CURRICULUM ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Publications, websites, videos, down- loads, etc. Climate Change References:
Key Findings: The National Capital Commission’s Climate Change Ad- aptation Initiative (
ncc-ccn.gc.ca/ our-plans/climate-change-adaptation- initiative)
Yukon Forest Health Report 2019 - Mountain pine beetle, p.41-46 (yukon. ca/sites/
yukon.ca/fi les/emr/emr- 2019-yukon-forest-health-report.pdf)
6. Community Circle: How does connect- ing with nature differ from being outside during recess? Draw a contrast between being outside during recess and connecting with nature during outdoor exploration time, providing vocabulary for students to express themselves (e.g., sense of calm, agitated, peaceful, excited, etc.).
ACT + ADVOCATE:
• Create experiences where students have engagement and agency
• Take action in your local community
7. Assessing impact of human behaviour on the natural environment: Which sounds did you hear on the schoolyard? In an urban setting, students are likely to hear more cars, trucks, and noises made by humans than natural sounds. They may be more likely to hear an airplane fl ying overhead than the birds that call the schoolyard home.
*Students may notice the increase or de- crease of human-made sounds pre and post pandemic.
8. Walk to school day: How might we reduce the impact of human behaviour on the natural environment? Invite students to use critical thinking skills, to take action on environmental issues, such as reduc- ing their carbon footprints associated with the school run. Organizing events
such as a Walking School Bus or Ontario Active School Travel’s Winter Walk Day (
ontarioactiveschooltravel.ca/winter-walk- day/) in collaboration with other students, educators, administrators and community members.
REFLECT + SHARE:
• Refl ect on the big idea • Refl ect on learning that has occurred
• Share learning with others STEPS:
9. Sit Spots: How can connecting with nature promote well-being? Invite students individually to fi nd a spot on the school- yard where they will sit and just be for 7-15 minutes (depending on the comfort level of the students) and breathe in their natural surroundings.
10. Refl ection Journal: What do you notice about your corner of the world? What would be lost if our wild, natural spaces disap- peared? While some students may enjoy the peace and quiet of a sit spot, others may feel restless and might appreciate having a journal to write or draw in to focus their at- tention, including these writing prompts for sit spots (
childhoodbynature.com/sit-spots- noticing-the-details-writing).
EXTENSIONS & MODIFICATIONS:
See Learning Trails (
thinkingoutside.ca/on- the-school-grounds). E.g., Looking walk - use picture frames to focus noticing.
42 ETFO VOICE | SPRING 2021
References for student-led action on climate change:
David Sobel - Helping Children Love the Earth (
dimensionsfoundation.org/ wp-content/uploads/2016/07/helping- childrenlovetheearth.pdf)
Mindfulness Resources:
Coyote’s Guide to Connecting with Nature, Jon Young, Ellen Haas, Evan McGown
Sit Spots (
wildernessawareness.org/ articles/sit-spots/)
Sit Spots and Noticing the Details in Writing (
childhoodbynature.com/sit- spots-noticing-the-details-writing)
Nature and Well-Being:
Connecting Canadians with Nature (
parks-parcs.ca/canadian-parks-coun- cil-key-initiatives/)
Curriculum Documents:
Environmental Education, 2017 Scope and Sequence (
www.edu.gov.on.ca/ eng/curriculum/elementary/environ-
ment.html)
BOOKS FOR STUDENTS: The Listening Walk, Paul Showers The Other Way to Listen, Byrd Baylor* A Walk in the Forest, Maria Dek The Hike, Alison Farrell* The Golden Glow, by Benjamin Flouw A Stone Sat Still, Brendan Wenzel
A Walk Through the Woods, Louise Greig
The Quiet Book, Deborah Underwood
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