At-home and at school learning resources from Learning for a Sustainable Future
Week 32: Decoding Loon Language
This week's LIO is all about Loons - Canada's iconic bird! Around this time of the year, you may have already seen the arrival of loons in your area as the birds continue to migrate and make their way north. Be sure to check out our Early-May Step Outside Nature Guide to learn more about Loons and their amazing characteristics!

The activities below introduce students to exploring the various insects and birds we can see outside in our ecosystem during this time of the year. Learn about the incredible lifecycle of butterflies and how they get their wings, and explore the local birds you can find outside in your area!
Grades K-2
This book takes the young reader through all of the life stages of a butterfly from egg to adult. Once the butterflies have emerged, the story follows the insects as they look for the flowers that provide them with the nectar they need. Along the way, students will also meet some of the other fascinating creatures in the garden. The book also contains a simple field guide that young children can use to identify butterflies and caterpillars.


Activities
What did you think of Waiting for Wings?
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This resource consists of a series of lessons designed to teach students about the life cycle of a butterfly and the range of current threats facing this creature. Students will discuss some of the habitat requirements of butterflies in their area and look for ways to provide them.


Activities
  • Watch the butterfly life cycle video to see a monarch butterfly at each stage of its life
  • Identify a butterfly's main activity at each stage of its life cycle
  • Have students design a poster depicting the different stages of a butterfly's life cycle and what kinds of conservation threats butterflies face at each stage
  • Learn to make your own butterfly house so butterflies can shelter from bad weather and predators
  • Have students explore the life cycle of a monarch butterfly, investigate why their population numbers are decreasing and design a butterfly habitat with Flutter By
What did you think of Butterfly Life Cycle?
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Loons are perhaps Canada's most iconic bird. Their distinctive calls are a hallmark of summer for many, and you can recognize them from our dollar coin—the "loonie!" The six lessons in Common Loons in the Classroom are to foster an appreciation of loons with the students while also proving the importance of clean water and healthy aquatic systems.



Activities
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Grades 7-12
Bird Blitz is an engaging outdoor activity where students across Canada join together each May to count and identify local birds. Once that task is done, they share their findings through an online portal. The best part is that their observations help scientists monitor Canada's birds! Bird monitoring programs can connect students with the natural world, help them gain important scientific monitoring skills, and provide opportunities to contribute to conservation through authentic, hands-on learning projects.


Activities
  • To complete the Bird Blitz activity, enter your region to download your personalized Bird ID guide featuring the most common birds in your area this time of year
  • Print or recreate a Bird Tally Sheet to record your observations
  • Complete your bird observations on any day in May—you can do them as many days as you like, for as little as 1 hour, or all-day
  • Become a citizen scientist and submit your observations to Birds Canada to contribute to their data! Share pictures of birds in your area with us at #LearningInsideOut
  • Get outside and identify some human activities that can improve, disrupt, or destroy habitats for birds and other wildlife in your community. Develop a map-based plan of recommended action
What did you think of Schoolyard Bird Blitz?
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About Learning Inside Out

Above you will find a selection of activities, broken down by various grade levels. These guides will be released weekly and archived on our Learning Inside Out page, so you can always access the full catalogue.

All activities have been modified from resources on our R4R database, simplified and adapted for both outdoor learning in the school yard or at-home as needed. The activity descriptions above should contain all the information and links that you need!

If you'd like to view the full original resource on R4R, including curriculum connections for every province/territory, click the activity title.

We want this guide to work for you, so your feedback is invaluable to us.
Use the feedback button at the bottom of this Guide, or email us at info@LSF-LST.ca. We would also love to see photos of students engaging in the activities, please e-mail us any pictures or videos you have!
Let us know how this helped your learning and teaching from home or at school indoors and (hopefully) outdoors and what you'd like to see more of by filling out our brief feedback form!
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Please share widely with any parents and teachers in your life!
Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) is a Canadian charity with over 25 years of experience working within the education system. Our Resources for Rethinking (R4R) database is an award-winning collection of resources that are peer-reviewed by certified teachers and connected to curriculum in all provinces and territories. R4R is recommended on many Ministry of Education websites.
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