Schools
Skiing and snowboarding provide many physical and mental health benefits to youth. Engaging youth in snowsports, a time of year when many families gravitate to indoor activities, provides them with the motivation, desire, competence and confidence to be active for life in the winter months.
Alternative environments, such as a ski hill, may be daunting for some teachers, however there are lots of resources to educate students on safety and preparedness prior to their trip.
Benefits of Snowsports in Schools
Gravity
A Serious Film About Downhill Adventure and Safety, covers everything you need to know about how to have fun responsibly on the snow.
Watch the full length video HERE.
Below are some important topics from the video to prepare for your ski and snowboard trip.
Know the Code
Gear Up & Get Prepped
Check your Head
Helmet Safety & Concussions
All Snowsports Schools at Canadian Ski Resorts require children to wear a helmet.
Look Load & Lower
Lift Safety Education Posters
More Classroom Resources
Groups that bring winter programming into the classroom:
- AdventureSmart is a national program aimed at outdoor recreational safety. The program offers free presentations on Snow Safety & Education aimed at students in Grade 4-6.
- Riglet Snowboarding – Many Provincial Snowboard Associations are offering snowboard programs to primary aged children in your school gym. Contact your Provincial Snowboard Association to find out if the program is offered in your area.
- Ever Active Schools is an Alberta initiative that promotes and supports healthy, active school communities. They have recently launched a teacher resources for winter sports – Ski, Skate, Slide. This resource provides practical learning environments for students to engage in winter sports. Order the resources HERE.
- Avalanche Canada has a number of different Snow Safety education resources on their website, in addition to toolkits and avalanche kits that can be borrowed at no cost. They also provide further links to a number of different education programs for school aged children.
Activities for students:
The following are some fun activities teachers can use in the classroom to educate and engage students on winter safety.
- Alpine responsibility quiz (credit Big White)
- Click on the items below to download crossword, suduko, word search, and colouring pages
