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:
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: Five Ways School Grounds are Adapting for a Changing Climate
- Evergreen - Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play (PDF, 1.92 MB)
- Greening the Schoolyard by Julie Gardner and Kristin Boyd
- McPhail Woods: School Ground Naturalization
- 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
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)
- Toronto District School Board – School Ground Greening Guide (PDF, 3 MB)
- 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)
Downloadable Planning Guides:
- Canadian Biodiversity Institute – School Grounds Transformation
- Canadian Wildlife Federation - Gardening for Wildlife
- Design Guidelines for K-12 Outdoor Play and Learning Environments - Waterloo Region District School Board and Evergreen (PDF, 7.86 MB)
- Evergreen - Landscape and Child Development (PDF, 15.2 MB)
- Evergreen - School Ground Greening Guide - Designing for Shade and Energy Conservation (PDF, 3.37 MB)
- Evergreen School Ground Greening Resources
- Grounds for Change: A User's Guide to Schoolyard Naturalization (PDF, 3.61 MB)
- Nature Nurtures: Investigating the Potential of School Grounds (PDF, 2.22 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)
- Shade for Kid: A Policy Primer for School Boards (PDF, 6.24 MB)
- School Ground Greening: A Policy Primer for School Boards (PDF, 1.35 MB)
- School Ground Greening: Designing for Shade and Energy Conservation Ontario Ecoschools (PDF, 3.37 MB)
- Thames Valley DSB: School Ground Greening Process (PDF, 640 KB)
- Toronto District School Board – School Ground Greening Guide (PDF, 3 MB)
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 Forestry Association – Canada’s Forests: All Things Big and Small (PDF, 1.20 MB)
- Canadian Forestry Association – Greening Your School Grounds (PDF, 184 KB)
- Canadian Wildlife Federation - Resources
- Canadian Wildlife Federation - Wild School / Habitats Projects
- Earth Easy: How to Start a School Garden - Your Complete Guide
- Evergreen - Food Gardening for Schools (PDF, 604 KB)
- Evergreen - Outdoor Learning & Play Lesson Plans
- Focus on Forest
- Forest Ontario - Education and Awareness
- Forest Ontario - TD Tree Bee
- Guide to Growing School Gardens in Alberta (PDF, 5.20 MB)
- Green Teacher
- Kids Gardening: Activities
- Kids Gardening: Designing a School Garden
- Kids Gardening: Lesson Plans
- Learning Gardens Manual (PDF, 2.14 MB)
- Life Lab: School Garden Resources
- Love to Know: How to Plan a School Garden
- Monarch Nation: Get Involved in Wildlife Conservation
- Nature Canada - NatureHood in the Schoolyard NatureBlitz Toolkit (PDF, 2.58 MB)
- RHS Campaign for School Gardening: Setting Up a School Garden
- Sharing Nature - Nature Activities
- The Edible Schoolyard
- Tree Canada
- Whole Kids Foundation: School Garden Resources
- WWF Canada Living Planet @ School
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
- Shade for Kids. A Policy Primer for School Boards – Evergreen
- Sun Safety at Schools: What You Can Do
- SunSense
- The Outdoor PLAYbook for Schools
- Educator Resources for Schoolyard Forests
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
- List of Funding Opportunities by Ontario EcoSchools
- 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
- Whole Kids Foundation: Canadian School Garden Grant
- Whole Kids Foundation: Garden Grant Program
- World Wildlife Fund Canada: Go Wild School Grants