Ecology & Animals Activities
Explore our collection of Ecology & Animals activities! The age ranges are suggestions only, many can be adapted to various age groups (please note that the numbers listed are AGES, not grades)
Click on an activity title to download the full activity. You can also use the search bar at the bottom of the page to search for keywords.
Click on an activity title to download the full activity. You can also use the search bar at the bottom of the page to search for keywords.
Name: FrogWatch
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 9-18yrs
Time Needed: 60-120min (plus shorter weekly follow-up sessions)
Description: This is a late spring/summer activity. Learn to use the citizen science tool FrogWatch and help gather data for a Canada-wide data base about frogs, while learning about indicator species and common frogs of the NWT.
Name: PlantWatch
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 12-18yrs
Time Needed: 60-120min (plus shorter weekly follow-up sessions)
Description: This is a late spring/summer activity. Learn to use the citizen science tool PlantWatch and help gather data for a Canada-wide data base about plants, while learning about common plants of the NWT.
Name: All About Migrations
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 11-14yrs
Time Needed: 60min
Description: Students learn about where, why and how animals migrate by exploring an interactive map of migrations and developing their own maps of animal migrations.
Name: Forest Bird Walk
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 11-18yrs
Time Needed: 60-120min
Description: Students choose a species at risk to research and present to the class Learn about Species at Risk in the NWT and in doing so, work on important research and presentation skills, discover some of the reasons why species become endangered, and brainstorm ways we can help species at risk. This activity also includes an extension activity about the rusty blackbird, a species at risk.
Name: Species at Risk Show and Tell
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 13-18yrs
Time Needed: 60-120min
Description: Students choose a species at risk to research and present to the class Learn about Species at Risk in the NWT and in doing so, work on important research and presentation skills, discover some of the reasons why species become endangered, and brainstorm ways we can help species at risk.
Name: Aquatic Insects
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 7-12yrs
Time Needed: 90min
Description: This is a summer activity that includes an outdoor pond study. Through games and studying actual insects, learn about what lives in the water and some basic insect identification and collection skills, as well as how aquatic insects adapted to their habitat.
Worksheet Link
Name: Beavers
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 8-11yrs
Time Needed: 90min
Description: Learn about beavers’ bodies, habitats, and home through a series of actions and games.
Beaver Colouring Page Link
Name: Belugas
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 5-6yrs
Time Needed: 90min
Description: Learn fun facts about beluga whales and play a game to learn about echolocation.
Echolocation Game Description Link
Name: Birds of Hay River
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 8-11yrs
Time Needed: 90min (plus optional outdoor bird-watching)
Description: Series of activities to learn about bird sounds, where birds live, and how they fly. This activity is specific to Hay River but can be adapted to your community’s local bird population.
Photo Page Link
Name: Bird Beak Buffet
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 5-8yrs
Time Needed: 90min
Description: Through a rotation of hands-on and interactive activities, learn about birds’ beaks and what they can tell us about what birds eat.
Photo Page Link
Name: Simon Says Northern Animals
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 6-8yrs
Time Needed: 5-10min
Description: Get students thinking about animals, and burn off some energy before heading into the rest of the activities.
Name: Yucky Worms
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 7-8
Time Needed: 15-20min
Description: Learn about worms in an active, hands-on way (you need a worm bin for this activity. Contact Ecology North to inquire about getting worms for your classroom!)
Name: EcoCareers
Theme: All
Age Range: 6-13
Time Needed: 60min
Description: Learn about different environmental careers, ask questions, and do a fun active activity.
Name: Searching for Shadows
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 9-13yrs
Time Needed: 60min
Description: Build some rudimentary science research skills and learn about less-known mammals like the lynx and wolverine by getting outside and looking for animal signs, as well as exploring books and doing activities in the classroom.
Name: Interview With a Honeybee
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 8-13yrs
Time Needed: 5min
Description: A short skit designed to teach students about honeybees and the importance of pollinators. Can also be used as a conversation starter to discuss different research techniques.
Name: Caribou Game
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 11+yrs
Time Needed: 10-20min
Description: Through an interactive game, students learn about what caribou need to survive and how the population changes from year to year (can be adapted to different animals!).
Name: Smells Like Trouble in Great Slave Lake
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 5-12yrs
Time Needed: 60min
Description: Help students make connections between human actions, animals, and the environment by listening to and acting out a story about pollution in Great Slave Lake.
Name: Quick Animals
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 3-13yrs
Time Needed: 5-15min
Description: A short activity to get the wiggles out and learn about plants and animals (easily adapted to whatever theme your class is learning about).
Name: Local Environmental Observer Network
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 13-18
Time Needed: 60min (first session) and then 90min (second session)
Description: The Local Environmental Observer Network is a very neat database where people across the world post their observations of the natural world (for example, a tent caterpillar seen in Yellowknife for the first time ever in 2018 may be indicative of our changing climate and therefore changing ecosystems). Join this great citizen science project by exploring the database and contributing to it.
Name: This Land is Our Home Song
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 3-8yrs
Time Needed: 10-15min
Description: An interactive way to teach students that they are part of the northern ecosystem and learn about plants and animals. Easily adapted to different ages and subjects.
Name: Eco-Puppetry
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 8-11yrs
Time Needed: 60-120min
Description: Explore environmental issues and ways to be more environmentally friendly through puppets!
