Land-based Learning Resources List

Farm to School Month in Canada 2021

Education about our local food system must tie back to the land and its histories and stories. Land-based learning involves learning from the land and water, and understanding and fostering our connection to them. Farm to school is inextricably connected with land-based learning practices: land-based learning, as an experiential approach, helps us foster a relationship with food and understand how we sustain ourselves. Land-based learning is rooted in Indigenous teachings and worldviews, which should be acknowledged whenever this approach is used. Learn more.

The following list of resources, including short inspirational videos, comprehensive toolkits and hands-on activities, have been compiled as part of Farm to School Month 2021 to engage school communities in exploring land-based learning and integrating it into their practice.

Please note that a majority of the resources listed below are in English. Although F2CC did work to find some resources in French and Indigenous languages, we were unable to find many. If you are aware of land-based learning resources that are in French or any other language, please submit the name or link of the resource to info@farmtocafeteriaca.ca, so that we may share the resource with our network to enjoy.

Name /OrganizationRegionAuthorsMain topicsTarget audienceLanguageOnline Platform or Platform?Description
Getting started on land-based learning
Red Rising Education
What is Indigenous Education
ManitobaRed Rising Magazine- Identity
-Land and water
- Community and Resistance
How Indigenous and non-Indigneous teachers can teach about Indigenous knowledge in their classrooms
Indigenous youth, elders, artists and general audienceEnglishWebsite and magazine which shared stories and experiences of Indigenous youth, adults, artitist, academicsRed Rising is a nonprofit Indigenous collective. They produce an annual magazine that is unfiltered, uncensored, and is able to tell a story about what is happening right now, and what is about to happen next in our communities.
Take Me OutsideNationalTake me outside- raising awareness and facilitating action on nature connection and outdoor learning in schoolsGeneral public and educatorsEnglishWebsiteA selection of excellent teaching resources including ready to go activities and great databases to search for additional resources.
Indigenous Land-Based LearningOntarioThe Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO)- Land-based learning can take places anywhere, the outside, and in classroomsSchool communitiesEnglishPDF full of storiesThis resource shares stories of what land-based education means to different educators and provides useful resources for school communities.
Earth to table legacies- ways of knowing

Earth to Tables on our blog here
Indigenous-settler relations, food justice, food sovereignty and anti-racismGeneral publicEnglishWebsiteA multimedia educational package focused on food justice and food sovereignty. The website offers a plethora of resources including compelling videos and facilitator’s guides supplemented by insightful commentary from activists & academics across Turtle Island (North America).
30-Day Walking CurriculmBritish ColumbiaWalking Curriculum by Gillian Judson
Indigenous connections are suggestions only – created by Nadine McSpadden & Heidi Wood
-Introduces Indigenous perspectives to learning activities.TeachersEnglishPDF guide with activitiesThe purpose of this document is to support the Walking Curriculum 30-day challenge and to introduce an Indigenous perspective to the learning activities.
Educator Resource
School District 58
http://www.sd85.bc.ca/wordpress/first-nations-library/
Kwakwaka‘wakw Traditional Territory
Vancouver Island North
British Columbia
School District 58 located on Vancouver Island- Potlatch collection lessons
- Aboriginal perspectives and worldviews in the classroom
Educators, and school communityEnglishWebpage with links to additional resourcesSchool District 58 on Vancouver Island supports schools in the district to recognize and honour Aboriginal culture, history and values.
Three Sisters Garden
Nova ScotiaKidsgardening.orgPlanting the Three SistersSchool Communities, studentsEnglishLesson Plan (P-5)
Downloadable Lesson Plan
Students will explore the benefits of companion planting by investigating the historical Native American planting of Three Sisters Gardens.
Treaty Education Framework for Curriculum DevelopmentNova ScotiaNova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood DevelopmentIntegration of Treaty Education into the grade primary to 12 curriculaSchool CommunitiesEnglishPDF This document is intended to provide direction for the meaningful integration of Treaty Education into Nova Scotia curricula. This includes land-based learnings.
Backyard Science: Learning the L’nu Way!Nova ScotiaDigital Mi'kmaqCurriculum-connected educational series which interweaves Indigenous science with Western scienceSchool CommunitiesEnglishWebpageThis nine-part curriculum-connected educational series interweaves Indigenous science with Western science to advance knowledge using the concept of Etuaptmumk /Two-Eyed Seeing. Throughout this series you’ll discover amazing fields of science specific to Mi’kma’ki or Atlantic Canada. Perfect for at home or in class learning with individual and team based activities connected to learning outcomes. Join us in Backyard Science and connect to the beauty and intricacies of Indigenous knowledge and understanding.
The First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Sustainable Development Institute (FNQLSDI)QuebecCollection of books on environment and sustainable development.School communities, general publicFrench and EnglishWebpage with links to booksBooks showcasing stories that feature experiences of Indigenous peoples and their connection to lands and waters.
The Water WalkerOntarioJoanne Robertson
She is AnishinaabeKwe and a member of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek.
Protecting water and connecting with waterYoung childrenAnishinaabemowin (Ojibwe) and EnglishPicture BookThe award-winning story of a determined Ojibwe Nokomis (Grandmother) Josephine-ba Mandamin and her great love for Nibi (water). Nokomis walked to raise awareness of our need to protect Nibi for future generations, and for all life on the planet. She, along with other women, men, and youth, have walked around all the Great Lakes from the four salt waters, or oceans, to Lake Superior.
National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education (NCCIE)

