1. Biodiversity Education and Conservation
Colloquium, 2006
Mark April 12-14th 2006 on your calendars for the next Biodiversity Education and
Conservation colloquium!
In co-operation with Investing in Nature: A Partnership for Plants in Canada,
VanDusen and UBC botanical gardens will be co-hosting the 2006 colloquium in
Vancouver to launch “Conserving Plant Diversity: the 2010 Challenge for Canadian
Botanical Gardens”, the revised Biodiversity Action Plan for Botanical Gardens and
Arboreta in Canada. Our main goal is to generate ideas and enthusiasm for implementing
and expanding our conservation and education programmes.
We are currently looking for funding to cover as much of the programming, travel
and accommodation costs as possible. A post-workshop tour to Milner Gardens &
Woodlands and Tofino Botanical Gardens has also been proposed. More information
coming soon!
2. Planting the Seeds of Biodiversity
Educators from across Canada shared experiences and activities to
assist in teaching about the importance of biological diversity at the
“Planting the Seeds of Biodiversity” workshop at EECOM’s (Canadian Network
for Environmental Education and Communication) annual conference in
late September.
The value of framing environmental education in the context of “biodiversity”
was presented in a variety of ways. By comparing the number of plants and
corporate logos that they were able to identify, participants confirmed our
current botanical knowledge crisis. This led to an activity divining the links between
global environmental issues and plant conservation, on to a picture metaphor activity
to define “biodiversity” and “biodiversity education,” and finally to some outdoor
games highlighting plant diversity.
Participating educators left the workshop keen on presenting biodiversity using
the activities introduced and much more aware of botanical gardens and arboreta as
educational resource centres.
Sincere appreciation to the enthusiastic facilitators: Catherine Dumouchel,
Maggie Kilian, Anne Madden, and Barbara McKean.
If you are interested in facilitating a similar workshop in your community,
please contact laurel.mcivor@bgci.org for more information. Resources
developed for this workshop are available at:
www.bgci.org/canada/edu_doc.html.
3. Biodiversity Activity
Sheets
Next time you host our Biodiversity Travelling exhibit, you will have some additional
resources to set up an accompanying activity station!
A variety of activities have been developed in (French and English) to reinforce
the exhibit themes of plant conservation & biodiversity education in Canada. Ideally,
there are a couple of activities suitable for each age group (primary, junior and
intermediate), but we secretly suspect that many adults will be interested as well.
Pdf copies of these sheets are now posted on our web site. Feel free to copy and
distribute these activities when you host the exhibit or for use in other educational
programming:
Biodiversity All Around
Thank a plant
Fascinating Flowers
Canada’s biodiversity
Biodiversity Word Search
How to Help Biodiversity
4. Naturalist Knapsacks:
Enjoyment & Learning,
Jonina Ewart and Lori Nichols,
Living Prairie Museum, Winnipeg
Many visiting families view our Interpretive Centre
as the "Living Prairie Museum", and spend the majority
of their time exploring indoors. To encourage children
to take the opportunity to explore the true Living
Prairie Museum, the 32 acre tall grass prairie preserve
to the north of the Interpretive Centre, we developed a
program called Knapsacks for Young Naturalists.
Naturalist Knapsacks are now available to all
visitors. ‘Discovery items’ in the knapsack include magnifying
glasses, binoculars, weather equipment, measuring tools, probes,
nets and collection boxes. Using these tools, visitors are
persuaded to feel the cottony plume of the anemone, to listen
for the sound of a grasshopper, to bend down to catch the spicy
aroma of sage, or to share the story of Bobby Bluestem. Activity
workbooks compliment the new self-guided trails and engage the children
and adults in unique methods of observation, recording and drawing.
The high tech youth bags were donated through fundraising efforts.
We hope they encourage nature education, creativity and imagination
and promote activities where families teach one another how to truly
experience the natural world around them.
(view full article).
5. Girl Guides, Plants and Animals,
Heather House, Toronto Zoo
Girl Guides can now come to Toronto Zoo to earn their "Plants &
Animals" badge. Groups are accustomed to coming to the Zoo to learn
about Animals, however, this programme encourages them do explore both PLANT
and animal science!
