Place-based learning uses the local environment and community as the starting point for teaching the objectives of the curriculum. We will provide resources and create opportunities for cross-curricular learning on the land while fostering relationships between school and community. Teachers are expected and supported to take more learning outdoors for all the health and learning benefits that come with spending time outside and in nature. Examples of this work include:
- Investment in equipment for outdoor activities and learning
- Ensuring all students have access to clothing, and footwear for outdoor activities
- Participation in the year-long Take Me Outside For Learning Challenge
- Support for educator participation in learning opportunities to build capacity for outdoor learning (Cariboo-Chilcotin Teachers Association workshops and network, Environmental Education Provincial Specialist Association (EEPSA) partnerships, Open Learning Store webinars, Outdoor Council of Canada certification, other)
- Interactive digital map of place-based learning sites, resources, and opportunities
- Relationships with community educators, organizations, and facilities to bring community educators into the classroom and students out into community settings
- Independent Directed Study (IDS) framework to honour community and cultural learning with graduation program credits
Explore the ways we are LEARNING BETTER TOGETHER in, on, with, and from the Cariboo-Chilcotin School District land and communities:
Butterfly Release
100 Mile Elementary
Families at 100 Mile House StrongStart have really enjoyed learning about the lifecycle of a butterfly. Students carefully observed the changes in their caterpillars over the past weeks. Students were very keen and eager to share the "tricky word" chrysalid as they changed their form.
A Bee-autiful Learning Opportunity
100 Mile Elementary
Learning opportunities sometimes arrive when we least expect them! Today, a colony of bees settled in our playground. After ensuring students remained at a safe distance, we contacted a local beekeeper who generously came to safely relocate the swarm.
Bird Watching at Scout Island
100 Mile Elementary
Mrs. Anderson recently embraced the elements—wind, chill, and all—to take advantage of a beautiful, sunny day at Scout Island, engaging in hands-on learning about our local bird species and ecosystems.
Take Meetings Outside
100 Mile Elementary
This spring we’re experimenting with moving our staff meetings outdoors. Research consistently shows that spending time in nature improves focus, creativity, and collaboration.
Sensory Scavenger Hunt
100 Mile Elementary
Mrs. Simcox’s class has been out exploring with a Sensory Scavenger Hunt — and it’s so much more than just a walk outside. 🍃🐾 By slowing down and noticing what we can see, hear, feel, and smell, students strengthen focus, regulation, and observation skills.
Gavin Lake Winter Adventure
100 Mile Elementary
Our Grade Wolf Pack had an unforgettable winter learning experience at Gavin Lake this week — where the land truly became our best teacher. Students snowshoed through forest trails, cross-country skied across open stretches, and explored snow science hands-on, discovering how snow insulates the
Outdoor Classrooms
100 Mile Elementary
In Mrs. Simcox’s outdoor classroom, the forest becomes a living learning space where big ideas are explored through play, collaboration, and place-based experience. As students build forts, they negotiate roles, share resources, and solve problems together.
Learning to Listen Like Deer
100 Mile Elementary
As part of Take Me Outside Week, Mrs. Varney’s class stepped outdoors to explore how we can learn from the land by listening carefully—just like deer do.
Nature Based Mandalas
100 Mile Elementary
During Take Me Outside week, Mrs Dixon brought grade 6 & 7 students outdoors to create incredible artworks using only what they could find in their environment. Creating mandalas outdoors invites students to connect deeply with the land while engaging in mindful, creative learning.
Take Me Outside: Mandala Patterns in Nature 🌲
100 Mile Elementary
Mandala Patterns in Nature 🌲 Led by Mrs. Dixon, our Grade 6 & 7 students ventured to the local park to create stunning nature mandalas using leaves, fruits, and cones.
Take Me Outside Day at 100 Mile Elementary
100 Mile Elementary
Grade 6 & 7 French students, along with their kindergarten buddies, created stunning nature mandalas using leaves, fruits, and cones to explore patterns, symmetry, and creativity.
Exploring the Health of Bridge Creek: A Lesson in Stewardship
100 Mile Elementary
Mrs. Simcox’s class visited Bridge Creek as part of an outdoor learning lesson inspired by We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom. The students gathered by the creek to listen to the story and reflect on their role as water protectors.
Five Senses and the Land
100 Mile Elementary
Ms. Dolinski’s Grade 2/3 class spent a peaceful morning immersed in nature at Centennial Park. Students found personal “sit spots” and quietly tuned in to the environment using all five senses—feeling the breeze, listening to birdsong, and observing the movement of trees and insects.
Collaboration in the Great Outdoors
100 Mile Elementary
In their journey to enhance outdoor education, two teachers, Ms. Speers and Ms. Hunt, have been walking together (figuratively AND literally!) in their quest for knowledge and experience. Ms. Speers was looking for some support to take her class to the park and Ms.
Take Me Outside
100 Mile Elementary
At 100 Mile Elementary, the focus on outdoor education transforms learning into an exciting adventure. Mrs. Varney's kindergarten class takes full advantage of this emphasis on place-based learning, often venturing into the local park for purposeful lessons.
Get Me Gardening!
100 Mile Elementary
In Mrs. Simcox's class, gardening is a daily joy that brings numerous benefits to our students. As they dig in the soil and tend to our community garden, children connect with important lessons from the B.C. Social Studies curriculum.
Science In the Park
100 Mile Elementary
Visiting Centennial Park offers a fantastic opportunity for Ms Dolinski’s 4/5 class to engage with nature and meet key learning outcomes from the B.C. Science curriculum.
Spectacular Snow
100 Mile Elementary
In the Cariboo we are fortunate to live in a place where mother nature gives us a glorious winter season. PE outside, whole-school nature walks, lessons in kindness to the earth and each other, skiing lessons at our local Nordic Club - these are just some of the ways that teachers of 100 Mile