WELCOME to the WILD Spaces classroom!
This is an online classroom hosted by TakingITGlobal. Bookmark this page to find it easily.
Think of this space as a big online classroom where youth from across Canada can interact as they guide themselves through learning activities about pollinators and habitat. It’s a fun and modern way for students to collaborate on issues that matter and share what they’ve learned. Students can work on their own or in groups and they can complete the activities at their own pace.
You can have your students start the first four activities any time. Encourage them to share their work and photos and leave positive comments for others in this safe space.
One of the program pillars of the WILD Spaces program is for students to put their knowledge into action by creating a pollinator garden. You can request pollinator plant packs for your school garden projects by filling out a request form below.
If you have any questions, please send an email to [email protected].
Enjoy!
It's that time of the year to request perennial plants for your pollinator garden projects. The WILD Spaces program supports schools and community groups to create a pollinator-friendly habitat. Requests are randomly selected and you will be notified if your project would receive plants. You can expect delivery by mid-May.
Click on request plants!
Webinar: Embrace the Chill: Lessons from Winter Wildlife
Ever wondered what animals do when the temperature drops? Join us as we dive into the fascinating world of winter wildlife! From hibernation to migration to adaptation, we’ll explore the strategies our furry friends use to thrive in the cold. As humans, we don’t hibernate or migrate (well, some of us do!), but we do adapt to winter conditions in our own unique ways. Get inspired to bundle up and head outside through this interactive lesson with the Canadian Wildlife Federation! All registrants will receive a Winter Resource Kit containing activities to inspire further outdoor exploration!
Webinaire : Aimer l’hiver : leçons de la faune hivernale
avoir ce que les animaux font quand il fait froid, ça vous intrigue? On vous invite à venir explorer le monde fascinant de la faune en hiver avec nous! Hibernation, migration, adaptation : quelle stratégie vont-ils choisir? Nous, les humains, nous n’hibernons ni ne migrons (quoique…), mais nous nous adaptons aux conditions hivernales de notre propre façon. Donnez-vous le goût de sortir dehors cet hiver avec cette leçon interactive offerte par la Fédération canadienne de la faune! Toutes les personnes inscrites recevront une trousse de ressources sur l’hiver qui contient des activités pour explorer dehors et apprendre à aimer l’hiver! Also available in English.
Aimer l’hiver : leçons de la faune hivernale - YouTube
As we celebrate this day, connecting with nature helps us deepen our understanding of the environment and uncover ways to better protect endangered species.
One of the many benefits of healthy soil is that it provides essential nutrients for our plants, which in turn supports the environment and wildlife. As we commemorate World Soil Day, we trust that you have found inspiration to consider soil-focused initiatives for your school gardens.
Hi there,
Have you ever wondered where our native pollinators such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds overwinter? Our garden allies have adapted incredibly to the changing temperatures and managed to survive and stay warm. While some migrate to warmer temperatures — Mexico and Central America, others overwinter here in the leaf litter, soil, logs, plant stems, woods, and in other crannies.
When the winter months are over, we get to see our garden buddies again! What is exciting is that you and your students can help create a pollinator-friendly habitat to welcome our pollinators out of winter and provide them with the much-needed nutrients. A garden with natural sources of food, water and shelter.
The Canadian Wildlife Federation’s pollinator conservation program, WILD Spaces, supports elementary schools and groups with pollinator-friendly perennial plants every year. WILD Spaces encourages educators and students to spend more time outdoors as they adapt their gardens to a pollinator habitat. You can learn more about the program by watching this video: JUST KEEP GROWING - YouTube.
Request plants for your garden project today and you could be selected at random for free plants!
Hi Educators, we look forward to hosting you and your classroom on the Pollinators and Meadow Habitat Webinar. Join us April 6, 2023. Time 12 p.m. to 1 p.m ET!
Pollinators play an important role in our ecosystems and food production, but they face many threats such as habitat loss and pesticide. Join us as we talk about who the pollinators are and what habitats they need. We will also explore what you can do to help pollinators!
The speaker will be Tracey Etwell a Restoration Ecologist on the Rights-of-Way and Grasslands Project Teams at the Canadian Wildlife Federation. She has been lucky to study plants and animals across Canada. She helps to build new habitats for these species. In recent years, she has been working on habitat for pollinators, such as native bees and Monarch Butterflies in Ontario.
Hi Educators,
I hope you had a wonderful start to a school session this fall. As we wrap up the year for the holiday break, we are thankful that you have been a part of the WILD Spaces program inspiring your students to do more for the pollinators and other wildlife in your schoolyard and beyond.
As we approach the holiday season, there is yet another opportunity to engage in a nature-based activity. Birdwatching and counting are fun activities that brings us closer to our environment while appreciating the uniqueness of our feathered friends.
You and your students can support our bird population and scientific researchers who rely on citizen scientists like you for data to advance their research on migration patterns of our bird population and their health. Through bird watching and counting, we learn about the local birds in our area and possible threats to their habitat.
Is your classroom interested in bird conservation? You can access the Holiday Winter Bird Activities by logging into the WILD Spaces classroom.
We wish you all a happy and fun-filled holidays!
Hi Educators,
Welcome back to school! We hope you had a beautiful summer. Hopefully you had the time to enjoy the nice weather and spend quality time with friends, family and nature.
