C Summer Solstice Celebration

Place-Based Learning in B.C.: Success Stories in Practice 

On Thursday, June 23rd, join teachers, community educators and other leaders on False Creek in Vancouver to share successful practices and celebrate our work that connects learners with place, the land and the community.

5:00      Meet outside Science World in Vancouver for a walk & talk along False Creek with local teacher leader, Cara Louden and colleagues

6:00      Celebrate our shared work and network on an outdoor patio at Mahoney’s Pub (False Creek), with complimentary beverage and appetizers

Featured Success Story:

False Creek Student-Led Bioblitz

The False Creek Family of Schools (Shwa’kwa-set/Crosstown, Elsie Roy, Lord Roberts and False Creek Elementary) are initiating the 1st annual student-led Bioblitz of False Creek this spring in collaboration with community partners. Join us to learn more about how students can help highlight and celebrate biodiversity in the local environment.

Indigenous knowledge and perspectives are foundational to outdoor learning. Our Outdoor Learning Team has prioritized ensuring that partnerships with Indigenous organizations and advisors are key to our operations. This has resulted in some amazing Indigenous Learning Resources being made available. 

In this workshop, Jenna Jasek, Indigenous Advisor to The Outdoor Learning Store, will share her perspectives on some of her favourite Indigenous learning resources. Jenna is also the District Vice Principal of Indigenous Learning and Equity for Rocky Mountain School District No. 6. As an Indigenous person she is learning about her culture and loves learning about traditional teachings and knowledge of nature. She strives to provide students opportunities to explore, learn and immerse themselves in the outdoors and outdoor education.

Upon registration, registrants will receive a discount code by email to access all of the Indigenous Learning Resources available on The Outdoor Learning Store.

With Indigenous Advisor, Jenna Jasek

Click here to register.

At this workshop we are excited to showcase a unique partnership between EcoSchools Canada and Food Cycle Science which has brought forward sustainable solutions such as the FoodCycler for Schools! This team will share resources and ideas related to this and other innovative approaches to schools becoming more sustainable. This panel of presenters includes:

Sierra Frank is Program Director with EcoSchools Canada. With over 15 years of professional experience in the education, environmental, and non-profit sectors, Sierra has extensive practice developing programming and teaching people of all ages, from preschoolers to adults.

Clara Luke has been working with environmental non-profits and start-ups for over 10 years. Before joining the EcoSchools Canada team, her experiences spanned school-based urban agriculture programs, food co-ops, and sustainable food service.

Ami Gagne joined Food Cycle Science just last year as the Project Coordinator for Municipal Solutions. Ami is passionate about creating spaces and amplifying the voices of QTBIPOC youths in her community, centring conversations on climate justice and decolonization.

Alex Hayman leads the Municipal Solutions team at Food Cycle Science, helping communities across Canada to divert food waste out of landfills.

Upon registration, registrants will receive a discount code by email to access the FoodCycler for Schools.

With EcoSchools Canada and Food Cycle Science

Click here to register.

In this workshop Gillian Judson (imaginED) and Heidi Wood (NOIIE)  introduce a new resource for imaginative, Place-centered and Indigenous Education. Walking Forward: Learning from Place interweaves First People’s Principles of Learning (FPPL), Imaginative Ecological Education (IEE), and teacher inquiry. This resource applies an Indigenous lens to The Walking Curriculum (TWC), reframing the first 30 walks in TWC in ways that connect to the nine FPPL. 

Dr. Gillian Judson is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. She teaches in Educational Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction programs. Her scholarship looks at imagination’s role in leadership and learning (K-post-secondary). Heidi Wood is an Indigenous Education Curriculum Coordinator with the Delta School District #37 and a long time participant with the Network of Inquiry and Indigenous Education. As an educator with mixed First Nations and European ancestry, it is her goal to support teachers with a deeper understanding of Indigenous perspectives in the BC curriculum. She strives to model the First Peoples Principles of Learning in her work as she engages in experiential learning for all.

Upon registration, registrants will receive a discount code by email to access Gillian Judson’s resources, The Walking Curriculum and Engaging Imagination in Ecological Education: Practical Strategies for Teaching. Registrants can also use this discount code to access any of the Indigenous Learning Resources available on The Outdoor Learning Store.

With Authors Gillian Judson (imaginED) and Heidi Wood (NOIIE)

Click here to register.

The School Garden Curriculum offers a unique and comprehensive framework, enabling students to grow their knowledge throughout the school year and build on it from kindergarten to eighth grade. From seasonal garden activities to inquiry projects and science-skill building, children will develop organic gardening solutions, a positive land ethic, systems thinking, and instincts for ecological stewardship. 

We are pleased to host author, Kaci Rae Christopher, to share more about this incredible resource, and share strategies to build and structure your own unique garden programming. Kaci Rae Christopher is an outdoor and garden educator. She is currently working with Special Education students and collaborating with high school teachers to extend gardening into their classrooms. 

Upon registration, registrants will receive a discount code by email to access her resource, The School Garden Curriculum: Discovering Science, Ecology, and Whole-Systems Thinking.

With Author, Kaci Rae Christopher

Click here to register.

Recently, Outdoor Educators Megan Zeni, Sarah Regan and Lauren MacLean co-created a Looking Closely Outdoor Learning Kit to support K-7 emergent inquiry outdoors. Megan and Sarah are job share partners teaching entirely outdoors in a K-7 garden classroom. Megan is also a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia in curriculum and pedagogy. Lauren is a K-8 mentoring support teacher who has a love for playing, learning, and teaching outdoors.