From the eight badge requirements listed in the Guiding Program Manual,
we chose six that most closely align with our mission of inspiring people
to live in ways that promote the well being of the natural world. Three
requirements relate to animals (classification, adaptations and identification)
and three to plants.
The plant activities include:
Confirming the importance of plants: the group divides into teams
to identify and record items that are scattered around the room as "Products
that ARE made from plants" vs. "Products NOT made from plants".
Propagating plants: following a discussion and demonstration of different
ways to propagate plants, the Girl Guides plant a bean seed and take it home
to grow.
Demonstrating plant function: conducting an experiment with celery
stalks, water and food colouring, girls observe water dispersal and
diagrams to determine how fluids and minerals are distributed in
plants.
6. Toronto’s New Centres
for Children’s Gardening, Tobin Day, Toronto Botanical Garden
In 2006, children in Toronto will have more opportunities to
learn about gardening and the environment as the Toronto Botanical
Garden (TBG), celebrates new educational facilities at the Toronto
Botanical Garden and Allan Gardens.
December 3rd was the grand opening of the renovated and expanded
main building at the Toronto Botanical Garden, now named The George
and Kathy Dembroski Centre for Horticulture, which includes: the
Weston Family Library, shop TBG and The James Boyd Children’s Centre.
The James Boyd Children’s Centre will be dedicated to year-round classes
on the environmental sciences for schools, community groups and individuals
to compliment children's programmes offered in the outdoor Teaching Garden.
In partnership with Toronto Parks, Forestry and Recreation, the
Toronto Botanical Garden conducts TD Bank Financial Group School Programs
for schools at the Allan Gardens Children's Conservatory from November to
March.
Programs take place in a greenhouse that has been refurbished to facilitate
innovative horticultural programs for children. Programs about plants, soil
and habitat are free of charge and priority is given to classes from high-needs
schools in Toronto.
For more information, visit:
www.torontobotanicalgarden.ca/teachinggarden.htm
7. Healthy Food, Healthy Living
How much do you think about the food you eat?
Eating is such a basic part of our lives that we often
undervalue the importance of environmental issues related to
food.
Truly healthy food is healthy for people and for
the environment. In her key note presentation at this year’s
EECOM conference, Debbie Fields from FoodShare (a non-profit
agency working to improve access to affordable and healthy food)
provided insight into the environmental implications of our food
and food systems. To effectively support sustainable agriculture,
we have to promote a broader understanding of the entire process
that puts food on our tables: the growing, processing, distributing,
purchasing, and cooking of our food.
Most botanical gardens grow fruit and vegetables, some have
children’s gardening programmes, and many are interested in environmental
education: we have a wonderful opportunity to present the links between food,
agriculture and the environment. Consider trying some of the activities presented
in "Food for Thought: Practising Conservation at the Table". (Reproduced
with permission from Green Teacher: Issue 27, Fall 2005).
8. Extracting Abstracts,
Sarah Kneebone, BGCI
BGCI is calling for abstracts to present papers, posters
or workshops at the forthcoming 6th International Congress
on Education in Botanic Gardens, hosted by the University of
Oxford Botanic Garden, 10th -14th September 2006. There has been
a great response to the congress so far, but more abstracts are
needed! The deadline for abstracts has been extended to Friday
13th January 2006.
The congress will provide a forum for environmental educators
from botanic gardens world-wide as well as educators and other
staff from plant science institutes, education and conservation
organisations, zoos, museums, national parks and nature reserves,
to discuss issues and share ideas.
If you would like an opportunity to share your programmes,
research, ideas and inspiration, just fill in the form (link to
www.bgci.org/educationcongress/abstracts.htm)
9. Roots: "Master Planning for Education" out now!
Sarah Kneebone, BGCI
The latest issue of BGCI’s education review, Roots,
has just been released. Check your mailbox or your institution’s
library to read articles from plant-based educators around the and how of strategic planning at education departments.
Don’t receive Roots? Become an Associate Member of BGCI to
get your copy twice per year. Interested in submitting an article to
Roots? The deadline for submissions to the next issue, "Access
for All: Problems and Solutions", is Jan. 20, 2006. The issue will
explore some of the difficulties faced and the solutions created by
environmental education practitioners in reaching important, but oftentimes
neglected, audiences.
Email education@bgci.org for more information.
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