Nature Canada

Teaching kids about nature AND curriculum… it’s easier than you think!

Children are increasingly spending less time outdoors and in nature. Hundreds of studies have shown that being in nature has both health benefits and improves your capacity to learn. By exposing kids to nature on a regular basis, they’ll reap the health benefits and increase their capacity to learn.

Nature Canada’s NatureHood program provides children and their families increased opportunities to explore and develop a long-lasting relationship with nature in their communities, and contribute to a healthier lifestyle. NatureHood aims to inspire children with a sense of wonder and appreciation for nature, creating future leaders to protect the natural places in our communities.

Nature Canada developed a Do-It-Yourself Toolkit for educators that includes resources and support for nature-based learning. And the best part? You don’t have to leave the schoolyard!

The NatureBlitz Toolkit is a guide for educators on how to run a NatureBlitz in the schoolyard. What is a NatureBlitz? It’s simply observing the plants, animals and environment around us in a given amount of time. A NatureBlitz can be done in any season, and almost anywhere – including a schoolyard! It will feel like a field trip, but without all the paperwork! NatureBlitzes are easy to plan, execute, and incorporate into the curriculum.

What’s more, NatureBlitzes can be tailored to work with any subject that students are learning about. Link together math with finding patterns in leaves, languages with writing about what was seen during the NatureBlitz, and science with observing what sort of animals frequent your schoolyard! 

Still curious about what a NatureBlitz is and how you can hold one in your school’s yard? Take a look at a video from a past NatureBlitz at Regina Street Public School (in Ottawa, Ontario), and hear about what both a teacher and a student have to say about their experience!

Reconnect your students to nature, and have fun teaching them about curriculum subjects at the same time. They’ll thank you for it!

Click here to download the NatureBlitz Toolkit.

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