When using these activity cards to engage students in physical activity in outdoor settings, it is important to understand and implement the principles of environmental stewardship and “Leave No Trace”. The “Leave No Trace” principles for environmental stewardship include:
- Plan ahead and prepare: Know the area you will be visiting/using for physical activity with students.
- Travel on durable surfaces: Durable surfaces include identified trails, gravel, dry grass, and snow.
- Dispose of waste properly: Ensure no garbage or non-natural items are left behind after the activity.
- Leave what you find: Leave rocks, sticks, and other natural objects where you found them.
- Respect wildlife: Do not follow, approach, or feed any wild animals that you may see in outdoor settings.
The “Leave No Trace Principles” found in the “Environmental Stewardship: Leave No Trace” section were adapted from: Leave No Trace Canada. (2009).
Teach environmental stewardship by having students only collect natural props (for example, sticks, pinecones, and leaves) if they have already fallen off trees and are dead on the ground. Having students understand this effective stewardship practice and the concept of “leave no trace” will go a long way towards helping protect our natural areas.
Land-Based Learning
Land-based learning acknowledges a connection and a relationship with the natural world. It embraces the concept that we, as humans, are part of the natural world rather than the natural world serving as a resource for our use. As we interact with the natural world and everything around us, we learn. We are stewards of the Land and as such have a responsibility to care for all living things, to respect the Land, and protect it.
Land-based learning typically uses an Indigenized and environmentally-focused approach to education by first recognizing the deep, physical, mental, and spiritual connection to the Land that is a part of Indigenous cultures.1
"Land-based learning is more than just bringing students into the outdoors; it is an opportunity to learn about where they live and delve deeper in understanding the importance of the Land.” - Kareena Butler, a member of the Anishinaabe Algonquin 2
Land-based learning happens everywhere, in urban and rural settings, including inside classrooms. We encourage educators to access the Elementary and Secondary Outdoor Education Toolkits to learn more about how to embed this concept into the physical activities within this resource. A few ideas to get you started include:
- Acknowledging the territory on which you learn and play to show respect to the Land.
- Connecting to your school boards' Indigenous Education department or lead person to help connect with local Indigenous Knowledge Keepers and Elders and learn cultural protocols that are region-specific and respectful.
- Taking your lessons and daily activities outside.
- Teaching an attitude of kindness for all living things. Instead of killing an insect indoors, capture it and return it outdoors.
- Providing students with opportunities to engage in activities that use their 5 senses (for example, learning about the trees, plants, and birds in the area using all of their senses).
- Modeling using your senses when outdoors to show students how you appreciate and enjoy the outdoors.3
Making Connections to the Outdoors During Fall
Making Connections to the Outdoors During Winter
Making Connections to the Outdoors During Spring
1Cherpako, D., Making Indigenous-Led Education a Public Priority: The Benefits of Land-Based Education and Programming, (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.socialconnectedness.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Land-Based-Education-Pamphlet.pdf
2Indigenous Land-Based Learning, Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, (2020). p.19. Retrieved from: https://etfofnmi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Book_Land-Acknowledgement.pdf
3Indigenous Land-Based Learning, Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, (2020). p.34-36. Retrieved from: https://etfofnmi.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Book_Land-Acknowledgement.pdf