Resources for Educators and Parents

LSLBO educators specialize in developing and delivering fun, hands-on, educational programs to people of all ages! If you are unable to take part in one of our In-person education programs at the station or the Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation, check out some of our teacher and parent resources!

All About Birds for KIDS!

CSI Mystery: The Case of the Extra Egg (K to Grade 3)

Calling all birding sleuths! We have a mystery to solve and need your help. Can you solve the Case of the Extra Egg?  Download your case file here. Then watch the interactive video to solve the crime and let us know who you think the culprit was. Thank you to Lesser Slave Forest Education Society for adapting this program!

How to be a Bird Scientist (Grade 1)

Check out this special online program that allows students to ‘visit us’ and learn about our migration monitoring while learning from home. The program consists of a short video that explains “what is a bird” and goes through what our bird scientists do at the LSLBO during migration monitoring. Take a virtual tour of the station to meet our bird banders and see some live birds.  There is also a  G1 Human Banding activity that can be printed off so that kids can “band” someone in their family as well as a Wingspan Handout

“Tour” the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory…then ask the scientists your questions!

Take a virtual tour of the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory and learn about how we monitor the migratory birds at Slave Lake. Then have your kids or students ask our researcher their questions or  send us your bird pictures. Email them to info@lslbo.org and we will answer them right back!  We can’t wait to hear from you.

BIRDING RESOURCES:

Looking for some resources to help you and your children bird watch? Download our  LSLBO Bird Checklist  that lists all the birds that we have ever observed at our station on Lesser Slave Lake. as well as our LSLBO Where and When Bird Checklist that will tell you when the different bird species will be arriving at Slave Lake and how common those birds are.

More fun programs for students!

Grade 6:” Melvin the Moose Murder Mystery.

This online murder mystery developed by the Lesser Slave Forest Education Society and the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory

There has been a death in the forest!  As a member of the Forest Bureau of Investigation, you will use your finely-honed detective skills, visit the crime scene, study all the evidence, interview the suspects and analyze forensic results from the crime lab. This on-line mystery allows kids to work their way through the clues, eliminate the suspects and figure out who killed Melvin! The mystery is in 5 parts (5 Google forms) and each part takes approximately 15-25 minutes to complete so you and your students can work through it at your own pace.

Nature Scavenger Hunts and Games for Kids:

Kids love scavenger hunts and they are a wonderful way to engage your family or students with nature. So check out some of the scavenger hunts that have been developed by our educators!

On Line “Ready to Go” Lesson Plans for Elementary Teachers

Download “ready to go”  Elementary Lesson plans  from Grade 1 to 6 that were developed in partnership with the Lesser Slave Forest Education Society! These curriculum based programs are full of activities, ideas  and resources to connect your students with the Boreal Forest.  Thank you to the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta for helping to fund the development of these great programs!

Check out our Boreal Forest Science Kits for Junior and Senior High Students

Forestry is more than just managing the trees! There are a lot of demands on the boreal forest. It provides jobs, it must sustain healthy wildlife and plant communities and it is home to many indigenous communities. To maintain a healthy and sustainable boreal forest, foresters must consider all of these needs when they are coming up with a plan. The Boreal Science Kits introduces secondary students into some of the real-world challenges of forest managers and how they work with other stakeholders to “Balance the Boreal”. All of these science kits include detailed lesson plans, student worksheets handouts, as well as many hands-on activities for students.

 1. Species at RiskSAR boardgameIMG_1503

Curriculum Links: Science 7,9,10,14, 20 Bio 20, 30
The Boreal Forest may have abundant resources, but there are some species of wildlife that are experiencing significant population declines due to habitat loss or other environmental impacts. Through completing a case study on one of Alberta’s Boreal Species at Risk, students will gain an understanding of what it means for wildlife to be at risk, specific factors that may be contributing to their decline, and how the Species at Risk Act helps to ensure that we maintain healthy wildlife populations in the Boreal Forest.

1- Boreal Species at Risk Introduction Videoboreal man

2- Teacher Lesson Plan 

3- Student Worksheet

4- Complete Boreal Species at Risk Lesson Kit  includes student worksheets & species at risk fact sheets

5- Fact sheets for the following species: Arctic Grayling, Caribou, Little Brown Bat, Northern Leopard Frog, Warbler, Wolverine

6- ‘Survive or Perish’ Board Game* & Instructions in colour- page 1, page 2  or black and white- page 1, page 2    *for best results print on ledger (11×17) paper

 2. ILM Science Kit (Integrated Land Management) 

Curriculum Links: Social 10, 30
We need the boreal forest for many things including economic prosperity, social values such as recreation, cultural traditions, and healthy habitats for water, wildlife and plants. Developing plans that incorporate all of those needs is a real challenge. Students will learn about integrated land management (ILM) and how it is used to reduce our ecological footprint within the Boreal Forests of Alberta. Students will also examine land use responsibilities both as an individual and as being part of a community: identify conflicts that can occur on the landscape, learn that there are consequences for each decision made as well as understanding that there is a method to assist the decision-making process. Add the Inside Education Harvest Craft activity for an extra hands-on activity for your students. 

To play the interactive experience that supports this lesson, click here! 

Click the items below to download these supporting documents for this lesson! 

> ILM TEACHER LESSON PLAN KIT
> ILM SCIENCE KIT – STUDENT WORKSHEET
> ILM SCIENCE KIT – ANSWER SHEET

3. Balancing the Boreal: Indigenous Traditional Use and Sustainable Forest Management

Curriculum Links: Social 10 & 30
Explore some of the ways that Indigenous rights-based interests are incorporated into forest management activities in the boreal forest. This social/ science kit focuses on the concept of Indigenous traditional use and will provide resources including a 25 minutes video and a student problem solving activity to guide classroom discussions about Aboriginal traditional uses and boreal forest management.

Click the items below to download:

To view the interactive experience that goes along with this lesson plan – click here