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Sierra Club BC Education Road Trip: Vancouver Island

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Kirsten ready to teach. Photo by Amira Maddison.

By Amira Maddison, Environmental Educator

December 2018

This fall, Kirsten and I had the mission of hitting the road on two separate trips to teach across Vancouver Island. We had the pleasure of visiting School Districts 68, 69, 71, 72, 84 and 85 and working with new schools, students, and teachers.

October

Our first trip in October led us to beautiful Kwakwaka’wakw, K’ómoks, Homalco, Klahoose, and Tla’amin Nation (Sliammon) territories. We set off from Victoria and went as far north as Campbell River and Quadra Island.

To the W̱SÁNEĆ people, October is the month of PEKELÁNEW̱ – “The Moon That Turns the Leaves White.” This moon marks the end of summer and the beginning of cooler weather. For the gardeners in the crowd, it brings the first fall frost. Fortunately for Kirsten and I, we were greeted by bright blue clear skies and sunshine bright enough to warrant packing shorts for the trip, and affectionately being able to call the month Aug-tober.

Although I’m a firm believer that place-based education can be done in any setting, central and northern Vancouver Island’s raw beauty helped create an ideal learning environment. To be talking about ecosystems in a classroom immediately followed by seeing producers and decomposers in the forest behind the school is an excellent reinforcement for learning, and helps create a connection to that place.

On Quadra Island we had the opportunity to teach every class in the small elementary school, tying our programs directly into a strip of second-growth forest directly behind the school. Not only were we able to inform the youth of the island, but we were also able to team up with Jens Wieting, Sierra Club BC’s Senior Forest And Climate Campaigner, and Sierra Club BC’s Quadra Island Local Group for a night about the state of the forest, possible solutions, and how to help save BC’s endangered rainforest.

Weather warnings on Eastern Vancouver Island. Photo by Amira Maddison.

November

Our second trip took place at the end of November and took us to Snuneymuxw, Homalco, K’ómoks, Te’mexw, Tla’amin Nation (Sliammon), ‘na̱mǥis, Kwakwaka’wakw, Quatsino, and Nuu-chah-nulth territories. We set off teaching our way north to Port Hardy, making detours along the way to islands and western Vancouver Island communities.

To the W̱SÁNEĆ people November is the month of SJELCASEN – “The Moon of Putting Your Paddle Away in the Bush.” As we travelled north to Port Hardy, we quickly learned why. This moon is the season of strong winds. The weather is unpredictable and brings rough seas.

We Sierra Club BC educators aren’t afraid of a little bad weather – or in this case a wind, waves, and rain warning from Environment Canada. We suited up with rain jackets ready to facilitate our programs outside in any weather. To our amazement, students were enthusiastic about joining us for a program regardless of the conditions. The weather held out long enough for Kirsten and I to catch ferries to t̕łat̕ła̱sk̓udis (Sointula) and ‘ya̱lis (Alert Bay) respectively to reach communities across Broughton Strait. ‘ya̱lis has a thriving ‘na̱mǥis community with a vibrant culture where the elementary school students learn Kwak’wala.

School love! Photo by Amira Maddison.

Once we made it to Port Hardy, we switched gears. Here we would be leading a workshop for the school district’s Professional Development Day. Our half-day session had teachers in attendance who taught from Kindergarten up to Grade Twelve, and we were providing information to better incorporate place-based learning into their teaching routines. What a pleasure it was to take this group of educators to a local stream and talk about activities to tie in with different areas of the BC curriculum.

Port Hardy also gave us extra time with the students at the elementary school. Kirsten and I helped facilitate, but more importantly got to participate in the school’s after-hours Ecoart club. We were inspired by the local river system and the natural items – from plants to bones – that Kirsten and I have in our teaching supplies to create multimedia works of art.

As we made our way back down the island, I reflected on all the communities we had been to.

Every child that grows up on Vancouver Island lives on the territory of an Indigenous nation. I hope that our education programs are able to plant the seed of connection with this land, but also of inclusivity with those we share it with.

I’m very thankful for the experiences I’ve had and all the students and staff that have helped make our programs a success.

Please donate today to help get more kids outside in 2019.

Feature image: Humpback spouts seen from Quadra Island. Photo by Jens Wieting.

Looking back, looking ahead: 20 years of connecting kids with nature

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By James Davis, Education Program Manager

November 2018

As I close in on the two-year mark as the Education Program Manager here at Sierra Club BC, I am honoured to be working in a program with a rich and impressive history.

At the beginning of this school year, the Education Program celebrated 20 years of working with schools across the province.  Since the program launched in 1998, Sierra Club BC’s Environmental Educators have worked with over 140,000 students from Vancouver Island to Prince Rupert, from the Okanagan to Fort St. John… and beyond!