Teaching Resources Centre

Canadian Bushcraft
NationalThe National Centre for Collaboration in Indigenous Education- Connecting to land
-Stories about growing up and connecting with land
Educators, students, youth, and adult community members, and often involve Elders and Knowledge Keepers as teachers.ENG/IndigenousWebsite with stories, ways of knowing, and Indigenous knowledgeThe stories capturued in this webpage are about harvesting, hunting, trapping, fishing, medicine gathering and teachings, learning bush survival skills, traditional land-based scientific knowledge and culture .are aimed at educators, students, youth, and adult community members, and often involve Elders and Knowledge Keepers as teachers.
Resource 4 thinkingNationalLearning for a sustainable future- Water and biodiversity, evolving ecosystesm, and many more topics to exploreTeachersEnglishClassroom resources reviewed by teachers for teachersOrganisation whose mission is to promote, through education, the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and practices essential to a sustainable future.

Indigenous Education webinar seriesNationalJean-Paul Restoule and Angela Giuseppina Nardozi,- Indigenous ways of knowing
- Learning from the land
General audienceEnglishWebinarsThis blogpost features a series of webinars focused on Indigenous knowledge and educational resources.
White Earth Land Recovery Project : Indigenous Farm To School CurriculaUnited StatesWhite Earth Land Recovery ProjectHealth, economics, and connecting to landEducatorsEnglishWebsite with downloadable resourcesWhite Earth Land Recovery Project works to facilitate the recovery of the original land base of the White Earth Indian Reservation while preserving and restoring traditional practices of sound land stewardship, language fluency, community development, and strengthening our spiritual and cultural heritage.
Sharing stories of land-based learning initiatives
Panuijkatmnej Ep.1 - Puko'si Tea // Mi'kmaq land-based educationNova ScotiaAllison Bernard Memorial High SchoolMi'kmaq knowledge and teachingsGeneral audienceEnglishYouTube videoPanuijkatmnej is a series of educational videos featuring land-based Mi'kmaq knowledge and teachings.
Learning from the LandAlbertaThe College of Alberta School Superintendents--Relationships with land, identity, reconciliationSchool CommunitiesEnglishOnline webpage that has links to other resources, including videos, articles.

