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Outdoor Education Update

Aug 22, 2022

The Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) Education team continued to face challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic throughout the 2021/2022 school year, but thanks to their flexibility and creativity, were able to engage with almost 13,000 learners across the watershed this school year!

Through a variety of virtual, schoolyard, and field trip visits to the Nature Centre, our Education team worked to teach students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 the importance of nature connection and the need to protect our natural spaces for the future.

Outdoor Educator working with a student outdoors

Highlights this past school year included:

  • Field trips resuming at the Scanlon Creek Nature Centre after a near two-year hiatus.
  • Designing and delivering two exciting new grade 7 programs, “Telling Nature’s Stories: Animal Tracking” and “Tech for Nature: Investigating Ecosystems (generously supported through the RBC Foundation’s Tech for Nature grant)”.
  • Reducing barriers for marginalized children and youth to engage in outdoor learning and play by strategically partnering with community agencies to provide nature-based experiences at Scanlon Creek
  • Engaging more than 254 educators across 8 professional learning sessions on a variety of topics

With a focus on the future, the team worked to design and deliver new climate change resources and opportunities to help increase knowledge and raise awareness in students and community members. Through the downloadable DIY Climate Change Presentation and Teacher’s Guide, our Nurturing Local Climate Champions program, climate change-themed community hikes, and the Lake Simcoe Sessions podcast, the team has educated more than 1300 people about the future climate of the Lake Simcoe watershed and their role in mitigating and adapting to it.

The positive feedback we continue to receive from clients and partners confirms that our programs are helping students and community members spark a connection to nature and build their knowledge and awareness of the natural environment and its threats. We’re hopeful that these meaningful outdoor experiences will cultivate an ethic of care and create the stewards we need for the future!