Our Work
Northern-grown learning from the land up.
Curriculum Design
Our curriculum design grows from relationship with people and story. From early years to Grade 12, we collaborate with organizations, schools, Elders, and Knowledge Holders, and businesses to create learning that reflects each community’s language, culture, and place.
Recent Projects:
Labrador Cultural Snowshoe Curriculum
K-3 culturally connected snowshoe resource developed through circle with Elders, and weaving local language and story into provincial curricular standards.
Northern Ontario First Nation Cultural Scope + Sequence
K-6 culturally grounded curriculum integrating Oji-Cree language and seasonal learning into classroom practice developed in consult with local community members.
Salmon in the Schools Guide
Teacher’s Activity Guidebook and multi-grade unit plans connecting science, culture, and stewardship of this important threatened species.
Caribou in the Schools
K-12 Curriculum + 6 local First Nations community booklets connecting youth with hands-on learning around conservation and Indigenous leadership.
Educational Resources
Our resource design brings learning to life through creative, culturally grounded materials. From classroom booklets to family-friendly guides and visitor resources, we craft tools that connect people with place.
Recent Projects:
Activity Booklets – Tourism Whistler
Four-part educational booklet series connecting kids to Whistler’s local ecosystems, stories, and stewardship.
Junior Ranger Program Redesign – BC Parks
Redesign of long-standing children’s interpretive program into a modern, place-based facilitators guide used across BC provincial parks.
Educational Booklets – BC Parks
A suite of interpretive booklets and educator guides supporting children and families in exploring provincial parks through curiosity, play, and environmental stewardship.
Early Learning Culture Kits – Yukon Government
Hands-on, land-based early learning kits for educators, integrating local materials, language connections, and seasonal activities that nurture play.
Workshops
Our bookable workshops and training support educators to design and lead learning that’s hands-on and rooted in place. Our sessions draw on decades of experience, national-level work, and international best practices blending practical tools with engaging approaches, including thoughtful ways to navigate risk in outdoor play.
“A fantastic, engaging session with so much insight and care packed into the training. Always a pleasure to learn from your team.” -Municipal Staff Training Participant
Two-Day: The Full Team Reset
Two days of grounded skill-building, shared clarity, and practical tools your team can use right away.
A comprehensive training series that strengthens program design, team culture, risk assessment practices + risky play, values alignment, and land-based connection. Includes hands-on games and activities, facilitation tools, planning/strategy support, play, and a tailored summary report.
Half-Day: The Deep Dive Session
Targeted training on one essential topic- perfect for tight schedules and quick impact.
Choose one focus area: Supporting Risk & Play, Games & Group Dynamics, or Planning & Strategy. A concentrated session packed with practical tools your team can use immediately.
Online Modules: Coming Soon!
Self-paced modules that build skills, confidence, and consistency across your whole team.
Accessible, on-demand learning: videos, reflections, printable tools, and examples drawn from real field experience. Purchase individual modules or full bundles for a complete PD pathway.
Details coming soon.
Contact us for pricing, others lengths or custom topics.
Some Past Clients:
City of Whitehorse, Yukon University, Montessori Borealis, Child & Nature Alliance of Canada, Kwanlin Dun First Nation, Yukon Outdoor Women, Early Learning at the Gardens
Talks
We deliver keynotes and talks that invite audiences to see education (and themselves) through the lens of place, play, and possibility. Rooted in stories from the field and shaped by years of hands-on experience, our presentations blend insight with inspiration. Our talks weave together research, reflection, and real-world examples to spark dialogue, deepen understanding, and encourage bold & compassionate approaches to learning.
Keynote 1: Beyond the Comfort Zone: The Transformative Power of Healthy Outdoor Risk
Have you ever seen a child’s face the moment fear turns into pride?
Stepping into the unknown asks something honest of us. This keynote highlights how supported challenge helps learners grow in confidence, emotional steadiness, and trust of self. Drawing from field-tested practices, we offer clear strategies for assessing risk, communicating with caregivers, and designing experiences that stretch participants without overwhelming them. Leave with grounded tools to support risky play with confidence.
