AITC Canada Resource Listing

Take a look at our A to Z of Food and Farming Activity Kit! Explore all sorts of agriculture and food topics with students.

Targeted for grades 1-4 Classes this kit gives teachers everything they need to help students start a thriving classroom garden while discovering exactly what each plant needs to grow. Kids will get to think like scientists by tracking their plants' progress day-by-day, all leading up to a fun and tasty harvest.

Take a deep dive into learning all about Maple Syrup! These Activity Kits pair perfectly with our Maple Syrup live tour. Use the Pre/During activities before the tour to prepare and the Post activities afterwards to continue your learning. These resources are suitable for K-8 and have activities that are connected to curriculum for various grades!

AgScape offers curriculum-linked programs and resources that help students explore agriculture and food. From virtual field trips to classroom activities and guest speakers, our tools support engaging, hands-on learning for all grade levels.

The #MyFoodChoice resource is an inquiry based resource where students will lead their own research, to answer the question of "How can I make informed food choices?" Through the five lessons students will develop critical thinking skills by utilizing interactive student sheets, engaging videos, and more.

This resource allows for grade 7-12 students to explore and learn about Ontario's aquaculture industry, potential careers available as well as how to start an aquaculture business. What is fish farming, why is it important and how are fish produced? Learn more about Aquaculture in Ontario with this Teacher Guide that was designed with the support of and in collaboration with the Ontario Aquaculture Association.

Explore agriculture and food through the alphabet. Through engaging facts and fun activities, youth will develop their agriculture and food vocabulary.

Joining us on this episode is Mike Schreiner, the Leader of the Green Party of Ontario and a member of the Provincial Parliament for Guelph. Mike is here not to talk politics, but to discuss his lifelong passion for food and agriculture. Before politics, Mike was an entrepreneur and advocate for the local food movement. Mike grew up on a cash crop farm, raising crops and cattle. He worked from 7 am to 7 pm almost every day, and to entertain himself he would practice political speeches by himself. This led to a lifelong interest in politics and brought him to the Green Party, along with his food-based entrepreneurship. He wanted to help build the sustainable food movement in Ontario and knew policy change could only come from within. Since he began his political journey, the perception of food and agriculture has shifted. Mike wants to spread the connection between farmers and consumers. There’s a greater appreciation for where food comes from and how it’s produced. Social media, for all its downsides, is a great tool for farmers and producers to show people how their environments operate. When it comes to bridging the rural/urban divide, a leader can help by educating. It’s about communicating why some farmers do things one way over the other and what the market needs. Even during the pandemic, projects like backyard gardens and community gardens were valuable tools to educate. It’s also important to publicize the loss of farmland and how important it is to protect it. With the disappearance of farmland comes food shortages and price increases. It’s something that needs to be preserved.

Joining us on this episode is Graham Hill from the non-profit Food for Life. The organization’s mission is to rescue food, impact lives, and give everyone access to healthy food. They aim to cut food waste, and Graham is here to discuss his career pathway and the organization's work to rescue and distribute fresh food to neighbours in need through community partnerships. Graham has a varied background, initially being a scuba diving instructor. He then became involved in charity before going to school to obtain a post-grad degree in Fundraising and Volunteer management. After working for various organizations involved with health, he came to work at the food bank, which evolved into his role at Food for Life. Staying true to your values is essential to working in the non-profit sector. Sometimes it means stepping out of your comfort zone to grow. For Graham, he wanted to create an impact on the world. What problems do you want to solve? Look for a culture that fits you. Billions of dollars worth of food go to waste every year. There is unavoidable food waste and avoidable food waste. Avoidable waste comes about with things like expiry dates, slightly misshapen, or discolored vegetables. Food for Life takes food that’s rejected and picks it up, sharing it with other charities and people. Just this last year they rescued 5 million pounds of food. If you are considering working for a non-profit but aren’t sure in what capacity, there are many aspects to an organization, from transport to accounting, and a wide range of skills are in demand. When it comes to the effects of the pandemic, it’s clear that it had a huge impact on organizations and recipients in the sector. Accessibility is key as life evolves.

Agri-Trekking Across Ontario is an interactive, gamified resource that connects grade 7 and 8 students with agriculture, environmental initiatives and local food! This innovative teaching tool comes complete with a Teacher's Guide, educational facts, quizzes and games. *For optimal experience, please use the Google Chrome browser.

These infographics will help students discover the various crops and livestock that are grown in Canada, define arable land and the various types of soil in Ontario as well as help students discover government influences on agriculture at all 3 levels. They will also help students learn about inputs that improve production, and the effect of climate on what we grow and food distribution.

Worms play a very important role in maintaining healthy soil so that we can grow healthy food. Get to know Alex the worm in this fun, educational book to learn all about this topic!

Learn all about the characteristics and applications of soil, and have your students plant a garden into nursery pots in your classroom. Then, watch your plants grow and make observations over the next six weeks.

