Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation, Submitted
Since school closures around the province last month, SWF staff have been hard at work developing fun outdoor education material for parents scrambling for activities to keep kids occupied and stimulated.
Rather than focusing on screens, SWF wants families taking this time to get to know their local fish and wildlife. “We know it’s difficult for busy, stressed-out parents to be informative and entertaining, and there is a lot of temptation to sit your kid down with a video game or TV,” says Shannon Anderson, Director of Education at the SWF, “But the quarantine doesn’t have to mean a ton of screen time.”
Now that the days are getting longer and the sun is shining, spending time in nature and connecting it to learning objectives is fantastic for kids. Being able to connect experiences in nature to learning objectives is the best way to instill the importance of protecting nature as well as get that hands-on learning experience you just can’t get inside. As a bonus, this can all take place away from crowds, making it a viable activity during social distancing.
These educational materials range from colouring and activity books, contests, curriculum based ‘classroom’ activities able to be adapted for home, outdoor and much more, and the response to this initiative has been overwhelmingly positive with over 70,000 people from across Canada accessing the resources.
To check out some of our home resources or other educational resources we provide, visit https://swf.sk.ca/resources/for-teachers/. New resources will be added regularly.