Online interactive learning resource guide
Webpage that describes connection to land and the importance of learning with the land.
Decolonizing Education Through Outdoor Learning:
The Learning Story of an Indigenous Kindergarten Teacher
OntarioAlexandria MiddlemissLand-based learning, culturally relevant curriculum and connection to
family and community
General public and educatorsEnglishThesisThis research explores an Indigenous teacher’s learning story and practice in order to better understand decolonizing educational practices.
University of British Columbia Farm: Indigenous InitiativesUnceded ancestral territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓-speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people
British Columbia
University of British Columbia- Musqueam Garden
-Maya in Exile
-Land-based Indigenous Strategy
Schools and broad communities; newcomer families in CanadaEnglishWebsiteThe Indigenous Initiatives’ programming supports the objectives of UBC’s First Nations House of Learning in promoting research that will benefit First Nations, Métis, and Inuit People, the specific research goals of the Indigenous Research Partnerships, as well as the university-wide strategy for Indigenous engagement
Nuu-chah-nulth - Activity Book
Videos
Nuu-chah-nulth ha-ha-houlthee (territories)
Vancouver Island
British Columbia
Uuathluk I Taking Care Of-Learing about marine creatures
-Seafood recipes
English and Nuu-chah-nulthWepage that has access to story books and other toolsUu-a-thluk is an aquatic resource management organization administered through the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council (NTC)
Tlatsini: Journey of the Taku Kwan
Taku River Tlingit First Nation
British Columbia, Yukon, and Alaska
Mike Rudyk- Taku River Tlingit took traditional route for first time in a century
General publicEnglishDocumentaryFor the Tlingit people of the Pacific Northwest, one of these places is the mighty Taku River. Master Carver Wayne Carlick leads a canoe team down the river to ceremony in Alaska as his people once did.
Learning Science Through Land

Akiiwan Podcast
Treaty 1 Territory, Winnipeg, ManitobaUniversity of ManitobaEnviornmental science, Indigenous educationCommunities living in Manitoba, and general publicEnglishWebpage, with links to resources, including podcastKis Kin Ha Ma Ki Win is a three-year initiative to provide local youth with opportunities to learn about environmental sciences through Indigenous cultural worldviews and customs.
Learning the LandPrairiesTreaty Education Alliance

Nature Conservancy Canada
-Understanding connection to the landSchool communitiesEnglishWebsite which has downloadable teaching resourcesLearning the land is more than an outdooe education program. It is about learning from the land and understanding our connection to it. Understanding our connection will give life to what the land can teach us, how it communicates with us and how it looks after all life upon it. The land has a way to strengthen all things.
DECHINTA Centre for Research and Learning

