Grade k-3
The 34th annual Mayor's Environment Expo will run virtually June 5 to 8, 2023 and in-person June 6 to 7, 2023.
See the listings for this grade range below. In-person sessions are on the left and virtual sessions are on the right.
Download the 2023 Teacher’s Manual for detailed information about both the virtual and in-person Expo. Join the mailing list to receive updates and registration information.
Have questions about the Mayor’s Environment Expo? Contact expo@calgary.ca
Don’t forget to complete the event registration form
Although the Expo is free and open to everyone, we request teachers register to ensure space in workshops and for security purposes.
The deadline for in-person registration is May 29, 2023. You can register for virtual events right up until the start of each session.
In-person
Alberta Environment and Protected Areas
Conservation K9 and Aquatic Invasive Species
Come and meet Diesel, one of Alberta Environment and Protected Areas’ Conservation K9's, and learn about aquatic invasive species while inspecting a shoreline. Watch the Conservation K9 in action and learn how they use their nose to help protect Alberta’s waterways!
Suitable for Grades 2-8
Session 1: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 9:45 - 10:30 AM
Session 2: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM
Session 3: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 1:00 - 1:45 PM
Session 1: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 9:45 - 10:30 AM
Session 2: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 11:00 - 11:45 AM
Session 3: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 1:00 - 1:45 PM
Calgary Wildlife Rehabilitation Society
Wild Wise: Built to Build (Beavers)
This program invites elementary-aged students to consider beaver adaptations, beaver diet, habitat and behaviour. Built to Build engages through a beaver rap, beaver sounds, and beaver visuals to step into the paws of a beaver. Let’s get Wild Wise and reduce human-wildlife conflict!
Suitable for Grades 1 - 6
Session 1: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 9:30 - 10:30 AM
Session 2: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 12:45 - 1:45 PM
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society - Southern Alberta
Wild Wellness - It's in YOUR Nature
This event is outside
Do you ever wonder why the world just feels better when you are outside? Spending time in nature, or Vitamin N, makes us breathe, think, and feel better; but don’t take our word for it. Join CPAWS Southern Alberta for a dose of nature play and mindfulness, and let Mother Nature convince you!
Suitable for Grades K - 9
Session 1: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Session 2: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 1:00 - 2:00 PM
City of Calgary/Waste and Recycling Services
DIY Repurposed Crafts
Do you ever wonder about how you can take an old material and turn it into something new? Calgarians are concerned about the amount of waste we generate in our everyday activities. Join us for a DIY workshop to repurpose recyclable materials and turn them into something fun!
Suitable for Grades 3 - 4
Session 1: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 9:45 - 10:30 AM
Session 2: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 11:00 - 11:45 AM
Session 3: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 2023 1:00 - 1:45 PM
Elbow River Watershed Partnership Society
Paint a Watershed!
Explore how bodies of water are an expression of the landscape. Following a curriculum focused discussion, students will create their own watershed simulations, with art supplies! Discover how water, the greatest solvent, reaches all areas of a landscape and drains to the lowest point, while carrying materials like sediment, nutrients, and contaminants.
All art and cleaning supplies will be provided. Students should not wear their favorite clothing in case they get (washable) paint on them.
Suitable for Grades 2 - 5
Environmental Education, Recreation and Social Programs
Experience the Mobile Adventure Playground
This event is outside
Join us for a self-directed outdoor play experience that uses loose parts and natural materials to inspire active and creative play, and connect people young and old. Play spaces have been chosen to meet the needs of creative, imaginative, nature-based and self-directed play that are vital to children's cognitive, emotional, and social development. Play ambassadors will be onsite to inspire play and pique imaginations!
Suitable for Grades K - 9
Session 1: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 9:30-10:00 AM
Session 2: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 10:00-10:30 AM
Session 3: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 10:30-11:00 AM
Session 4: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 11:00-11:30 AM
Session 5: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 11:30 AM -12:00 PM
Session 6: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 12:30-1:00 PM
Session 7: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 1:00-1:30 PM
Session 8: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 1:30-2:00 PM
Session 9: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 2:00-2:30 PM
Session 1: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 9:30-10:00 AM
Session 2: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 10:00-10:30 AM
Session 3: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 10:30-11:00 AM
Session 4: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 11:00-11:30 AM
Session 5: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 11:30-12:00 PM
Session 6: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 12:30-1:00 PM
Session 7: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 1:00-1:30 PM
Session 8: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 1:30-2:00 PM
Session 9: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 2:00-2:30 PM
Evergreen Theatre
Evergreen Theatre Presents: "The Wicked Witch of the Wetlands"
Evergreen Theatre's "Wicked Witch of the Wetlands" is a 50-minute musical theatre show presented by 2 professional actors that is focused on the importance of wetlands and the Water Nexus. Our theatrical performances engage children from Grades K-6, with opportunities for student volunteers to perform with us on stage. Our shows feature curriculum-based scripts, exciting sets, props, and costumes - and popular music based on hits that kids and teachers love!