Keynote 2: Walking Together: Co-Creating Learning with Indigenous Partners
How do we honour knowledge that can’t be rushed, measured, or owned?
A window into a different way of working is offered here. It’s one that moves at the speed of trust. Through stories and lived examples, we explore the gentle, deliberate process of co-creating learning alongside Indigenous partners, rooted in place and community. Participants gain grounded guidance for building strong relationships, honouring expertise, navigating protocol, compensating Knowledge Holders, and developing materials that carry local relevance and meaning.
Keynote 3: Groundwork: Building Cultures of Care in Outdoors Programs
When things get busy, what keeps your work rooted instead of reactive?
Culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s grown through intention, one conversation, one routine, and one shared moment at a time. This keynote explores how care can become the quiet foundation of every outdoor program, and visible in how we teach, listen, lead, and show up for one another.
Drawing from years of land-based practice, we’ll explore how values like reciprocity, trust, and gentleness can shape the unseen architecture of a healthy team culture. We will consider how unique daily practices can strengthen belonging and build your team culture and resilience.
Past Presentations:
S’teṉistolw̱ Education Conference, Yukon First Nations Education Directorate, Ontario Camps Association, POPup Adventure Play International Campference (Istanbul, Turkey), Solutions Economy: Social Entrepreneurship Gathering, Classrooms to Communities: BC Outdoor Educator Conference, Yukon Association of Educational Professionals Biennial Conference
Knowledge Circle Coordination
Rivers to Ridges coordinates and facilitates circles that bring together Elders and Knowledge Holders to share stories, teachings, and lived experience in ways that honour cultural protocols. Our team (including Elder Copper Jack) supports with logistics, relationship-building, and facilitation, while ensuring strong data autonomy practices so that Knowledge Holders retain full control over how their contributions are used.
When desired, the teachings and quotes from these circles can be respectfully carried forward (e.g. translated into educational materials with permission and guidance) allowing wisdom to be shared more widely in schools, communities, and organizations.
Book a Free 30-Min Consult
We offer free consults to explore how our team can design resources or offer trainings that deepen engagement, reflect values, and create meaningful connections for your audiences.
Featured Work
Whistler Wonders Activity Booklets
Whistler Wonders is a four-part interactive booklet series developed by Rivers to Ridges with Tourism Whistler to inspire curiosity and discovery for young visitors and families. Our team led the content design crafting stories, games, and creative activities that celebrate Whistler’s natural and cultural richness. With input from the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre and local partners, the series invites families to explore Whistler with wonder, respect, and connection.
Featured Project
Caribou in the Schools
Caribou in the Schools is a multi-year collaboration connecting educators, Yukon First Nations, Elders, Renewable Resources Councils, scientists, and community partners to engage youth with the threatened Southern Lakes Caribou. Through knowledge circles and Elder interviews, stories and teachings were gathered to create six community-specific booklets and a K–12 curriculum. While we work to establish a Program Coordinator to facilitate this program, these free resources are available for classroom and community use.
Featured Project
BC Parks Educational Resource Design
Rivers to Ridges partnered with BC Parks to redesign the Jerry’s Rangers Program Guide (an 88-page resource introducing children to parks, culture, and stewardship) and to create a companion series of four multi-aged educational booklets found in BC Parks across the province. Together, these resources help educators and park leaders foster curiosity, care, and connection to the land.
Ongoing Program
Salmon in the Schools
Since 2015, Rivers to Ridges has led this territory-wide program, partnering with schools across the Yukon to connect students with salmon lifecycles, conservation, and cultural knowledge. We created a locally developed curriculum and offer free educator workshops that weave together science, story, and stewardship. In 2025–2026, we’re updating resources, strengthening rural partnerships, and deepening Knowledge Holder involvement.
Funded by the Pacific Salmon Commission, with additional support from the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
Current Project
5-Month Learning Journey with Elder Copper Jack
Join Rivers to Ridges’ 5-month program (Jan–May 2026) led by Elder Copper Jack. Explore connections between people and the land through Indigenous teachings and Canada’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Graduates earn a certificate and may join a summer 2026 land-based course in Yukon.
Funded by the Government of Canada.