There are many ways we can help protect our local environment and natural resources. Explore the topics below for activities, lessons and resources designed to raise awareness and encourage thoughtful discussion about how our behaviours impact the environment and our region.
Activities and resources can be adapted for any age, from preschoolers to adults, and integrated with many learning objectives.
If you have any questions or feedback or are looking for other ways to incorporate local environmental topics into your learning plans please contact us.
These resources promote the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle) and support continued learning. If you have any questions please contact us.
Activities
- Make Your Own Recycled Paper [PDF/1.7MB]
- Make Your Own Beeswax Food Wraps [PDF/196KB]
- Time To Decompose [PDF/310KB]
- How Far Does My Food Travel? [PDF/507KB]
- Garbage Habits at Home Survey [PDF/141KB]
- Tour Worksheet [PDF/567KB] (Grade 4+)
- Waste-Free Lunch Day [PDF/206KB]
- Kitchen Catcher Origami [PDF/413KB]
Colouring Sheets
- 3Rs Recycling [PDF/1.3MB]
- La Boite Bleue [PDF/1.3MB]
- Recycle Bin [PDF/279KB]
- Garbage Truck [PDF/659KB]
- Recycle BC Colouring Book [PDF/645KB]
Lesson Plans
- How Is Paper Recycled? [PDF/441KB]
- Let's Circle Back! [PDF/1MB] (Grade 6+)
- Engineered Landfills [PDF/120KB]
- 3Rs Hierarchy Educator's Guide 2014
Online Game
Audio and Video
- Hartland Landfill Aerial Tour
- Hartland Landfill - A Year of Garbage
- The History of Garbage
- Take a Recycling Home Tour
Background Resources
- How a Landfill Works [PDF/1MB]
- What happens in a landfill [PDF/143KB]?
- History of Garbage in the CRD [PDF/1.4MB]
- Hartland Landfill Waste Composition [PDF/94KB]
- 5R Pollution Prevention Hierarchy [PDF/251KB]
Where does our garbage go? Learn more about Hartland Landfill
How do I properly dispose of my unwanted items? Search What Goes Where
What are the rules and regulations behind managing our waste? Find what we're doing
Empower students to protect our local waterways, ocean and environment with these resources.
Activities
- Scavenger Hunts - Backyard Birds [PDF/2.5MB] and Wetland Birds [PDF/4.1MB]
- Watershed Bingo [PDF/264KB]
- Watershed Story [PDF/0.9MB]
- Where Does Your Storm Drain Lead? [PDF/1.7MB]
- Invasive Species Council of BC online games & activity sheets
Colouring Sheets
- Water Cycle [PDF/85KB]
- Watershed Creek [PDF/82KB]
- Watershed Wildlife [PDF/190KB]
- People and Watersheds [PDF/1.2MB]
- Watershed Word Search and Maze [PDF/1.3MB]
Lesson Plans
- What Is A Watershed? [PDF/1.3MB]
- Watershed Web of Life [PDF/1MB]
- What's in Your Yard (Invasive Species [PDF/209KB])
- Rainwater and Watersheds [PDF/20.9MB] Educator's Resource
- K-12 Stream to Sea Stewardship and Sustainability lesson plans
- Invasive Species Council of BC lesson plans
Videos
Other
- Watersheds of Greater Victoria School Version
- Local watershed maps and flow diagrams
- Look Inside A Watershed [PDF/9.3MB]
- Clean Green Cookbook [PDF/1.3MB] - anything that goes down the drain can end up in the ocean. Explore environmentally-safe alternatives to most household cleaners.
- Seek by iNaturalist (all ages)
- iNaturalist (ages 13+)
Help students discover that "every drop counts" with these resources about conserving our local drinking water.
Activities
- Become a Leak Detective! [PDF/573KB]
- Weekly Water Use Chart (K-3) [PDF/345KB]
- Weekly Water Use Chart (4+) [PDF/263KB]
- Indoor Water Use (High School) [PDF/278KB]
- Colouring and Puzzles
Lesson Plans
- Where Does Our Water Come From? [PDF/153KB]
- Every Drop Counts [PDF/11.8MB] Grade 2 Educator's Guide
- Water in Our Community [PDF/47.8MB] Grade 8 – 12 Educator's Guide, 2008
Audio and Video
- Down the Drain & Back Again (video)
- Down the Drain and Back Again [PDF/342KB] (script)
- Drip, Drip, Drop Sing-along (video)
- Drip, Drip, Drop Sing-along [PDF/145KB] (lyrics)
- Greater Victoria Water Supply System: An Overview (video)
- Greater Victoria Water Supply Area (video)
- Greater Victoria Water Supply System: Treatment and Transmission (video)
Maps and Images
- Drinking Water in Numbers [PDF/313KB]
- Water Use Images [PDF/6.4MB]
- Greater Victoria Drinking Water Supply System
- Greater Victoria Watersheds Map (with schools labelled)
Borrow an Every Drop Counts Educator's Kit. The kit includes a hardcopy Educator's Guidebook, DVD, CD, USB drive, books and select activity materials. Request online or call CRD Education at 250.360.3133.
Where Our Water Comes From
Learn Where does Greater Victoria's drinking water come from?
How much water is in the Sooke Lake Reservoir this week?
How is our drinking water protected?
What is the quality of our drinking water?
Transportation, buildings (temperature control, electricity, etc.), and solid waste management create most of the region's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Learn how to reduce your impact with the resources below.
Activities
- Transportation Choice Line Match [PDF/777KB]
- Transportation Choice Memory [PDF/590KB]
- Active Transportation Scavenger Hunt [PDF/210KB]
- Ready Step Roll Bingo [PDF/254KB]
- Backyard Obstacle Course [PDF/277KB]
Lesson Plans
- Move Your Feet [PDF/341KB]
- Become an Energy Detective [PDF/311KB]
- Energy Users Scavenger Hunt [PDF/222KB]
Climate Action To-Go Kits
Learn about what you can do at home to reduce energy use and GHG emissions. Use the Kill-A-Watt Meter to measure appliance electricity use, discover air leaks with the Thermal Leak Detector, and more. Borrow a kit.
Growing Solutions
Help reduce emissions by buying local produce. Want to know what fruit and vegetables are in season in the region right now? Download the Growing Solutions Fresh Food Calendar [PDF/700KB].
Regional parks protect natural areas which provide important habitats for many living things. Use the resources below to learn more about the living things that can be found in our parks.
Identification Guides
- Common Wildflowers of Southern Vancouver Island [PDF/1.7MB]
- Mosses of the Pacific Northwest [PDF/2.8MB]
- Seaweeds of the Pacific Northwest [PDF/2.9MB]
- Local Lichens of South Coastal BC [PDF/2.9MB]
- Summer Shoreline Birds [PDF/1.8MB]
- Winter Shoreline Birds [PDF/1.9MB]
- Animal Tracks Guide [PDF/6.3MB]