Webinar series - https://www.dechinta.ca/covid19

Vidoes and resources - https://www.dechinta.ca/resources
Chief Drygeese Territory
Northwest Territories
DECHINTALand-based educationIndigenous students, and general audienceEnglishEducation program located in the north, as well as links to webinars and videosLand-based higher education program, located in the north, that embraces Indigenous ways on knowing, learning, and being.
A Walk on the TundraNunavutRebecca Hainnu and Anna ZieglerLearning about arctic plantsElementary school childrenEnglish and InuktitutChildren's bookA Walk on the Tundra follows Inuujaq, a little girl who travels with her grandmother onto the tundra. There, Inuujaq learns that these tough little plants are much more important to Inuit than she originally believed. This book includes a field guide with photographs and scientific information about a wide array of plants found throughout the Arctic.
First VoicesNationalFirst Peoples' Cultural CouncilFirst Nations languagesIndigenous communitiesEnglish and Indigenous languagesWebsiteOnline space for Indigenous communities to share and promote language, oral culture and linguistic history.
Stories from the landNationalIndian & CowboyEpisodes are on learning about the land, respecting the land, moose hunting, and more General audienceEnglishPodcastThe Stories From The Land Podcast series is a collection of Indigenous community sourced stories that connect Indigenous Peoples to place with the aim of reinforcing worldview, philosophies & teachings through storytelling.
Our Children, Our Ways: Early Childhood Education in First Nations & Inuit CommunitiesNational
Reconnecting with traditional foodways
Leanne Simpson and Glen Coulthard on Dechinta Bush University, Indigenous land-based education and embodied resurgenceAlbertaEric RitskesEducation, interviews, land, resurgenceIndigenous communities, and general publicEnglishInterviewAn interview with Leanne Simpson and Glen Coulthard on Dechinta Bush University, Indigenous land-based education and embodied resurgence.
Local Foods to School: Reconnecting the Children of Haida Gwaii to Their Food and Their LandHaida Nation
British Columbia
Video created by Farm to Cafeteria Canada and the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia as part of the Nourishing School Communities Initiative with support from many community partners on Haida Gwaii- Reconnecting children to their land and foodIndigenous school communities and general publicEnglishYoutube VideoThe video showcases the Haida Gwaii Learning Circle and how the community has beautifully come together to reconnect young people to their land and food.
Indigenous Food Circle
Understanding our food system - resources
OntarioCollaboration between Thunder Bay District Healthy Unit and Indigenous food circle-Indigenous food sovereignty,increase food self-determination, and
establish meaningful relationships with the settler population through food.
Communities in Northwestern Ontario and general publicEnglishWebpage which has webinars, documentaries, and other resourcesUnderstanding Our Food Systems is a participatory, community-engaged and action focused project led by fourteen First Nation communities in Northwestern Ontario.
Angry Inuk: The anti-sealing industry has had dire impacts on Canada's Inuit families - CBC Docs POVNunavut & NationalDirected by Inuk Alethea Arnaquq-Baril- seal hunting, food security, and traditional way of lifeGeneral publicEnglishDocumentary, full documentary available on YoutubeSeal meat is a staple food for Inuit, and many of the pelts are sold to offset the extraordinary cost of hunting. Inuit are spread across extensive lands and waters, and their tiny population is faced with a disproportionate responsibility for protecting the environment. They are pushing for a sustainable way to take part in the global economy.
Indigenous-led School Food Programs; Bringing Indigenous Food Sovereignty to the ForestNationalFood Secure Canada- School food programs
-Indigenous food sovereignty
General publicEnglishWebinar recapHosted by Food Secure Canada, during this webinar, attendees had the opportunity to hear from four school food providers who bring Indigenous Food Sovereignty to the forefront of their programs.
Gather FilmNational-Indigenous food sovereigntyGeneral publicEnglishDocumentaryGather is an intimate portrait of the growing movement amongst Native Americans to reclaim their spiritual, political and cultural identities through food sovereignty, while battling the trauma of centuries of genocide. The film follows Nephi Craig, a chef from the White Mountain Apache Nation (Arizona), opening an indigenous café as a nutritional recovery clinic; Elsie Dubray, a young scientist from the Cheyenne River Sioux Nation (South Dakota), conducting landmark studies on bison; and the Ancestral Guard, a group of environmental activists from the Yurok Nation (Northern California), trying to save the Klamath river.
Podcast Well for all - reconnecting with ancestral foodwaysUnited StatesWell for CultureReestablishing our relationships with foodIndigenous communities, and general publicEnglishPodcast episodeTopics covered in this episode include the impact of colonialism on modern health; Indigenous values-based food choices; why we don’t say “diet,”; no more one-size-fits-all solutions; the mental/physical/spiritual/emotional components of food; mindful eating; what is ancestral food; and much, much more