The Education Program’s work over the past 20 years includes the following highlights:

  • partnering with Sierra Youth Coalition on the Sustainable High Schools BC project
  • developing popular teaching resources such as the TRFic! temperate rainforest guidebook and poster kit, From Maps to Murrellets, Watershed Connections, and Barefoot Mapping
  • collaborating with the Coastal First Nations Great Bear Initiative and the Centre for Non-Timber Resources at Royal Roads University to create the Going Wild! guidebook in 2009
  • working with high school students in the Capital Region District to engage in restoration work and develop leadership skills through the Youth Environmental Leadership Program (YELP)

Sierra Youth Coalition campout, circa 2012

Donate to connect thousands more kids with nature

Jenn Hoffman, who launched the Education Program as its inaugural Program Coordinator and served as Program Director until 2008, recently sent us some belated birthday wishes:

“After 20 years Sierra Club BC’s education program is more relevant today than ever before. Thanks to continued investment and the leadership of a generation of inspiring educators, Sierra Club BC continues to provide science-based, practical and important programs to connect students, teachers and parents with nature across BC.”

We currently offer a suite of four different workshops to kindergarten to grade 8 students, including French language options for K-2 students.  We are the only organization in BC offering free, hands-on environmental education workshops on site at schools on a province-wide basis.  We also support teachers to integrate meaningful outdoor learning opportunities into the teaching routines, both through professional development trainings that our staff facilitate and through the mentorship pilot program that we piloted at the beginning of 2018.

Over the past four and a half years, our Environmental Educators have visited 38 of the 60 school districts in BC.  By the end of the current school year, we aim to have added another five new school districts for a total of 43 over five years.

Sierra Club BC educators, circa 2012

Over the past two years, we have been honoured to collaborate with T’Sou-ke Nation knowledge-keeper Charlene George~kQwa’ste’not to refine the content and delivery of our workshops. Her insights from both Coast Salish and Nuu-Chah-Nulth perspectives have helped immensely in our efforts to make sure that our workshops address the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual learning needs of students.

Kirsten and Amira (our current team of Environmental Educators) are looking forward to a well-earned break at the end of this month, but we are also excited about what’s in store for 2019.  They will be spending some time closer to home but we are also planning trips to the Okanagan and Williams Lake, Fort St. John and Dawson Creek, and an epic trip from Prince Rupert to Prince George.

We’re helping kids get outside across the province and we rely on donations to keep our programs free, accessible, and inclusive. Please donate today to ensure they can stay this way.

Donate to help get kids outside

Sierra Club BC’s Education Team Turns 20!

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The start of this school year marked 20 years since Sierra Club BC’s Education Program began working with students across the province.

We’re throwing ourselves a birthday party and you’re invited! 

 

The details:

Thursday, November 15th 

4:00-5:30 pm

The Dock – 300-722 Cormorant Street, Lekwungen Territory (Victoria)

 

It will be a casual affair, so drop by any time between 4 and 5:30.  You’ll have an opportunity to chat with Education Program staff (we’re hoping some former staff will join us as well) connect with other teachers and educators in the region, and eat some cake!

Please RSVP by emailing James Davis at james@sierraclub.bc.ca.

 

Sierra Club BC’s Annual General Meeting will be happening in the same space starting at 5:30. You are welcome to stay for the meeting to find out what we’re up to, including a new partnership with T’Sou-ke Nation knowledge-keeper Charlene George~kQwa’ste’not.

There will be wine and cheese on offer at the end of the AGM. Find out more, RSVP and get our 2017 Annual Report here.

Embarking on the nature connection journey

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By Environmental Educator Kirsten Dallimore

October 2018

The days have begun to cool down and the rain has returned to nurture the plants and animals as we welcome a new season—a new journey. I welcome you back for another exciting and inspiring school year full of possibility for wonderful nature connection moments with students across B.C.

I’m pleased to be returning for my 5th school year and I’m curious who I will meet this year and what I will learn and be able to share.

Something I’ve been reminded of recently is that in order to model and share nature connection with kids, I need to embark on my own nature connection journey. That’s why this summer I was part of a one-week deep connection workshop called the “Art of Mentoring” that took place on Salt Spring Island.

During that time I was reminded of the core routines: offering gratitude, the importance of sharing my story with someone, and the “sit spot.” A sit spot provides time for students to find their own place in nature, sit quietly, and take time to observe and reflect on what is happening around them. Sit spots are an ideal way to start off your nature play time each time you go outside as a class. Observing seasonal changes throughout the year at their sit spot will enable your students to develop a deeper nature connection to a place.

I encourage all of you to try out these core routines in your own nature connection journey and see how they fit into your life. The key question to ask yourself is: what would make this year more meaningful for my journey out in nature?

Kirsten sitting above the Peace River Valley

You might be wondering what’s new this year in Education at Sierra Club BC.

