At-home and at school learning resources from Learning for a Sustainable Future
Week 37: Canadian Environment Week
This week's LIO is all about Canadian Environment Week, which takes place from June 5th to 11th this year. Established in 1971, Canadian Environment Week celebrates Canada’s environmental accomplishments and encourages Canadians to contribute to conserving and protecting their environment.
The activities below introduce students to many important issues related to our environment, demonstrate the importance of our individual actions in caring for the environment, and encourage students to get outside and appreciate nature. Be sure to check out this week's Hot Topic on R4R to learn more about Canadian Environment Week and don't forget to join in on social media using #EnviroWeek!
Grades K-2
This inventive math activity uses outdoor play to develop the spatial skills of young students as they compare and contrast the shapes of natural objects. The integrated and inclusive approach includes science and language arts outcomes to develop an awareness of the relationship between nature and human design. An open-ended process also provides an opportunity for meaningful student interaction with nature that encourages environmentally conscious behaviour.


Activities
  • Watch Our Tree Named Steve. After viewing, discuss the importance of trees for the environment and humans 
  • The Shape of Things activity connects students to nature using the many shapes found in natural and built environments
  • Get outdoors for a micro-hike and explore a small habitat under a rock or log to observe the creatures that live there
  • For an extra outdoor activity, try Dandelion: A Yellow Sign of Spring
  • Take a Clean Air Day Pledge have students identify something that is good for their body and the planet like riding your bike to school
What did you think of The Shape of Things?
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Grades 3-4
This classroom resource introduces students to environmental education through a science-based storybook and inquiry-based learning activities. This resource is designed to increase student understanding and environmental awareness of the connections between the different parts of the Earth system.



Activities
What did you think of All About Earth?
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Students discover their own special wild spaces, where they can explore their relationship with the wild and find whatever they need—a sense of peace, joy, belonging, rejuvenation, and appreciation for wildness. As they come to know the wild creatures that share their space, they'll discover that, although such places provide sanctuary, they also need our protection, whether they are tiny, personal, wild spaces or large parks and officially protected areas.


Activities
  • Get outside and Discover and Explore a Special Space. Have students create a sketch or map of their space, marking features that make the spot special to them. They can also do drawings, paintings or sculptures, or write poems or stories about their space
  • Playing the Clean Air Game is a great way to initiate discussion of the importance of protecting the atmosphere and help students understand distinctions between air pollutants and greenhouse gases
  • In Protecting our Special Spaces, students are presented with two conflicting perspectives on how to treat a special wild space. They propose and discuss possible resolutions to the dilemma and create an ending for the story
  • The outdoor game Connecting Special Places gets students familiar with the concept of habitat and how wildlife needs food, water, shelter, and space to survive
  • Have your students take action with a few suggestions from Your Special Wild Place-Love it or Lose it
What did you think of Explore and Embrace a Special Place?
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Honey bee operations are in sharp decline throughout North America and Europe. Many large beekeeping operators report that up to 40 or 50 percent of their swarms have mysteriously disappeared. This fast-paced and entertaining video introduces students to the implications of this decline, the possible causes, and the reactions by farmers and governments.


Activities
  • Watch the video
  • Complete the video analysis and discussion sheet
  • Step outside and go on a pollinator hunt! Check out this list of Canadian pollinators and their preferred plants, and use this Pollinator Garden Scavenger Hunt on your search
  • Share and record your bumblebee sightings on Bumble Bee Watch. This community science project allows students to identify and help protect bumblebees in North America. Connect with experts and others and help researchers determine the status and conservation needs of bumblebees
What did you think of What's Happening to Honey Bees?
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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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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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