"Podcast All my relations - Food Sovereignty: A Growing Movement"United StatesMatika Wilbur, Desi Small-Rodriguez & Adrienne KeeneFood Sovereignty and how colonization disrupted our relationship with our traditional foods? Indigenous communities and general publicEnglishPodcast episodeThis episode discusses why Indigenous food sovereignty is so important.
Traditional Food Resource
First Nations Traditional Food Facts Sheets by First Nations Health AuthorityBritish ColumbiaFirst Nations Health AuthorityTraditional kinds of food amongst First Nations in BCIndigenous school communities and other school communitiesEnglishFact SheetInformative set of facts sheets on traditional foods, their nutritional value, history of use, and traditional harvesting methods
Traditional foods and Indigenous recipes in B.C.'s public institutionsBritish Columbia
Prepared by Queenswood Consulting Group for the Government of British Columbia- Increase access to traditional foods and Indigenous recipes in public institutionsEducators, school community, and general audienceEnglishReportThis report was developed to support the government’s objective to increase the use of B.C. foods, improve the patient food experience in health care, and efforts to increase access to traditional foods and Indigenous recipes in public institutions.
Traditional Food Fact Sheet Series
Ecology North and the Department of Health and Social Services
Northwest TerritoriesGovernment of Northwest TerritoriesNutritional fact sheet on beaver, beluga, berries, caribou, and other animals and plantsCommunities located in the Northwest Territories and general publicEnglishNutritional fact sheet seriesDetails nutritional facts about traditional foods and the benefits of eating them, as well as number of servings that are recommended.
Food Resource
CLEAR Wild And Country Food In NL DatabaseNewfoundland and LabradorFood First NLWild food in NLSchool communities living in NL and general publicEnglishdatabase as a google sheet and downloadable graphicsThis database is designed to help individuals, communities, academics better understand the wild food that’s all around us.
Environmental Education Resources and Activities
Alberta Council For Environmental EducationAlbertaAlberta Council for Environmental Education
Individual material by other authors
- Climate change
- Nature & Diversity
- Food & Gardening
TeacherEnglish, French and 1 Cree resourcesOnline information hub, including printable toolkit, videos, and more.Teaching enviornmental education resources for K-12. Ability to filter through to gain access to specific resources.
Government Of Nunavut - Enviornment EducationNunavutDepartment of Environment in collaboration with Nunavut Arctic CollegeHarvester Education Series , Books, Lesson plans for educatorsCommunities and educators living in Nunavut, general publicEnglish, Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun and FrenchMulti media, includes books, videos and moreA series of books and videos to document and share important land skills and species specific information on harvested species in Nunavut.
Toronto Outdoor Education Schools: Get Outside Lesson
Indigenous theme
OntarioToronto District School Board- Sense of Place
- Gardening
- Land Acknowledgement
- Culture, Family & Art
Teachers, parents, Lesson plansEnglishShared google-drive that has downloadable lesson plans.Library of resource, teaching resources, resources for family, lesson plans
Ontario Society for Environmental EducationOntarioThe Ontario Society for Environmental EducationNature-based, enviornmental learningSchool communities, and educatorsEnglishWebpageOffers resources, news and information about curriculum related to a specific subject matter to teachers.
Forest and nature school in Canada:
A Head, Heart, Hands Approach to Outdoor Learning
NationalForest School Canada-Play and Places-based learning
EducatorsENGDownloadable guideThe role of this guide is to help educators and the communities that surround and support them, to learn more about Forest and Nature School (FNS) and what this model of education offers children
Reconnecing with traditional foodways
Reclaiming our Roots: Land-based WorkshopsNova ScotiaJames Doucette and Chenise Hacheland based activity or theme, such as fishing, harvesting, fur Harvesting and StewardshipSchool communities, general publicEnglishWebpage that includes access to workshops and webinarsThe webpage and authors facilitate land-based learning opportunities rooted in Mi’kmaw values, through mentoring and workshops.
Indigenous Education Resources and Activities
Hunting and GatheringNova ScotiaDoris BoaseHunting and gatheringSchool communities, Grade 6EnglishPDF Classroom Learning ModuleThese Art lessons will prepare students to display their hunting- and gathering-inspired artwork in a Heritage Fair setting. This will include interview-based research, gathering relevant art pieces, and development of displaying one’s art
Mi’gmaq Language as a Means of Promoting Indigenous SustainabilityNova ScotiaTreena Metallic, Gail Metallic, and Madelaine Metallic- Mi’gmaq informatio and culture
- Medicinal Plants
School Communities, Grade 3EnglishPDF Classroom Learning ModuleIn these lessons, students will use Mi’gmaq information and culture to identify certain medicinal plants and understand their use and importance in a way that demonstrates respect and important Mi'gmaq values. Students will also have an opportunity to discover that plants are important to all living things and are connected to us in many ways. Students will learn these two important concepts through the use of many different activities and learning styles.
More Resources
Indigenous food systems network - activities by four seasonsNationalWorking Group on Indigenous Food Sovereignty- Indigenous food sovereignty
