Back to School, Back to Nature with 20% off PLT Canada’s New K-8 Activity Guide!

August 22, 2023

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Back to School!

Ahhhhhh…the smell of freshly sharpened pencils, the crispness of notebooks, the excitement of learning new things.

This school year, keep the energy and excitement for learning high with some fun ways to engage learners. Plus, save on PLT Canada resources (including our brand-new Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide) with our fantastic back-to-school sale! See details below.

7 Ways to Engage Students

1. Take learning outside. Being outdoors provides so many benefits–social, emotional, physical–but it also connects children to nature, which is so important in a world where people are tethered to technology and disconnected from the natural world.
2. Play detective. Every child learns differently, but one way to put theory into practice is through inquiry-based learning. Invite students to make observations, ask questions, and set up their own investigations. This helps build their problem-solving and analytical skills while keeping them actively engaged. Check out the Trees in Trouble activity in PLT Canada’s new Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide, where students play detective with leaves.
3. Bring nature inside. We realize that heading outdoors to learn isn’t always feasible, but there are many ways you can bring nature inside. Plant seeds indoors and observe their growth and then transfer them to an outdoor garden. Make your own paper. Observe the changing leaves from your classroom window during the Fall. There are 50 fun activities in the PLT Canada’s brand new Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide that give you options for learning indoors and outdoors.
4. Do a service-learning project. What better way to teach children about giving back than to work on a project that betters your community? Whether you do a quarterly litter clean-up or plant trees in an urban space, students can learn while helping out. Activities like Improve Your Place and Plant a Tree from the new Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide are perfect ways to learn about the environment and make a difference!
5. Encourage students to dream big. As an educator, you inspire children every day. PLT Canada’s Water Wonders activity from the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide can help you teach about watersheds and the water cycle, and may spark an interest and lead to a student becoming a hydrologist in 20 years. You have the power to encourage children to follow their passion, explore nature, and open their eyes to careers they may have never dreamt about.
6. STEM it up! Get hands-on with nature-inspired STEM activities. Each activity in the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide highlights the STEM skills students will use as they carry out the learning activities. You can also check out our Pinterest page – there are tons of fun ways to encourage students to build, collaborate, and use their creativity! 
7. Go on a Forest Quest. Take your learners on a journey through the forest with PLT Canada’s online learning experience, Forest Quest. Students will learn about sustainable forest management, biodiversity, Indigenous rights and relationships, and ways to fight climate change.

This school year, take learning to the next level with PLT Canada during our back-to-school sale!

Looking for activities for the whole school year? Check out PLT Canada’s new curriculum, the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide. Filled with 50 activities suitable for educators working with ages five through fourteen, or kindergarten through 8th grade. The activities are multidisciplinary and incorporate math, science, language arts, social studies and more.
Now, through October 21, 2023, use coupon code B2S20 and save 20% off the E-Book. Get 50 activities for just $21.59 (normally $26.99)!

If you’ve never tried PLT Canada’s educational resources, a great way to get started is with our theme-based activity collections, Trillions of Trees (Grades 3-5) and Nature of Fire (Grades 6-8). Comprised of three activities that can be done as stand-alone lessons or together as a cohesive unit of instruction, these are the perfect way to introduce learners to nature. Digital activity collections include 3 hands-on activities for just $9.99!

Get the most out of PLT by pairing our resources with professional development.

We know how busy life can get, which is why we have training opportunities that work with your schedule. You’ll experience PLT activities, get comfortable leading activities outdoors, connect with an amazing network of educators, and leave with a plan to incorporate PLT with your learners. Contact PLTCanada@forests.org to learn more.