I am excited to announce that my fellow Environmental Educator Amira and I are working collaboratively to develop and deliver our education programs across the province. When we visit a school together there will be greater capacity to reach more classes and make a deeper impact in that one school community. That’s exciting, and I am looking forward to experiencing the impacts this will make in schools, specifically in the conversations that teachers have with one another when they share their stories about their workshop and what they did with their class when we visited.

We have been busy preparing our programs for a relaunch of our Going Wild! workshops. In the spring, we were fortunate to have our programs go through a formal evaluation process based on specific environmental education standards. We were delighted for the feedback that our programming is exemplary overall.

A throwback to ten years ago in the Education program

The workshops continue to focus on planting seeds to sprout environmental stewards through a holistic, shared lens of Indigenous teachings and scientific understanding. Highlights include greater time spent outdoors, Indigenous teachings intertwined throughout the workshops, greater hands-on exploration time, and a focus on building environmental stewards throughout our province.

This year our Education program is celebrating our 20th birthday. It’s a fabulous time for us all to reflect on the role we have played in supporting children to spend more time outdoors connecting with nature, where our efforts continue in the present and into the future keeping in mind the future generations.

I would like to personally thank all of you for your continued support for the education team at Sierra Club BC.

Feature image by Brynne Morrice.

Our favourite nature science books

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At Sierra Club BC, we love science!

To mark Science Literacy Week, the Sierra Club BC Education Team has come up with a list of our favourite nature science books for students, teachers and learners of all ages. Check it out and share with fellow science lovers!

 

For younger readers:

We Are All Connected (series of books) – Strong Nations Publishing

Owls Babies – Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson

The Fish in the Forest: Salmon and the Web of Life – Dale Stokes

The Tree in the Ancient Forest – Carol Reed-Jones

Salmon Forest – David Suzuki and Sarah Ellis

The Salmon Bears: Giants of the Great Bear Rainforest – Ian McAllister and Nicholas Reed

The Salamander Room – Ann Mazer

The Little Hummingbird – Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas

The Lorax – Dr. Seuss

 

For teachers:

Science First Peoples: Teacher Resource Guide – First Nations Education Steering Committee

I Love Dirt!: 52 Activities to Help You and Your Kids Discover the Wonders of Nature – Jennifer Ward

Curious Kids Nature Guide: Explore the Amazing Outdoors of the Pacific Northwest – Fiona Cohen

The Nature Connection: An Outdoor Workbook for Kids, Families, and Classrooms – Clare Walker Leslie

 

For adults:

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants – Robin Wall Kimmerer

The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s-Eye View of the World – Michael Pollan

 

Field guides:

Whelks to Whales: Coastal Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest – Rick M. Harbo

Plants of Coast British Columbia – Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon

Plants of Northern British Columbia – Andy MacKinnon

Plants of Southern Interior British Columbia and the Inland Northwest – Roberta Parish, Ray Coupe and Dennis Lloyd

River-Walking Songbirds & Singing Coyotes: An Uncommon Field Guide to Northwest Mountains – Patricia K. Lichen

Brittle Stars & Mudbugs: An Uncommon Field Guide to Northwest Shorelines & Wetlands – Patricia K. Lichen

 

Why it’s important for kids to learn outside:

Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder – Richard Louv

Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life – Richard Louv

Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World – Michael K. Stone and Zenobia Barlow

 

Feature image: Craig Janzen

Back to school: Our 20th year of nature-based learning

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By James Davis, Education Program Manager

September 2018

Welcome back to a new school year!  September marks 20 years of Sierra Club BC’s work with schools across the province to help students build relationships with their natural surroundings – a major accomplishment. Stay tuned to hear how we’ll be celebrating this milestone.

In the meantime, after a fairly quiet summer, things are buzzing again here in the Education Program at Sierra Club BC.

Kirsten and Amira just returned from their summer jobs and are busy working on revisions to our Nature and Play, Lifecycles and Ecosystems, and People and Plants workshops.

These program enhancements are inspired by valuable suggestions that we received from a local environmental education consultant who conducted an evaluation of our programming back in the spring. We were thrilled with her feedback that our programming is exemplary overall and we look forward to testing out refined versions of these workshops this fall.

After a successful pilot project during the spring, we are also excited that Amira will continue to facilitate French language versions of our Nature and Play (Kindergarten) and Lifecycles and Ecosystems (Grades 1-2) workshops!

Interested in having Kirsten or Amira visit your school to lead nature-based workshops for your students? Just head over to https://sierraclub.bc.ca/education/k-8-going-wild-programs to read our workshop descriptions and then click on the “Request a Workshop” button to fill out the request form.

On behalf of the Education Program and the entire Sierra Club BC team, thanks for all you do to help students connect with the natural environment.  We look forward to getting outside and learning with you soon!

Learn more and request a workshop
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