We welcome you back to the WILD Spaces classroom. If you are a new member, we welcome you on board. This program is all about connecting students and teachers with nature! This year the program comes with many different resources such as: lesson plans, activities, quizzes and Power Points. All of these resources should equip you with what you need to connect students to nature as they learn about the seven kinds of pollinators in Canada and how to support them.
You can even register to receive free native flowers to plant in your school garden. We also encourage you to get your school garden certified with the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
If your school garden meets the criteria for a wildlife-friendly garden, you and your students can apply this fall or next spring to have your garden certified as wildlife-friendly habitat. Every school garden certified gets a free CWF certification sign (while supplies last). The signs will look lovely in your gardens and will be a good way to encourage students to plant wildlife-friendly gardens at home.
In order to certify your garden, you can follow this link: Canadian Wildlife Federation: Garden Habitat Certification Form: Info (cwf-fcf.org). Before certifying your garden, it is a good idea to understand the basic needs for wildlife-friendly gardening. You can also sign into the WILD Spaces classroom for activities on garden certifications.
Have you had the chance to look at how your garden has evolved over the summer? If so, we would love to see photos of your gardens! Please share the photos of your garden via the WILD Spaces platform.
We look forward to seeing how your school garden evolved during the summer months.
Welcome back; we will keep in touch soon with new resources and fun activities for groups of all ages!
Thank you and greetings from the Canadian Wildlife Federation.
Hi Educators,
Thank you for being a part of the Canadian Wildlife Federation school-based pollinator conservation program – WILD Spaces. Your passion to help raise the next generation of conservationist whilst caring for our natural environment and wildlife is rewarding!
The WILD Spaces program is all about connecting educators and students with nature as they learn about pollinators, create habitat, observe and record the wildlife that visit their school gardens.
This school year, we led a WILD Spaces webinar series and elementary students from within Canada and beyond joined us online to learn about the seven different types of pollinators in Canada, how to turn our scraps to soil and highlighted Elizabeth Ballantyne and Evergreen school’s pollinator gardens in Canada. Our guest speakers shared interesting stories about their school gardens and the tremendous teamwork of their students. You can find the webinars and other educational videos on CWF’s YouTube Channel.
Not only did students learn about pollinators, but the Canadian Wildlife Federation also distributed 5,200 pollinator-friendly perennial plants to 130 schools across Canada to facilitate hands-on learning!
With the help of teachers and students, pollinator gardens were created in schools providing nectar and pollen-rich habitat for our pollinating friends!
We love to celebrate your students’ efforts as they provide food, water and shelter for wildlife and maintain their school yards in an earth-friendly way. You and your students can apply for CWF Garden Habitat Certification, when successful, your school garden would receive an official recognition as a wildlife-friendly habitat. Apply here
And with the iNaturalist app, your students can contribute to the growing knowledge of native plant gardens and wildlife that visits your school yard. Sign up for the CWF's Gardening for Wildlife iNaturalist page account under your school’s name, your students can identify, record and learn more about the wildlife around them. You can find step-by-step instructions on how to create an iNaturalist account on this link. We look forward to your wildlife stories and photos.
Thanks again for a wonderful school year.
Have a lovely summer!
Hello Educators,
Canadian Wildlife Federation is offering free pollinator plants to 200 schools and community organizations.
We’ve made it easier for you to request pollinator-friendly plants for your school or community gardens. To make a request, please go to ‘forms’ under ‘classroom tools’ to express your interest in pollinator plants.
We’re very excited to see your students contribute to wildlife conservation by planting for pollinators.
If your school or community organization is randomly selected for free plants, you will receive an email by mid-April to confirm your request.
If you have any questions, please send an email to [email protected].
Thank you,
Eneze
Q: How do I add my child/students to this classroom?
A: Click on “participants” and then hit the orange “add students” button on the right hand side.
Q: The activities are too simple/advanced for my child/students, can we still participate in the program?
A: Yes! If the activities are too advanced or simple for your group, feel free to adapt them to suit your needs and please don’t hesitate to share your students’ work on this platform. Educators with younger students can post on behalf of their classroom if they like.
Q: Does my child/students have to complete all the activities?
A: No. You can select which activities you would like to do with your students. To get the most out of the program we suggest going through each activity in order.
Q: How can I start a discussion on this platform?
A: Click on “discussions” and then hit the orange “post new thread or create forum” button on the right-hand side.
Q: How many pollinator plants should each school or community organization expect?
A: Ten CWF pollinator kits for a total of 40 pollinator-friendly perennial plants.
Q: What is the timeline for the plant’s arrival?
A: Tentatively last week in May or early June.
If you have any additional questions, please send an email to [email protected].
Q: How do I add my child or students to this classroom?
A: Under ‘Classroom Tools’ on the bar to the left, click on ‘Participants’. Then look for the orange “add students” button (should be the middle one of three) and click on that. Follow the instructions and write down the usernames and password(s) you create for your child or students.
Q: The activities are too simple/ too advanced, can we still participate in the program?
A: Yes! If the activities are too advanced or simple for your child/students, feel free to adapt them to suit your needs and please don’t hesitate to share your students’ work on this platform to inspire others. Those with very young students can post on behalf of their class, if they like.
Q: Does my child or student have to complete all of the activities?
A: No. You can select which activities you would like to do. To get the most out of the program we suggest going through each activity in order.
If you have any additional questions, please send an email to [email protected].
