All the outdoor play and learning tips and grants you're looking for!
͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
| | This month I sat down with author and podcast host, Rusty Keeler, to discuss how outdoor play and learning can transform every child's experience of school, specifically in the formal system of schooling. If you don't already follow the Play Nature Podcast, check it out! |
|
September grants & freebies |
|
Looking for a FREE garden-based professional learning opportunity? Van Dusen Gardens is offering their Plants, People & Place series again this year. I'll be the December speaker. Click the button to learn more and go directly to the registration page. |
|
|
| |
| |
|
| | This month I'll be touring Australia with my friend and co-author, Dr. Mariana Brussoni. Hosted by Play Australia, we will be offering a series of talks and workshops in Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne & Sydney! If you are reading this and can join us, I'd love to meet you. Click the link to view our touring schedule and if you haven't purchased our book yet, you can buy it here. |
|
In November, I'll also be sharing research findings at the International Play Association's Triennial World Conference in Christchurch, New Zealand. I have two sessions scheduled: The first is titled, 'Embracing Risky Play at School: Canadian perspectives, tools & evidence'. The second is titled 'Outdoor play-based learning in elementary schools: Supports required from the perspectives of students, parents & teachers'. If you'll be there, be sure to let me know so we can connect in person! |
|
|
| |
| |
|
| | If you're not already connected with Canada's Outdoor Learning School & Store, be sure to join the mailing list (and register for a FREE webinar on November 10, 2026) Dr. Mariana Brussoni and I will be offering our tops tips for sustainable implementation of risky play at school! Register HERE ➔ |
|
|
| |
| |
|
| | Grants continue to make all the difference in effective school garden and outdoor classroom start-up, maintenance, and expansion plans. Schools and districts looking for grant writing support can reach me at [email protected]. Please consult with me BEFORE writing my consulting services into your grant proposal! |
|
|
| |
| |
|
| | up to $20,000 due: varies across Canada. |
|
$1500 due: October 15, 2026 |
|
$1500 due: October 14, 2026 |
|
$1000 due: October 13, 2026 |
|
|
| |
| |
|
| | October school garden task list |
|
Most gardens require ongoing clean up and maintenance well into October. We've had a warm and mild Fall on the westcoast of Canada, so it's go time to get that weeding done! Establish and practice routines for tool use and teach children to pull weeds from the root. Once your gardens are cleaned up, get ready for Fall planting! On the westcoast it's time to plant garlic, broad beans, and winter vegetables.
Don’t forget: If you have pumpkins growing in your school garden, you want to remove them from publicly accessible garden spaces two FULL weekends before the Halloween weekend to prevent pumpkins being stolen or smashed.
A reminder that this newsletter travels far and wide and my teaching context is the Westcoast of Canada. I’ve tried to keep these tasks as general as possible, so feel free to print this out and add your own, site-specific, tasks to the list.
October focus: soil protection! Read this blog post for School Garden Soil resources Let’s get kids helping with soil protection to show care for the school community. Pay attention specifically to clearing weeds from pathways, mulched areas & in garden beds to interrupt the life cycle of weeds- your garden soil will be glad you did this come Spring! Cover all garden soil with organic mulch, like dry leaves or straw, or cut plant material. Set up a cutting station for children to cut these materials into pieces as an act of reciprocity and care for the soil before layering them on your garden beds to feed the soil. Set up a separate cutting station for pulled weeds. Cutting weeds builds hand strength and dexterity with scissors. Deposit cut weeds in compost bins (or garbage if plants are invasive). Cut back finished stems and plant material like Astors or Daisies to 10-20 cm above the soil. This can usually be done with classroom scissors and the cut plants can be laid over bare soil. Harvest remaining food crops & make a plan for consumption or donation. Rotting crops invite rodents & other pests. If you have strawberries growing in your school garden, now is the time to propagate daughter plants to ensure you have new berry growth next Spring! Set up seed saving stations to collect seeds from common garden flowers like Marigolds, Calendula, Poppies, Sunflowers or Kale. Now is the time to clean and store garden stakes and supports. Task students with organizing and cleaning the shed while you are at it! Collect leaves on a dry day. Store dry leaves in paper yard bags in your shed or under cover in a courtyard. Add dry leaves to your garden beds after winter winds blow away leaf or straw cover.
|
|
Featured posts for October |
|
|
| |
| |
|
| | This post offers teacher tested resources and lesson ideas for school garden clean up, crop harvesting, and seed saving in your Fall school garden connected to Science, Literacy & Numeracy learning standards. |
|
|
| |
| |
|
| | One of my favourite October math tasks in the outdoor classroom is pumpkin math! If you've got heaps of pumpkins from a visit to the pumpkin patch or jack-o-lantern carving events, be sure to up-cycle those squash for hours of mathematical thinking |
|
|
| |
| |
|
| | Pumpkin Life Cycle Text Set & Connected Lessons |
|
This pumpkin life cycle text set offers a complete scientific overview of plant life cycles along with lesson ideas for learning with pumpkins.
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
| | Copyright © 2026 Megan Zeni
|
|
If you've got a favourite rabbit hole of the internet, you can find me here:
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
