Elementary and Middle School Programs

Sierra Club BC's Education Program offers school-based workshops that investigate four areas of special interest to elementary and middle school teachers and students: rainforest ecology, climate change, stewardship, and wild forest product harvesting. All of our programs are accompanied by pre- and post-program documents.

NEW! Ecostewardship:

With our ever-changing environment and planetary needs, it is important youth understand ecological concepts and issues. But without clear actions and ideas to help create positive change, how can education turn into action? Our Ecostewardship program addresses this gap and helps students take home concrete steps for sustainability that are relevant to the biodiverse regions of B.C. The program is designed to help students apply ecological concepts to grade-appropriate environmental action projects.

Ecostewardship brings new life to some characters from our Education Team’s past (for those who remember our dear mosquito friend, Buzz!). With a focus on B.C.’s diverse regions (or eco-provinces), students explore the unique biodiversity in our ocean, forest, and mountain ecosystems, including some plants and animals threatened in the province. Ecostewardship addresses key issues that are threatening our special places and ways to become environmental stewards to help maintain B.C.’s natural beauty. This is a two-visit program.

Jump Aboard the StewardSHIP! (K-2)

Temperate Rainforest Ecosystem Education (TREE):

Our TREE programs were developed because teachers wanted their students to learn about the important roles that forests - particularly temperate rainforests - play in their lives. These programs are designed to give students a deeper understanding of these special ecosystems, the species that live in them, and the ways in which we interact with the rainforest. The TREE programs are divided so that activities meet appropriate learner styles, fit grade-specific curriculum connections, and deliver suitable information to applicable grades. This is a two-visit program.

Pluviale et l’intendance environnementale (PLUIE):

PLUIE is the French version of the TREE program. With the same concepts and information, PLUIE takes students through the forêt pluviale tempérée to help students understand the plants and animals of the temperate rainforest, as well as the relationships humans have with our forest ecosystems. PLUIE programs are divided so that activities meet appropriate learner styles, fit grade-specific curriculum connections, and deliver suitable information to applicable grades. Each PLUIE presentation is delivered entirely in French.

Please note that at this time we are unable to offer our French program PLUIE, but can provide French vocabulary and resources to accompany an English program.

Climate Change Education Program

Every day, the equivalent body weight of each Canadian resident is produced in greenhouse gases! Many of us still depend on vehicles to get around or recycle only when it’s handy. Individually the results of these actions appear small and without significant impact. But collectively they add up – contributing to the climate change issue we’re now facing.

The Climate Change Education Program is designed to educate, motivate and support B.C.’s youth to take positive steps towards addressing the problems associated with climate change. Climate Change presentations will be centered on the goal of having youth take action and develop positive solutions. Climate Change programs are divided so that activities meet appropriate learner styles, fit grade-specific curriculum connections, and deliver suitable information to applicable grades. This is a two-visit program.

Going Wild! Teaching about Wild Products from B.C.’s Coastal Temperate Rainforest:

Going Wild is a grade 4 to 7 program based on an educator’s guidebook that came from a collaborative partnership between Coastal First Nations Turning Point Initiative, Sierra Club BC and the Centre for Non-Timber Resources at Royal Roads University. The program uses activities from the guide to help students gain knowledge of wild products, ecosystem dynamics, stewardship of the forest, human relationships with nature, Coastal First Nations ecological/cultural appreciation, economic impacts of wild products, consumption patterns, and entrepreneurship. Our interactive presentation is designed to fit curriculum requirements in addition to actively engaging students with the unique ecosystem many of us call home! This is a one-visit program.

Going Wild! Teaching about Wild Products from BC's Coastal Temperate Rainforest (4-7)

Inactive Programs for 2012-2013

TREE: Our TREE programs were developed because teachers wanted their students to learn about the important roles that forests - particularly temperate rainforests - play in their lives.

You, Me and the Trees (5-7)

Ecostewardship: focuses on the diverse regions of British Columbia and ways to take sustainable environmental action to maintain each unique place.

At Home with the Rockfish (3-4)
B.C. Ecoprovinces (5-7)

Interior Ecosystems: allows students to explore the plants and animals in B.C.’s Interior, as well as understand species interactions and threats to these ecosystems.

Okanagan Adventurers (K-2)
Bunchgrass, Bighorns and Burrowing Owls (3-4)
Interior Explorers (5-7)

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