“I realized that most of the [school] day could be spent outdoors with students doing various curriculum strands …and enjoying them!”  This was the glowing feedback from a participant at our recent teacher-training summer institute in Edmonton. Exactly what we were hoping to hear.

At the Teaching in the Outdoor Classroom summer institute we show teachers how to weave environmental education into their provincial curriculum. This helps not only the students who will benefit from experiential outdoor activities, but inspires the teachers as well. Another Edmonton teacher noted, “I’ve made pages and pages of connections for my class, my school Eco Kids Club, my school, my family, my life.”

This August’s three-day summer institute was held in Winnipeg (in its second year with 27 participants), Edmonton (in its first year with 25 participants) and in Toronto, in partnership with the Toronto District School Board (in its fourth year with 28 participants).

Exemplary presenters helped the teachers come up with ways to implement environmental education in various subjects including science, art, literacy and geography, while capitalizing on student curiosity and encouraging collaborative learning. All participating teachers received a wealth of lesson plans, posters and other educational resources, as well as an outdoor classroom backpack or canvas bag filled with supplies and tools to facilitate outdoor investigations and greening projects.

Looking to fund your school greening project? Applications for Toyota Evergreen School Ground Greening Grants are now available.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 30th, 2010 at 10:52 am and is filed under School Ground Greening. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.