Resources

Article summarizing research on the importance of children’s relationship with nature, including the importance to full development of the child and the development of environmental values.

The Government of Canada’s action, climate future, partnerships, adaptation, health, science, emissions reporting. Carbon pricing, clean electricity, transportation, buildings, innovation, Pan-Canadian Framework.

Global Weirding is a PBS digital series that has over 30 short videos on a range of related topics including one talking about climate impacts for Canada specifically.

The Humanities for the Environment Observatories are piloting projects and research that seeks to answer questions about the role of the humanities in a time in which human activity is significantly reshaping the geological future of the planet. The aim is to identify, explore, and demonstrate the contributions that humanistic and artistic disciplines make to solving global social and environmental challenges.

LSF’s newest climate change survey aims to assess Canadians’ knowledge, understanding, and perceptions of climate change and its risks, and to explore views on climate change education in Canada. This survey compares current results to our 2019 benchmark survey and provides recommendations to all sectors to support climate learning. 

These results illustrate how the general public, teachers, parents, and students view climate change education in Canadian schools. Each target group provides insights on the role schools should play and what support teachers and students require to address climate change in their classrooms. While 81 % of Canadians are aware that climate change is happening, only 55% understand that greenhouse gas emissions are the primary cause. Only 17% think that Government is doing a good job on climate change. Half of Canadians believe that climate change is causing mental health issues or worsening them.

LSF conducted this research, Leger Research Intelligence Group provided data collection and analysis. This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada.

LSF’s Empowering Learners in a Warming World climate change inquiry guides at ClimateLearning.ca can help you tackle this complex issue with students of any age. The guides provide educators with a blend of quality content (resources, websites, books, videos, and ideas) and exemplary pedagogy to guide them through an inquiry-driven approach to climate change learning from every angle, from background science to human health, Indigenous perspectives, economic implications, and more.

This guide is designed for educators or anyone who would like to teach young people about the  United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Sustainable Development Goals — also known as the SDGs or the Global Goals — cover a wide range of sustainability issues; highlighting local, national and international priority areas to end poverty and hunger, improve health and education, make cities more sustainable and combat climate change.

This guide will provide you with information, educational resources and other supports to help you in your efforts to educate and engage young people so that they support sustainable development and are inspired to turn that support into action. This guide will also explore how to incorporate the different topics covered by each goal into lessons across multiple subjects.
You don’t need any prior knowledge or experience of the United Nations, international development, or the Sustainable Development Goals to use this guide. It can be referred to in whole or as individual parts to suit your curriculum.

Earth scientists and communicators dealing with or studying climate change face many potential stressors. They need support and resources to maintain and improve their emotional well-being.

This report provides an estimate of the additional carbon price that would be needed to achieve Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target in 2030 under the Paris Agreement, as well as an estimate of the corresponding impact on the Canadian economy.

Love Your Monsters is a collection of essays that delivers tough love to greens, and it also offers hope. By 2100, nearly all of us will be prosperous enough to live healthy, free, and creative lives. Despite the claims of Malthusian pessimists, that world is both economically and ecologically possible. But to realize it, and to save what remains of the Earth’s ecological heritage, we must once and for all embrace human power, technology, and the larger process of modernization.

This episode of Tai Asks Why explores the causes of climate change and the role students can play in fighting those causes. Possible teaching connections include Social Studies, Language, Science and 21st Century Skills. This teaching guide includes a lesson plan, slideshow, ad-free audio for download, activity sheets, discussion questions and episode transcripts.

Trees of Canada: This resource allows you to explore the native and introduced trees that grow in Canada.

From board books to picture books for older readers, this collection is a selection of 100 of the best books by Indigenous authors, many illustrated by Indigenous artists, published in Canada and currently in print. The titles reflect the diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures, languages, perspectives, and experiences from sea to sea to sea. Attention was given to including picture books that promote and support Indigenous languages. All titles reflect authentic First Nations, Métis, and Inuit voices and offer insight into their distinct histories and current realities of these communities.

Click to download this document including over 50 journal and news articles compiled by Dr. Louise Comeau to use as classroom resources and professional learning for climate change educators.

This field of Raccoon Circle training provides hundreds of activities, adventure-based learning opportunities, teachable moments and facilitated
learning, using a simple, and inexpensive prop. It is the perfect resource for day and resident camp counselors,
playground teachers, recreational therapists, group work and teamwork specialists, wilderness trip leaders,
wilderness youth-at-risk programs, corporate trainers, and rope course facilitators.

​Flow Learning provides a simple framework that allows you to structure nature awareness classes for best effect. You can meet people where they are in interest and energy level, and then guide them step-by-step toward more meaningful and profound nature experiences.

The Back to Nature Network, in partnership with Humber College, is excited to offer Ready…Set…Wonder! a tool for early years educators to use in providing opportunities for children to connect with nature on a regular basis.

In this practical guide, you will find a large number of easy-to-use prompts, which can be applied with simple preparation and minimal materials.

Developing a personal connection with nature in early childhood is strongly associated with children reaching their full potentials in happiness, health and intellectual development. Regular use of this guide will enable early learning and care educators to include exploration of nature as part of outdoor play, and provide each child with the opportunity to build a strong foundation for a life-long connection with the natural world.

Connecting the Dots focuses on learning strategies and the ways of organizing learning experiences;
the “how to” of learning. These learning strategies involve students as engaged learners, learning
within the context of their communities and addressing relevant, local issues.

The learning strategies advanced in this document are not new. They are common to environmental
education and many other fields of educational research and practice. What is new is the means by
which these strategies when used together, connect the many dots that are necessary to achieve an
interconnected world view. These “dots” include:

• Linking environmental, economic and social issues within subjects and across subjects
• Linking students to each other, their home life, their schools, their environment and their
community
• Linking knowledge, skills, and perspectives through student engagement and action
• Providing a meaningful context for the implementation of numeracy, literacy, character and
other educational objectives.

Into Nature is a unique teachers’ guide that enables the teaching of all Ontario school curriculum subjects outdoors in nature on a regular basis. Content of the guide includes logistics, resources and learning experiences for teaching in nature. All learning experiences are linked to Ontario curriculum documents and include: Nature 101, a series of five phases to move from the indoor classroom to the outdoor learning space; fifty Nature2Go activities; and full lessons that last one class period or more.

All materials contained in the Back to Nature Network teachers’ guide may be reproduced for educational use.

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CPAWS, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, is pleased to offer the “Watch Your Paws” program for students and youth groups in Grades 3-6. Watch Your Paws is a free experiential introduction to natural habitats and protected areas in New Brunswick. The program teaches students about local biodiversity, wildlife and habitats, as well as environmental ethics, and how they can be stewards for nature.

The program can be run in person at your school, where your students will experience hands on nature-based activities, or we can visit your group virtually, with an interactive and engaging online presentation. Watch Your Paws was created with curriculum outcomes for each grade level included in the content of each session.

CPAWS is the only national non-profit organization devoted exclusively to protecting Canada’s wilderness heritage on public lands and waters.

CPAWS’ New Brunswick Chapter is dedicated to the protection of New Brunswick’s wilderness and wildlife. Our goal is to work cooperatively to ensure the survival of our wilderness areas and the life they support. Our Conservation Educators create a high energy, interactive learning experience. They are excited to share their enthusiasm for New Brunswick’s nature with your students!

To book your free class presentation, email Danielle Hak (dhak@cpaws.org) or learn more about the program
on their website: https://cpawsnb.org/campaigns/nature-education/