Saskatchewan Wildlife Federation Offers Free Saskatchewan-Based
Outdoor Educational Resources for Parents & Families During School Closures

April 6, 2020

Since school closures around the province last month, SWF staff have been hard at work
developing fun outdoor education material for parents scrambling for activities to keep kids
occupied and stimulated.

Rather than focusing on screens, SWF wants families taking this time to get to know their local
fish and wildlife. “We know it’s difficult for busy, stressed-out parents to be informative and
entertaining, and there is a lot of temptation to sit your kid down with a video game or TV,” says
Shannon Anderson, Director of Education at the SWF, “But the quarantine doesn’t have to mean
a ton of screen time.”

Now that the days are getting longer and the sun is shining, spending time in nature and
connecting it to learning objectives is fantastic for kids. Being able to connect experiences in
nature to learning objectives is the best way to instill the importance of protecting nature as well
as get that hands-on learning experience you just can’t get inside. As a bonus, this can all take
place away from crowds, making it a viable activity during social distancing.

These educational materials range from coloring and activity books, contests, curriculum based
‘classroom’ activities able to be adapted for home, outdoor and much more, and the response to
this initiative has been overwhelmingly positive with over 70,000 people from across Canada
accessing the resources.

To check out some of our home resources or other educational resources we provide, visit
https://swf.sk.ca/resources/for-teachers/. New resources will be added regularly.

Shannon Anderson
SWF Outdoor Education Coordinator