- Recipes
- Indigenous lands and food systems
Indigenous peoples, and general publicEnglishWebsiteThe Indigenous Food Systems Network Website was developed by the WGIFS and is designed to allow individuals and groups involved with Indigenous food related action, research, and policy reform to network and share relevant resources and information.The WGIFS facilitates relationship building by organizing the time and space for regular meetings and discussions to better understand each other and our unique relationship to Indigenous land and food systems.
Knowing Home: Braiding Indigenous Science with Western ScienceBritish ColumbiaEdited by Gloria Snively and Wanosts'a7 Lorna Williams- Culturally Appropriate Curriculum Projects
- Braiding Indigenous Science with Western Science
Teachers and studentsEnglishDownloadable bookBook details how Indigenous knowlege and science can be taught to students.
“We get our education from the land": student perspective of Indigenous food sovereigntyNova ScotiaMegan Matthews- Indigenous food sovereignty
- Traditional Indigenous knowledge
- Indigenous food security
General audienceEnglishThesisThis qualitative study explored the perspectives of participants who attended a Summer Institute in Mi’kma’ki that focused on Indigenous food sovereignty (IFS). Particularly, how the participants’ perceived the activities of the Summer Institute as shaping their understanding of IFS, and how they might use Two-Eyed Seeing to consider issues relating to IFS into the future. Two sets of focus groups took place; the first occurred at the Summer Institute and the second eight weeks later via video-conference. The focus groups were audio-recorded, and the data were analyzed thematically. Two key themes were identified from the analysis; 1) Understanding and Critiquing IFS, and 2) Two-Eyed Seeing as a means to deepen understandings of IFS. These findings offer the perspectives from those who learned about IFS and Two-Eyed Seeing from Mi'kmaq experts, and provides evidence to support the value of land-based learning when trying to gain a deeper understanding of IFS
Okanagan Nation Youtube ChannelOkanagan Nation
British Columbia
Okanagan NationOkanagan connection to their landIndigenous communities and schoolsEnglish and Indigenous languagesYoutube ChannelThe YouTube channel features stories about salmon rehabilitation, interviews with Elder, and explores other traditional practices.
The suknaʔqín̓x (Okanagan) is BeautifulOkanagan Nation
British Columbia
Tourism KelownaThe meaning of the land, water and Okanagan peopleIndigenous communities and schoolsEnglishYouTube videoThe video explores the beauty of the land and waters of the Okanagan nation.
Guardians of TariuqNunavutSchool children in Apex, Nunavut worked with local artists Josh Qaumariaq ‏and Vinnie KaretakSong about protecting marine life in Canada’s Eastern ArcticGeneral publicEnglishYouTube videoSchool children in Apex, Nunavut worked with local artists Josh Qaumariaq ‏and Vinnie Karetak to write a song about protecting marine life in Canada’s Eastern Arctic. Their music video celebrates the ancient, fragile species of corals and sponges found off the coasts of Nunavut and Labrador, and highlights the importance of these creatures for other Arctic species, including humans.
Making Indigenous-led education a public policy priority: The Benefits of Land-Based Education and Programming
OntarioBy Danielle Cherpako
Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness
- Indigenous-led land-based educationGeneral publicEnglishPamphletThis document defines land-based education and highlights how learning in an outdoor environment has mental health benefits, improves understanding for active learners, and can help students to develop environmental awareness and a connection to the land.
Cree Elders’ Perspectives on Land-Based Education: A Case Study
SaskatechwanJohn Hansen - Land-Based Education, Indigenous Knowledge, Culture, Healing, DecolonizationIndigenous peoples, and general publicEnglishCase studyThe study deals with the notion that Indigenous peoples are concerned with preserving their communities, nations, cultural values, and educational traditions. While the study is based on the Cree experience in Northern Manitoba, its message is significant to many other Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Drawing on the Elders’ teachings, policy recommendations are generated for advancing Indigenous landbased education
Native-Land.ca: Our home on native landNationalNative Land DigitalMap of Indigenous lands and languages around the worldGeneral publicEnglish and Indigenous languagesOnline collaborative mapThe map is dedicated to providing education about Indigenous peoples, territories, and knowledge systems in North America.
Sacred Water: Water for LifeLea Foushee and Renee GurneauIndigenous healthGeneral publicEnglishInstruction manualSacred Water provides direction to regain an Indigenous state of health that incorporates spiritual, emotional, mental and physical aspects of human reality.
Learning from the Land: Resources and stories from K-12 schools engaging with Indigenous plants and pedagogyBritish ColumbiaFarm to School BCLand-based LearningGeneral PublicEnglishDownloadable PDF documentA written compilation of resources and stories highlighting programs related to Indigenous plants and pedagogy within schools located in what is colonially known today as British Columbia, Canada. This document intends to inspire and support teachers, school administrators, and community members who are interested in developing similar initiatives connected to K-12 schools.