Free Bear Safety Classroom Guide Now Available for BC Teachers — Aligned to Provincial Curriculum
Wildlife Wise Canada releases a downloadable teacher resource covering black bear behaviour, hyperphagia, attractant management, and five classroom activities for Grades 3–7
Wildlife Wise Canada has released a free downloadable classroom guide — 'Bears in Our Neighbourhoods: A Classroom Safety Guide' — designed for BC teachers delivering wildlife safety content to students in Grades 3 through 7.
The guide covers black bear biology and seasonal behaviour, the hyperphagia period (late summer to fall when bears consume up to 20,000 calories per day), common attractants in residential areas, and what to do during a bear encounter. Five classroom activities are included: a calorie challenge, an attractant audit, an encounter role-play, a community mapping exercise, and a bear-safe yard design project.
The resource is aligned to the BC curriculum across Science (life cycles, ecosystems, biodiversity), Physical and Health Education (personal safety), and Social Studies (community responsibility and Indigenous perspectives on wildlife stewardship).
"Bears are part of our communities on the Sunshine Coast and across BC," said author Gerald Shaffer. "Children who understand bear behaviour grow into adults who make better decisions — and that saves both human and bear lives."
The guide also includes a Special Mentions section acknowledging Sylvia Dolson of Get Bear Smart Society, Christine Miller of WildSafeBC, and Katherine MacRae of the BC Conservation Foundation, as well as In Memoriam tributes to Barry Janyk and Crystal MacMillan.
The classroom guide is free to download at wildlifewise.ca/for-teachers. Teachers may reproduce it freely for classroom use.
Media Contact
Gerald Shaffer — Wildlife Wise Canada
Email: [email protected]
Web: wildlifewise.ca