Resources for Families

Get Inspired About Nature Education

Video: The Wild Path Home

Nature Sound Map

A great way to get to know your local woodlands is to venture out, find a sit-spot, and listen to your surroundings. Create a Sound Map to help you remember what you heard!

Nurturing Naturalists

Nurturing Naturalists 1/2 pdf Nurturing Naturalists 2/2 pdf These educational articles were written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the links above to learn more!

Wonderful Worms

Wonderful Worms pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

Whizzing Water Stories

Whizzing Water Stories pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

Wanderfall Seeds

Wanderful Seeds pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

Tiny Finds: The Micro-World of the Forest

Tiny Finds pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

The Nose Knows

THE NOSE KNOWS pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

Flutterby’s: The Magic of Butterflies

THE MAGIC OF BUTTERFLIES pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

Take it Outside: Enjoying the Gifts of Winter

Take it Outside pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

The Hidden World of Ponds and Streams

The Hidden World of Ponds and Streams pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

Unplug… And Plug Into Nature

Unplug and Plug Into Nature pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

Stories in the Snow

Stories in the Snow This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

Your Better Sense of Nature

Grade 01 | Grade 02 | Kindergarden | Spring | Summer

Your Better Sense of Nature pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

Brush With Nature

One way to tune into the wonder of nature and its many forms is to capture it through paint. By painting, we not only express ourselves, we also hone our observational skills, letting others know what it is that we see.

Touching the Earth: A Conversation with Jacob Rodenburg and Drew Monkman

Downloadable PDF

Touching the Earth pdf Click the link above to read this interview between Leigh Simmons, Jacob Rodenburg (Executive Director), and co-author Drew Monkman!

Beyond BeLeaf: The Wonder of Leaves

Beyond Beleaf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

The Beauty of Winter: Nature Crafts in the Cold

The Beauty of Winter pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to learn more!

All About Balsam

All About Balsam pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link to learn more!

The Nose Knows

The Nose Knows pdf This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link to learn more!

Animals Keeping Warm and Cozy: Making Winter Nests

Animals Keeping Warm and Cozy pdf The educational article above was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to read more!

Alien Next Door: Discovering Our Special Pond Friends

Ever think about what lives in the slime and the ooze of your nearby pond? It may seem like there isn’t a lot going on down in that muddy underworld — just some mud, plants and a few frogs. But you’d be surprised!

For the Birds

For the Birds This educational article was written by our Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg. Click the link above to read more!

Nature Journals

A nature journal is simply a place for capturing your words and sketches; it’s a spot to record your observations, feelings, and thoughts about an aspect of the natural world that has caught your attention.

Magnificent Moths

Magnificent Moths Click the link above to learn more!

The Magic of Nests

At first blush, making a bird’s nest doesn’t seem that remarkable. But if you think about it, birds do have a handicap when it comes to building something. They don’t have hands! So they need to use their beaks and feet. Imagine making a nest using only your mouth and toes. And yet the nests that birds – such as warblers, orioles and finches – create from a few bits of grass, bark, twigs, and mud are truly wondrous examples of natural architecture. It is worthwhile to remind ourselves that humans aren’t the only builders on this planet!

Hole Patrol: How Animals Keep Warm in Winter

Photocopy a Hole Patrol Card (provided) and take it with you on your next walk in the woods. Be on the lookout for snags and use the cards to help you figure out which species might be living in your “NeighbourWood.” Compare the size of your hole with your card. Look for additional clues such as feathers, scat, pellets, chewed cones, tracks, and scratch marks. What did you find?

Hiding in Plain Sight

Animals take on the form and shape of something else to conceal their true selves. Crab spiders imitate bird poop, while Polyphemus moths mimic predators’ eyes when they flash their hind wings to reveal an oval shape reminiscent of an owl’s eyes. There are thousands of ways insects, birds, and mammals imitate other things in order to hide and deceive. Their survival depends on having a convincing disguise!

Nature Hammered Prints: A Smashing Good Time

After the greys, whites, and browns of the winter season, our eyes become hungry for the vibrant colours of spring. From pale violets, butter yellows, and glorious pinks to the many intense shades of green—spring is a feast for the eyes! You can capture some of this beauty by gently pounding coloured flowers and plants onto either paper or light-coloured cloth (e.g., T-shirts or handkerchiefs) to release their natural dyes.

Beyond the Green Blur: Green Adventures in Your Own Backyard

Beyond the Green Blur Click the link above to learn more!

Frozen Bubbles!

Frozen Bubbles! Click the link above to learn more!

The Thrill of the Trill

The Thrill of the Trill: Feel the Rhythm of Cricket Song! Click the link above to learn more!

Neighbourwood Eco Parent Resource

Neighbourwood ECO PARENT 2016 Click the link above to learn more!

