2025

The Living Winter Program was created in response to a growing and urgent need: children in Toronto’s high-density, equity-deserving communities face persistent barriers to accessing nature and outdoor learning opportunities, particularly during winter. For many families, limited access to green space, rising transportation costs, inadequate winter clothing, and financial pressures make participation in outdoor educational experiences difficult or impossible. These inequities disproportionately affect children living in low-income neighbourhoods, many of whom also face barriers related to newcomer status, language, or systemic exclusion from enrichment opportunities beyond the classroom.

As a result, many children spend the winter months indoors and disconnected from the natural world, despite growing evidence linking outdoor learning and nature exposure to improved mental health, physical well-being, emotional resilience, and academic engagement. The need for equitable access to nature-based education has become increasingly evident in Toronto, where one in four children lives in poverty and many schools serving priority communities have limited resources for experiential learning opportunities.

Now entering its 15th season, Living Winter addresses this gap by providing a fully subsidized, curriculum-aligned outdoor education experience for 1,600 Grade 4 students annually. Demand for the program continues to grow; the 2025–2026 season reached full capacity shortly after opening registration, with many teachers returning year after year with new Grade 4 classes.

Teacher feedback highlights both the educational need and lack of comparable opportunities available to students. One educator shared, “This program exceeded my expectations as the leaders were so knowledgeable, enthusiastic, kind, and accommodating. It was the best trip we’ve gone on yet!” Another noted, “If this program didn’t exist, we wouldn’t otherwise have this opportunity.”

The program was intentionally designed to remove barriers that schools identified as preventing participation in outdoor education. Living Winter provides transportation subsidies, healthy snacks, winter clothing loans, and all learning materials at no cost to schools or families. During the 2025–2026 season, TBG increased the transportation subsidy from $200 to $250 per class in direct response to teacher feedback about rising busing costs. TBG also expanded its winter clothing collection after recognizing that many students lacked the appropriate gear needed to safely and comfortably participate outdoors. These supports are especially important for newcomer students who may be experiencing a Canadian winter for the first time. As one volunteer reflected, “Many participating students are newcomers to Canada and may be experiencing winter, and nature in this season, for the very first time.”

Living Winter also responds to a broader educational need for accessible environmental and conservation education in urban communities. Hosted at the Toronto Botanical Garden and adjacent ravine systems, the program provides students with direct exposure to local ecosystems and biodiversity that are often inaccessible in their day-to-day lives. Teachers consistently identify the value of giving students opportunities to connect classroom learning to real-world experiences in nature. During the 2025–2026 season, the program received a 100% satisfaction rating for curriculum connections, student engagement, and instructor knowledge and enthusiasm, with 100% of teachers indicating they would return and recommend the program to colleagues.

Living Winter further addresses a need within the education sector itself by supporting the development of future educators in outdoor and environmental learning. Through partnerships with York University’s Faculty of Education, Living Winter provides teacher candidates with hands-on experience delivering inclusive, nature-based education. In 2025–2026, five teacher candidates and seven volunteers supported the program, helping strengthen delivery while building long-term capacity for outdoor education in schools and communities and the broader conservation community by addressing educational inequities while advancing key environmental goals.

1. Conservation Education & Ecological Literacy
Aligned with the Ontario science curriculum on Habitats and Communities, Living Winter deepens students’ understanding of ecological concepts through direct interaction with nature. Children investigate animal adaptations, food webs, and biodiversity while learning to observe wildlife respectfully. These experiences not only support classroom learning but build ecological literacy, key to forming the next generation of conservation-minded citizens.

2. Access to Healthful Outdoor Activity
For many students, Living Winter provides their first opportunity to explore a natural space in winter. The physical experience of walking in snow, feeding birds, and engaging in outdoor games promotes physical activity, mental wellness, and sensory engagement. Winter, often associated with inactivity and screen time, becomes a season of movement, wonder, and emotional connection.

3. Conservation Awareness and Habitat Appreciation
By exploring real habitats in Toronto’s ravines and gardens, students gain a direct appreciation of the importance of protecting urban wildlife corridors and green spaces. Interpreting signs of animal life, fosters personal investment in the conservation of natural habitats.

4. Cross-Sector Collaboration and Volunteer Development
The program thrives through partnerships with the Toronto District and Catholic School Boards, York University, and a network of trained volunteers. These collaborations expand community engagement in conservation education while building the capacity of future educators and environmental stewards. Practicum students gain practical experience in outdoor education, inclusive teaching practices, and environmental programming.

5. Removing Barriers and Advancing Equity
Perhaps most importantly, Living Winter ensures that children from equity-deserving communities, many of whom are newcomers to Canada, can participate fully and safely in outdoor education. With transportation, winter gear, and nutritious snacks provided, the program removes key access barriers and makes meaningful nature experiences truly inclusive. This equity-focused approach ensures that conservation is not just a lesson for some, but a lived experience for all.

The result: empowered students, inspired teachers, and healthier communities, all connected through the shared goal of understanding, protecting, and enjoying the natural world