Our website features many tools to help kids learn about nature in Ontario. Some of our partners have also developed useful educational materials. Check out the resources below.
Endangered Species of the Day Widget
Download our widget and learn about a new rare plant or animal every day.
Teach about black bears
Our Bear Wise™ program offers curriculum guides to help you teach students about black bears – their biological needs, their behaviour and how human action influences them. The guides, targeted at grades 2, 4 and 7, include background readings, units at a glance, lesson plans and suggested activities, and information about related resources. The program has earned the Curriculum Services Canada seal of quality.
Get kids excited about environmental protection and our plants and wildlife
Campsite 24 is a resource for kids, parents and teachers to learn about environmental protection, plants and wildlife, and Ontario's provincial parks.
Get lesson plans based on the Ontario curriculum guidelines for grades 2 to 6. Our goal is to provide you with a complete package: the lesson plan itself, background resources, and links to related topics.
You can also find out how to plan a class trip to a park.
Inform kids about the threat of invasive species
Making Waves is an activity-filled teacher resource kit that introduces grade 4 students to the concept of healthy habitats and communities and our role in protecting them from aquatic invasive species. The kit has the Curriculum Services Canada seal of quality.
Teach students about endangered species
Make biodiversity come to life
The Biodiversity Education and Awareness Network offers educational materials for teachers, including The Big Picture…on Biodiversity and Climate Change program for grade 9 and 10 academic and applied science students.
We also have a helpful list of other sites and resources for elementary and high school teachers related to biodiversity understanding, skills and involvement.
Find local resources about stewardship
Many local stewardship councils across Ontario have developed curriculum and other resources for teachers and students. Find your local council and see if they have information you can use. The Lennox and Addington Stewardship Council has created a science and ecology curriculum unit aimed at students in grades 4 and 7 called Species at Risk … Where You Live. To purchase a copy, email stewardship coordinator Steve Pitt.
Start a plant-a-tree challenge in your school
Many schools have taken up our plant-a-tree challenge. Classes, conservation authorities and other groups and individuals have planted close to half a million trees! Our Tree Atlas can help you decide which native tree to plant in your area. It’s also a great resource to talk to students about what trees grow in your community.
Get your students involved in drawing fish
Check out the Kids’ Fish Art Contest, open to all Ontario students from grades 4 to 12. The contest encourages kids to use their artistic talents and learn about Ontario's native fish and their habitats.
Help students get a summer job in natural resources
Through summer jobs in Ontario Parks and other areas, the Ministry of Natural Resources gives thousands of young people an unforgettable experience and potential career directions. Your students may be interested in our many youth employment programs.
