Spring 2025 Workshops – Resource Bundle for Educators

Wild Learning: Practical Ideas to Bring Teaching Outdoors answers a call in the educational community for practical, easy-to-implement activities that bring core curriculum out of the classroom and into the outdoors.

Outdoor learning has risen in popularity in recent years, and it has tremendous benefits. Being outside is healthier, helps children form a strong connection to the natural world, supports a variety of learning styles, increases engagement and motivation, and improves mental health. This book gives teachers practical activities they can immediately implement and helps educators overcome common barriers to outdoor instruction. These activities can be done in common outdoor spaces accessible to teachers in all school settings, and they are adaptable to their current curriculum—not an extra thing to try to fit into their day.

• Get ideas for fun outdoor activities that cover core subject matter already being taught
• Take learning outside, taking advantage of commonly accessible areas, no matter the educational setting
• Help students develop a healthy appreciation of the outdoors and support hands-on learning styles
• Support students’ physical and mental health without sacrificing learning time

This book is a much-needed resource for elementary and special education teachers, as well as those in alternative schools, forest schools, and homeschooling parents.

“In our work to move more students, classes, and schools outdoors – where we know myriad, invaluable benefits await – Rachel Tidd’s Wild Learning provides educators with the how-to guide on nature-based learning and outdoor teaching they have been yearning for. Readers will discover the insight, lessons, and concrete examples for the “what”, “where”, “when”, “how”, and “why: of teaching with nature in integrated ways!” - Liza Lowe, Affiliate Faculty, Antioch University New England and Director, Inside-Outside

Rachel Tidd is a leading proponent of integrating the outdoors and natural materials with core academics. She became interested in teaching and learning outside after watching her two children thrive in an outdoor forest preschool. Rachel has written and presented at conferences, on podcasts, and in magazines.

240 pages

This engaging resource book for educators uses a mathematical lens to take children on an education-filled journey in the garden.

It offers 36 standards-based activities which hone math skills while promoting inquiry, language arts, and nutrition.

Through funding from the National Science Foundation, Math in the Garden was developed to support mathematics and science standards.

All of the lessons were extensively trial-tested by formal and informal educators and youth leaders nationwide.

Lessons can be applied and adapted for ages 5-13.

https://youtu.be/fa_E2vyiy-A

An Integrated K-8 Guide for Discovering Science, Ecology, and Whole-Systems Thinking

The School Garden Curriculum offers a unique and comprehensive framework, enabling students to grow their knowledge throughout the school year and build on it from kindergarten to eighth grade. From seasonal garden activities to inquiry projects and science-skill building, children will develop organic gardening solutions, a positive land ethic, systems thinking, and instincts for ecological stewardship.

The book offers:

• A complete K-8 school-wide framework
• Over 200 engaging, weekly lesson plans – ready to share
• Place-based activities, immersive learning, and hands-on activities
• Integration of science, critical thinking, permaculture, and life skills
• Links to Next Generation Science Standards
• Further resources and information sources.
• A model and guide for all educators, The School Garden Curriculum is the complete package for any school wishing to use ecosystem perspectives, science, and permaculture to connect children to positive land ethics, personal responsibility, and wonder, while building vital lifelong skills.

Download The School Garden Curriculum worksheets here

The Inside Scoop: This resource comes highly recommended by our resident classroom garden guru, Megan Zeni! Megan offers an abundance of resources and support for teachers on her website.

Ethical Elements: This book is printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper. Check out our ethical policies and practices.

About the author:  Kaci Rae Christopher is an outdoor and garden educator who focuses on life and job skills training for young adults and children. Her passion is fostering a healthy land ethic, personal empowerment, and environmental literacy in children of all ages through outdoor immersion and skill building. 

Pages 286

A Handbook on Connecting Children to Nature through Indigenous Teachings

Author Launa Purcell is a member of the Xa'xtsa First Nation and a mother of two. Launa works as an Indigenous Educator and teaches Indigenous outdoor camps.

Nature is a place to both play and learn. The physical self is moving and active, the mental self is thinking and questioning, the emotional self is feeling and experiencing, and the spiritual self is connecting and thankful. We see what we have been taught to see. We love and respect our natural surroundings when we see ourselves as belonging to that community. This resource leads readers on a rich learning journey as they deepen their connections to nature and culture.

The activities inside instill traditional teachings of respect, honour, resourcefulness, and humility in children. This handbook is intended to inspire parents, caregivers, and educators to provide children with meaningful outdoor experiences interwoven with traditional Indigenous knowledge.

Pages: 84

Please Note: This handbook isn't a replacement for ensuring that local Indigenous knowledge and perspectives are central to your teaching. Rather, this is a starting point, and an encouragement to learn more, and use these activities as an inspiration to adapt them and adopt new ones in a culturally appropriate and responsive way.

The activities outlined in this handbook were discussed extensively with Launa's Elders and Knowledge keepers prior to publication.  Launa was very concerned about how to share traditions from various Indigenous Nations and perspectives in a respectful way. Together they arrived at the  solution to specifically honour the territory of origin for all activities when they were specific to a non St’at’imc nation.  In her my introduction she remind educators/ parents that the activities “draw upon the knowledge of many different Indigenous nations that are recognized and honoured…” throughout. She suggests that activities can be adapted to local Indigenous knowledge, perspectives and context while  “….still honour(ing) the core Indigenous values presented throughout. “

The Importance of Indigenous Perspectives in Children's Environmental Inquiry

This second edition of Natural Curiosity supports a stronger basic awareness of Indigenous perspectives and their importance to environmental education. The driving motivation for a second edition was the burning need, in the wake of strong and unequivocal recommendations by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to situate Indigenous perspectives into the heart of Canadian educational settings and curricula, most notably in connection with environmental issues. Printed on 100% recycled paper.

"The text is an excellent balance of theoretical perspectives illustrated with practical examples from a range of classrooms. I particularly enjoyed drawing on the actual transcripts from teachers and students as they engaged in knowledge building discourse and explored students’ questions. The content also complements education transformation that is occurring in British Columbia right now." - Professor, Vancouver Island University

285 pages

Ethical Elements: Printed on post-consumer recycled paper. This resource is offered in partnership with Natural Curiosity, an initiative to develop and disseminate an inquiry approach to environmental learning, reaching public school educators and making a difference in school communities across Turtle Island. Read more about our ethical policies & practices.

The Inside Scoop: We first became aware of Natural Curiosity's work at the NAAEE conference in Ottawa in 2014. Since then we've worked closely with their team to offer a variety of workshops and training opportunities for educators.

• English
• French

About the Authors:

Julie Comay is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream in the Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Professor Comay studies the development of imagination, play and curiosity; children’s stories and storytelling; theory of mind; and the development of mathematical and scientific reasoning. 

Doug Anderson is a member of the Metis Nation and has worked on diverse Indigenous education initiatives for over 25 years. He is committed to supporting land-based learning for urban people of all ages and backgrounds. 

Lorraine Chiarotto is an Ontario Certified Teacher and lover of the natural world. Her favourite pastime is spending entire days outdoors with her two little boys, enjoying nature.