Touching on various subject areas from health and physical education to social studies, science, careers, and technology this resource aims to provide an overview of the practices involved in the production of Beef in Ontario from farm to table.

Touching on various subject areas from health and physical education to social studies, science, geography, and careers, this resource aims to provide an overview of the practices involved in the production and distribution of dry beans in Ontario from farm to table.

This comprehensive resource includes a Teacher’s Guide, providing an overview of egg farming in Ontario, as well as three interdisciplinary lesson plans targeting grades K-3, grades 4-6 and grades 7-8. Many different and relevant themes such as the farm-to-table process of egg farming (K-3), the nutrients of eggs as a part of a healthy diet (4-6) and careers linked to the egg farming industry (7-8) are covered in the lesson plans provided.

This Teacher's Guide, for grades 7-12, allows students and teachers to explore the world of genomics in agriculture and food. Teachers can use the Teacher's Guide to expand their knowledge of genomics, then couple that with 3 interactive lesson plans that use coding, experiments, Ontario-focused case studies, career exploration and much more. These lesson plans also help students understand genomics in agriculture and food related to the context of animal welfare, food security and climate change. Pair this teachers's guide with a recording of a live event with Michael Dorrington, a geneticist at Ontario Genomics.

Take your students on a virtual trip to Ardent Mills! Download the activity kit and pick and choose from an assortment of activities that you can do with your class to learn more about flour milling and grains. There are activities appropriate for grades K-8.

Pair this virtual field trip with the activity kit to take a closer look at a beef farm in Ontario! Join Megan as she shows you around her cow-calf pair farm and tells you all about how she cares for the animals. This printable activity kit includes an assortment of activities that you can do with your class. There are activities appropriate for grades K-8, just pick the one you like and print it off!

Before the Plate is a documentary that attempts to close the gap between the urban consumer and farming in Canada. Follow young farmers and industry experts to learn what a modern Canadian farm operation looks like, and discuss the most pressing questions consumers have about their food. Be sure to check out the comprehensive, curriculum-linked Student Guide we have created to supplement the viewing of this documentary.

This resource takes a closer look at bioenergy in the agri-food sector and provides information on career opportunities and post-secondary education programs related to the industry. Suggested student activities link to curriculum in Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, Science and Green Industries.

Take your students on a virtual trip to a Bison Farm! Download the activity kit and pick and choose from an assortment of activities that you can do with your class to learn more about the bison and their history. There are activities appropriate for grades K-8.

This resource is the inaugural edition of the AgScape Bridge to Business program. Through this program, leading edge business publications are translated into valuable activities for Ontario students. As youth approach the end of high school, it is important for them to be familiar with the world of business and the pertinent social issues which relate to our society, economy and environment. OAFE Bridge to Business focuses on issues beyond the classroom and provides “real world connections for students”.

This is the second Volume of the Bridge to Business series. The topic of focus is Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). Four lessons encourage students in Grades 9 to 12 to think critically about GMOs and their relationship with environment, social factors, food security and consumer choice. Each lesson examines content from www.BestFoodFacts.org and http://allaboutfood.aitc.ca. Links to Science & Technology and Food & Nutrition courses.

These infographics will allows students to explore agriculture and food from a business perspective. Students will learn about four different types of businesses along with 4 different types of economic business sectors.

There is no better pathway for students to ignite their curiosity of food and farming than with Camp AgScape, a free immersive and fun online experience for youth from age 5 to 18. The program is a fully accessible, self-paced web platform which includes highly interactive, meaningful, and gamified educational activities to support parents, teachers and students. Included is a Teacher's Guide, a comprehensive five-day programming guide for four age groups (5-8, 9-12, 13-15, 16-18). Themes include plant science, innovation, STEM, animal science, nutrition, environment, healthy eating and more! Ideal for classrooms, camps or home learning.

A secondary resource about careers in the agri-food industry. This resource has been developed as a teaching tool for grades 11 and 12 and is linked to the Ontario Canadian and World Studies curriculum.

Celebrate Canadian Agriculture Literacy Month with this activity resource package for Grades 9-12 which focuses on hot topics in agriculture and encourages students to analyze and think critically about media messages and information.

In this resource, students will have the opportunity to explore, observe and examine tulip bulbs. Lessons include planting bulbs, learning about the history of tulip farmers in the Netherlands, collecting data and studying the plant's growth cycle.

Challenging Conditions - Exploring the Lives of Subsistence Farmers in the Developing World is an activity that invites students to explore what life is like for subsistence farmers in the developing world by introducing them to a character and various aspects of his/her life.

The activity emphasizes quality of life and the effects of issues such as hunger, health, conflict, gender dynamics, environment and climate change.

Related media: Program puts students in shoes of subsistence farmers (The Western Producer) 

The complete kit contains a teacher guide and all materials needed.