In this workshop, Megan will give an overview of why looking closely is an important core routine for your outdoor teaching practice, and the learning opportunities that looking closely may provoke. Upon registration, registrants will receive a discount code by email to access this Looking Closely Outdoor Learning Kit!

With Outdoor Educator, Megan Zeni

Click here to register.

Maintaining that there is no substitute for hands-on experience, David Sobel places the initial emphasis on local projects – projects that begin in students’ own backyards and communities, projects that provide a sense of place. Mapmaking, as Sobel uses it, has relevance across the curriculum. In addition to appealing to social studies teachers, this workshop will be of interest to science teachers, language arts teachers, and math teachers looking for new ways to invigorate the curriculum.

David Sobel is a Professor Emeritus in the Education department of Antioch University New England. He is a frequent keynote speaker at environmental education conferences and serves as a consultant to school districts and environmental organizations.

Upon registration, registrants will receive a discount code by email to access David Sobel’s resources available on The Outdoor Learning Store, including Mapmaking with Children, Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens, and Place-based Education: Connecting Classrooms to Communities.

With Place-based Learning Expert, David Sobel

Click here to register.

Are you a high school student interested in creating a more sustainable region? Want to increase your knowledge and learn some practical skills to make that happen? Then this boot camp is for you!

Join students from across Metro Vancouver at this unique leadership boot camp, where we will learn how to make sustainability real, relevant, action-oriented and fun.

Students across the region are working to protect the natural and built systems that we depend on every day. If you are – or would like to be – one of them, this boot camp will help you on that journey.

What Will We Be Doing for Two Days?

• This boot camp is designed to give you the inspiration – and skills – to think globally and act locally in your school community and beyond. In this boot camp you will:

• Explore the choices we face as our region’s population grows. How do our daily choices and actions as citizens affect sustainability?

• Interact with Metro Vancouver regional planners to find out how long-term plans can shape our region

• Share your thoughts on some of the plans we’re working on, like Metro 2050 and the Regional Parks Plan

• Connect with other student leaders who are passionate about making a positive impact for people and planet

• Join a hackathon to look at how the work of student leaders connects to the work of Metro Vancouver and to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals

Click here to register.

Metro Vancouver residents are connected to built and natural systems every day. Understanding how these systems have global connections supports citizens to value and actively care for the sustainability of our region through daily choices.

In this fun and interactive workshop, participants will:

• engage in learning to support leadership to make sustainability real, relevant, action-oriented and fun

• explore connections to drinking water, waste, wastewater, air quality and climate change

• consider the challenges and choices we face as the population of our region grows

• get to know Metro Vancouver’s role as a federation that collaboratively plans for and delivers regional-scale services

• Take away ideas, tools and inspiration to engage and inspire others to think globally and to act locally in your school community and beyond!

Click here to register.

VIRTUAL CAMPFIRE CONNECTIONS: CIRCLING UP WITH EDUCATORS FROM COAST TO COAST TO COAST

Join Canadian Outdoor Learning Partners to learn, share and connect around all things related to outdoor learning. There will be opportunities to hear from partners and breakout into groups to discuss key topics on your mind. Whether you’re a seasoned outdoor learning educator, or an educator taking their first steps outside the classroom, there will be some great takeaways.

These Canadian Outdoor Learning Partners include 25+ of the best outdoor and environmental learning organizations from coast to coast to coast. Collectively, they support hundreds of thousands of teachers and students each year as we work to deepen and improve our practice around outdoor and environmental learning.

This is a monthly recurring meeting, using the same link each time.

Click here to register

What GIFTS (Great Ideas for Tackling Sustainability) will you bring?

Join students from across Metro Vancouver who are passionate about taking action for sustainability at school and in the community.

The event will:

Reflect on 2021 and share and celebrate success stories to inspire action in 2022

Connect with others and celebrate your strengths through an engaging challenge

Identify GIFTS and opportunities for collaborative action in 2022

Click here to register

With Natural Curiosity

As more educators turn to the outdoors amid COVID-19, there are compelling reasons for integrating environmental inquiry – a process shaped by students’ questions and interests – into practice. The Indigenous lens on Natural Curiosity provides a starting point for all educators to consider how an awareness of Indigenous perspectives can inform practice over time, as they explore lasting connections to the natural world with students. This workshop will invite educators to consider music as a form of gratitude. How might we use songs to explore environmental justice, and deepen our relationship to each other and to land?

This workshop will feature the incredible teaching resource, Natural Curiosity: The Importance of Indigenous Perspectives in Children’s Environmental Inquiry.

Click here to register

With Green Teacher, GreenLearning Canada and Learning for a Sustainable Future

Learn more about some of the incredible sustainability-focused initiativherees and resources available for teachers and learners across Canada. The virtual workshop will offer the opportunity for educators to hear more from our partners at three Canadian non-profit organizations that are leading the way to a more sustainable future.

Click here to register

Join Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation (HCTF) for their Wild Wednesday Webinar on Wed Jan 19 at 3:15pm!

Learn new Monday ready activities for children:

• Life in the Subnivean Zone

• The Magic of Sugar in Winter

• How to be a Nature Detective

Click here to register