Name: Nature Scavenger Hunt
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 6+yrs
Time Needed: 60-90min
Description: Get to know the natural areas around your school by creating your own scavenger hunt! Easily adaptable to different ages and subjects.
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 9-18yrs
Time Needed: 60-120min (plus shorter weekly follow-up sessions)
Description: This is a late spring/summer activity. Learn to use the citizen science tool FrogWatch and help gather data for a Canada-wide data base about frogs, while learning about indicator species and common frogs of the NWT.
Name: PlantWatch
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 12-18yrs
Time Needed: 60-120min (plus shorter weekly follow-up sessions)
Description: This is a late spring/summer activity. Learn to use the citizen science tool PlantWatch and help gather data for a Canada-wide data base about plants, while learning about common plants of the NWT.
Name: All About Migrations
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 11-14yrs
Time Needed: 60min
Description: Students learn about where, why and how animals migrate by exploring an interactive map of migrations and developing their own maps of animal migrations.
Name: Forest Bird Walk
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 11-18yrs
Time Needed: 60-120min
Description: Students choose a species at risk to research and present to the class Learn about Species at Risk in the NWT and in doing so, work on important research and presentation skills, discover some of the reasons why species become endangered, and brainstorm ways we can help species at risk. This activity also includes an extension activity about the rusty blackbird, a species at risk.
Name: Species at Risk Show and Tell
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 13-18yrs
Time Needed: 60-120min
Description: Students choose a species at risk to research and present to the class Learn about Species at Risk in the NWT and in doing so, work on important research and presentation skills, discover some of the reasons why species become endangered, and brainstorm ways we can help species at risk.
Name: Aquatic Insects
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 7-12yrs
Time Needed: 90min
Description: This is a summer activity that includes an outdoor pond study. Through games and studying actual insects, learn about what lives in the water and some basic insect identification and collection skills, as well as how aquatic insects adapted to their habitat.
Worksheet Link
Name: Beavers
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 8-11yrs
Time Needed: 90min
Description: Learn about beavers’ bodies, habitats, and home through a series of actions and games.
Beaver Colouring Page Link
Name: Belugas
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 5-6yrs
Time Needed: 90min
Description: Learn fun facts about beluga whales and play a game to learn about echolocation.
Echolocation Game Description Link
Name: Birds of Hay River
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 8-11yrs
Time Needed: 90min (plus optional outdoor bird-watching)
Description: Series of activities to learn about bird sounds, where birds live, and how they fly. This activity is specific to Hay River but can be adapted to your community’s local bird population.
Photo Page Link
Name: Bird Beak Buffet
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 5-8yrs
Time Needed: 90min
Description: Through a rotation of hands-on and interactive activities, learn about birds’ beaks and what they can tell us about what birds eat.
Photo Page Link
Name: Simon Says Northern Animals
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 6-8yrs
Time Needed: 5-10min
Description: Get students thinking about animals, and burn off some energy before heading into the rest of the activities.
Name: Yucky Worms
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 7-8
Time Needed: 15-20min
Description: Learn about worms in an active, hands-on way (you need a worm bin for this activity. Contact Ecology North to inquire about getting worms for your classroom!)
Name: EcoCareers
Theme: All
Age Range: 6-13
Time Needed: 60min
Description: Learn about different environmental careers, ask questions, and do a fun active activity.
Name: Searching for Shadows
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 9-13yrs
Time Needed: 60min
Description: Build some rudimentary science research skills and learn about less-known mammals like the lynx and wolverine by getting outside and looking for animal signs, as well as exploring books and doing activities in the classroom.
Name: Interview With a Honeybee
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 8-13yrs
Time Needed: 5min
Description: A short skit designed to teach students about honeybees and the importance of pollinators. Can also be used as a conversation starter to discuss different research techniques.
Name: Caribou Game
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 11+yrs
Time Needed: 10-20min
Description: Through an interactive game, students learn about what caribou need to survive and how the population changes from year to year (can be adapted to different animals!).
Name: Smells Like Trouble in Great Slave Lake
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 5-12yrs
Time Needed: 60min
Description: Help students make connections between human actions, animals, and the environment by listening to and acting out a story about pollution in Great Slave Lake.
Name: Quick Animals
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 3-13yrs
Time Needed: 5-15min
Description: A short activity to get the wiggles out and learn about plants and animals (easily adapted to whatever theme your class is learning about).
Name: Local Environmental Observer Network
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 13-18
Time Needed: 60min (first session) and then 90min (second session)
Description: The Local Environmental Observer Network is a very neat database where people across the world post their observations of the natural world (for example, a tent caterpillar seen in Yellowknife for the first time ever in 2018 may be indicative of our changing climate and therefore changing ecosystems). Join this great citizen science project by exploring the database and contributing to it.
Name: This Land is Our Home Song
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 3-8yrs
Time Needed: 10-15min
Description: An interactive way to teach students that they are part of the northern ecosystem and learn about plants and animals. Easily adapted to different ages and subjects.
Name: Eco-Puppetry
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 8-11yrs
Time Needed: 60-120min
Description: Explore environmental issues and ways to be more environmentally friendly through puppets!
Name: Nature Scavenger Hunt
Theme: Ecology & Animals
Age Range: 6+yrs
Time Needed: 60-90min
Description: Get to know the natural areas around your school by creating your own scavenger hunt! Easily adaptable to different ages and subjects.
Website designed and maintained by Ecology North. Funding for this project provided by NSERC and MACA..