Regreening Resources
Local Community Groups
Several local community groups can provide assistance to schools from grant applications to ongoing maintenance activities and everything in between. For more specific details, try contacting:
Schoolyard Regreening Resources
Videos:
- A Crack in the Pavement: Growing Dreams (video, 19 minutes)
- A Crack in the Pavement: Digging In (video, 19 minutes)
- Benefits of School Gardens (video, 4:24 minutes)
- Garden Design for Schools (video, 4:05 minutes)
- Gardening for Wildlife (video, 3.45 minutes)
- Grounds for Change: The Calgary Zoo's Schoolyard Naturalization Program (video, 8:19 minutes)
- Help Kids Grow: Plant a School Garden (video, 5:26 minutes)
- How to Start a Garden: Gardening for Kids (video, 7:04 minutes)
- Schoolgrounds for Outdoor Learning and Play (video,13:56 minutes)
- Teaching Kids How to Plant (video, 10:37 minutes)
- What is a Green Schoolyard (video, 3:56 minutes)
- Green Schoolyards America - Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 1:
- Introduction to Schoolyard Forests (video, 51:14 minutes)
- Green Schoolyards America - Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 2:
- Schoolyard Forest Design Process and Principles (video, 56:03 minutes)
- Green Schoolyards America - Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 3:
- Designing for Children's Health, Learning, and Play (video, 56:41 minutes)
- Green Schoolyards America - Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 4:
- Selecting Trees for Schoolyard Forests (video, 54:35 minutes)
- Green Schoolyards America - Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 5:
- Stormwater Schoolyards (video, 59:28 minutes)
- Green Schoolyards America - Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 6:
- Reducing Extreme Hear and Supporting Thermal Comfort (video, 58:13 minutes)
- Green Schoolyards America - Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 7:
- Wildlife Habitat as Part of Living Schoolyards (video, 58:50 minutes)
- Green Schoolyards America - Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 8:
- Maintenance and Stewardship of Schoolyard Forests (video, 54:33 minutes)
- Green Schoolyards America - Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 10:
- Schoolyard Food Forest (video, 56:57 minutes)
- Green Schoolyards America - Schoolyard Forest Design Lecture Series 13
- Living Schoolyards for Children's Microbiome Health (video, 53:18 minutes)
- Green Schoolyard America - Green Schoolyard Lecture Series #4
- Green Schoolyards for Lifelong Physical Activity (video, 52.03 minutes)
Downloadable Planning Guides:
- Canadian Biodiversity Institute – School Grounds Transformation
- Canadian Wildlife Federation - Gardening for Wildlife
- Grounds for Change: A User's Guide to Schoolyard Naturalization (PDF, 3.61 MB)
- Peel District School Board - Digging It: A Guide for Greening School Grounds in Peel Region (PDF, 8.95 MB)
- Physical Activity Design Guidelines for School Architecture (PDF, 814.54 KB)
- Region of Waterloo: School Gardens Startup Guide (PDF, 6.60 MB)
- WWF - Guide to Plant for Wildlife
- School Grounds, Naturally! A Guide to Schoolyard Naturalization
Resources for Winning Schools
- Schoolyard Maintenance Manual (PDF, 1 MB)
- Resources Available for Loan from VETAC (PDF, 35 KB)
Benefits of Schoolyard Naturalization
- Children and Nature Network: Green Schoolyards for Healthy Communities
- Evergreen - Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play (PDF, 1.92 MB)
- Greening the Schoolyard by Julie Gardner and Kristin Boyd
- Seed Survivor: Schoolyard Naturalization
- Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide (PDF, 7.96 MB)
- Should We All Be Spending More Time Playing In The Dirt?
- Children and Nature Network: Canada – Evergreen Climate Ready Schools
- Green Schoolyards America: Lecture #1 - Equity, Educational, and Academic Benefits of the Living Schoolyards Act
- Green Schoolyards America: Lecture #2 - Mental and Physical Health Benefits
- Green Schoolyards America: Lecture #3 - Ecological and Climate Benefits
- Green Schoolyards America: Lecture #4 - Community Benefits and Green Jobs
- Evergreen – Climate Ready Schools
- The Power and Potential of Green Schoolyards (PDF, 1.92 MB)
- The Green Schoolyard Movement (1.00 MB)
- A Climate Ready Schools Guide to Designing for Shade
Other Resources
- Environment Canada - UV Index and Sun Protection
- Grey Bruce Health Unit: Sun Safety Curriculum for Schools (PDF, 668 KB)
- Keeping Your Trees Healthy
- Medicine Wheel Garden Gitgaan Mashkiki: Plant Identification and Maintenance Guide (PDF, 48 pages)
- Outsideplay.ca - Good resource for parents/adults who “fear” risky play
- SunSense
- Jane Goodall - Regreening Guide
- The Outdoor PLAYbook for Schools
- Educator Resources for Schoolyard Forests
- A Climate Ready Schools Guide to Designing for Shade: Evergreen
Resources for Teachers
- 21 School Garden Ideas to Inspire You
- A Guide to School Gardens (PDF, 2.32 MB)
- American Heart Association: School Garden Lesson Plans (PDF, 13.4 MB)
- Canadian Wildlife Federation - Resources
- Earth Easy: How to Start a School Garden - Your Complete Guide
- Forest Ontario - Education and Awareness
- Forest Ontario - TD Tree Bee
- Guide to Growing School Gardens in Alberta (PDF, 5.20 MB)
- Green Teacher
- What Makes a Great School Garden
- Kids Gardening: Activities
- Kids Gardening: Designing a School Garden
- Kids Gardening: Lesson Plans
- Learning Gardens Manual (PDF, 2.14 MB)
- Monarch Nation: Get Involved in Wildlife Conservation
- RHS Campaign for School Gardening: Setting Up a School Garden
- Sharing Nature - Nature Activities
- Tree Canada
- Whole Kids Foundation: School Garden Resources
- WWF Canada Living Planet @ School
- Free Schoolyard Activity Guides
- Kids Gardening
- School Gardens Ideas
- Ready Set Green
- Environmental Activities for Elementary Schools
- Classroom resources for teachers
Grant Programs Available to Schools
- Building Outdoor Classrooms: A Guide for Successful Fundraising (PDF, 656 KB)
- Canada Post: Community Foundation Grant
- Evergreen Learning Grounds
- Evergreen Funding Opportunities
- Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots: A.P.E. Fund
- Nutrients for Life: Learning Garden Grants
- S’cool Life Fund
- Scotts Canada: Grow for Good Grants
- TD Canada Trust - Friends of the Environment Foundation
- Tree Canada - Greening Canada's School Grounds
- World Wildlife Fund Canada: Go Wild School Grants
- Whole Kids Foundation: Garden Grant Program
- Learning for a Sustainable Future Grant
- Nutrients for Life - Learning Gardens Grant
- Our Canada Project - Empowering Youth for Climate Action Award
- Communities in Bloom - Grant