NCCIE Website

https://www.nccie.ca/ “First Nations University of Canada is the home of the National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education, connecting communities with each other to share their stories about Indigenous education across Canada and around the world.” Very good lesson plans and resources for educators, students, and parents alike!

Educator/Parent Book List

Wild Learning: Practical Ideas to Bring Teaching Outdoors – Rachel Tidd Offers practical and easy to implement activities that bring curriculum into the outdoors. Provides activities that can help educators overcome barriers to teaching outside. Activities are designed such that they are accessible to all teachers in diverse settings as well as for all students […]

Forest Guide

https://assets.ctfassets.net/e09p19lzfrfe/t83CTB0hESKpY34nBzfe2/7cc969515e83513e033f66176e46c1b1/FO22_TEACHERS_TOOLBOX_FA_ONLINE.pdf A forest education guide/toolkit for parents and educators.

Equitable Nature Access Toolkit

https://www.childrenandnature.org/resources/how-to-talk-with-kids-about-equitable-access-to-nature-a-toolkit-for-parents-and-teachers/ A toolkit on how to talk with kids about equitable nature access.

Tree Bee Website

https://treebee.ca/ Tree Bee is a tree identification tool used to engage classrooms, families and communities in learning more about the trees and forests in their own backyards.

NFB Website

https://www.nfb.ca/channels/the_green_channel/ A collection of Canadian films that provide “a close look at our world, the environment and sustainability.”

Pre-visit Activity: “Am I Alive?” Program

5 Senses Exploration Head outside with your students Sit/lie down in a circle: Close our eyes, focus on your breathing. What do we hear? What can we feel/touch? What do we smell? Can we taste anything on our tongues, does the air have a taste? We can ask these questions and have the children out […]

Honourable Harvest Overview

This article, The “Honorable Harvest”: Lessons From an Indigenous Tradition of Giving Thanks by Robin Wall Kimmerer, provides a detailed yet concise overview of the Honourable Harvest for those who may be less familiar.

Species at Risk Public Registry Website Link

This is a great resource for children to find Species at Risk that live in their neighbourhood, community, province, etc. A great starting point for projects and actionable initiatives. https://species-registry.canada.ca/index-en.html#/species?sortBy=commonNameSort&sortDirection=asc&pageSize=10

Grade One and Kindergarten Book List

Check out some great book recommendations for Ages 4-6! Each title links to brief descriptions of the books on CBC I Hear You, Forest by Kallie George, illustrated by Carmen Mok Thunder and the Noise Storms by Jeffrey Ansloos & Shezza Ansloos, illustrated by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley Treaty Words by Aimée Craft, illustrated by Luke […]

Fun Bee Activities & Resources

https://www.wholekidsfoundation.org/bee-activities/

Get to know your bugs!

National Geographic Kids’ Insect Centre https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/category/discover/animals/insects/

Stories in the Snow

Feb 21, 2024 | Articles & Editorials, Resources for Families

Every trail has a story to tell and if you are patient enough you can learn to read the writing each footprint makes in the...

Your Better Sense of Nature

Feb 21, 2024 | Articles & Editorials, Resources for Families

This is part of a series of articles based on Jacob’s new book called The Book of Nature Connection – 70 Sensory Activities for all Ages, published...

The Magic of Nests…

Feb 21, 2024 | Articles & Editorials, Resources for Families

If you think about it, a bird egg is a beautiful thing. Within this fragile container is the promise of new feathered life. And bird eggs come in a surprising variety of shapes, sizes and colours. No matter what they look like, there is one fact that may seem obvious but deserves mention – eggs roll. And a rolling egg is not a safe egg. Keeping her eggs both warm and safe is the challenge every mother bird faces. That is why she makes a nest – sometimes an elaborate affair like the woven, hanging nest of a Northern Oriole, or sometimes as simple as a hollow scrape in the ground like that of a Killdeer.

Basement Windows

Feb 21, 2024 | Articles & Editorials, Resources for Families

This is part of a series of articles based on Jacob’s new book called the Book of Nature Connection – 70 Sensory Activities for all Ages, published by New Society Press and released on April 18 th, 2022.

Enjoying the Gifts of Winter, Naturally.

Nov 18, 2022 | Nature Activities, Resources for Educators, Resources for Families

It is a cold December day. A delicate layer of frost edges the corner of each window and mounds of snow smooth over bushes and trees. Birds are huddled under eaves, fluffing their feathers, reminding you that winter is well and truly here.

Brush with Nature

Nov 18, 2022 | Nature Activities, Resources for Educators, Resources for Families

Nature is full of complex curves, shapes, and lines: the sweep of a pine branch, a cascading waterfall, waves marching along a lake, or a rolling thunder cloud. To our eyes, the natural world may seem chaotic—a bold blend of colours, textures, and patterns. But a more careful look reveals just how intricate and lovely the shapes of nature are.

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