Suitable for Grades 1 - 6
Morning Performance: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Afternoon Performance: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 12:45 - 1:45 PM
Morning Performance: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Afternoon Performance: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 12:15 - 1:45 PM
Green Calgary
Worms Love Leftovers! Reducing Food Waste
Meet, touch and hold a bin full of vermicomposting worms! Learn about food waste, ways we can reduce our impact, and how worms can turn our food waste into valuable compost.
Suitable for Grades 1 - 6
Session 1: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 9:30 - 10:30 AM
Session 2: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 12:45 - 1:45 PM
Session 1: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 9:30- 10:30 AM
Session 2: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 12:45 - 1:45 PM
Green Calgary & CPAWS Southern Alberta
Take Environmental Action with Citizen Science
Take part in hands-on citizen science activities and contribute to real-world science! Discover the amazing animals in your school yard and around your home, and submit your sightings to help scientists with their work! Through games and hands-on activities, we will learn what citizen science is, and how we can take part!
Suitable for Grades 3 - 9
Highfield Regenerative Farm
Poop Class
Poop Class with Highfield Regenerative Farm connects the need for soil health to the health of our food, and to the health of our bodies. It all starts in the soil, and we will explore the soil food web starting with worm poop and follow the food journey all the way to planting your own seed in a pot made of cow poop.
Suitable for Grades 1 - 9
Session 1: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 9:30 - 10:30 AM
Session 2: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Session 1: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 9:30- 10:30 AM
Session 2: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Living Soil Solutions
Worms at Work
Get up close and personal with these hardworking squiggly wriggly critters. Students will learn the difference between dirt and soil and its importance to all humans, diving into how worms are used for composting, and all the things the worms need from us to provide them with a comfortable home.
Suitable for Grades K - 4
Nature Calgary - Calgary Field Naturalists' Society
Backyard Bird Sounds: Come Hoot, Chirp, Cheep and Drum
Birds are noisy! Let’s get noisy with them! Students will learn to describe bird sounds using words, phrases, and pictures. Students will have the chance to get noisy and make hoots, honks, chirps, cheeps, squawks, quacks, and drums using their lung power, whistles, and found objects. We will also play a few games to get students ready to get outside and know who’s making all those wonderful sounds, and why! By then end of the presentation, students will be able to describe and remember local bird sounds, and learn why birds make different sounds.
Suitable for Grades 3 - 6
Session 1: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 12:30 - 1:15 PM
Session 2: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 1:30 - 2:15 PM
Session 1: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 12:30 - 1:15 PM
Session 2: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM
Parks Canada
Wildlife Rules!
Parks Canada's Mountain WIT is back with a celebration of the animals that make Banff National Park such a special place. Their hilarious and catchy tunes will have you singing along while you discover how we can help our furry friends to stay wild and survive.
Suitable for Grades 2 - 9
Session 1: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
Session 2: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 1:00 - 1:45 PM
Session 1: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 11:30 AM - 1:45 PM
Session 2: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 1:00 - 1:45 PM
Thimbleberry Learning
Stories in the Plaza
This event is outside
Stories in the Plaza invites children to step outside and find delight in the ordinary, wonderful ways nature's stories unfold, wherever they are. This program follows the adventures of our puppet, Gary the Goose, and will support students to foster a sense of belonging in nature and spark their curiosity to learn more. We’ll cheer Gary on as he builds his courage in the face of fear, we’ll engage in imaginative sensory play and group poetry writing, and we’ll learn more about Indigenous connections to this land.
Suitable for Grades K - 4
Session 1: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 10:00 - 11:30 AM
Session 2: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 12:30 - 2:00 PM
We Can Too! Learning a Growth Mindset from Nature
This event is outside
How does it feel to not get it right the first time? Is failure the end of the road, or just the beginning? This outdoor workshop invites students to see mistakes and difficulties in a new light, using examples from the natural world. We will follow the adventures of our puppet, Cate the Caterpillar, as she navigates the sometimes treacherous journey to becoming a butterfly. This program encourages students to adopt a growth mindset and includes a puppet story, musical poetry, Indigenous connections, active movement, a talking circle, and a printable growth mindset resource. If Cate can do it, we can too!
Suitable for Grades 2 - 4
Session 1: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 10:00- 11:30 AM
Session 2: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 12:30 - 2:00 PM
Walter MacDonald White Bear
The Circle of Life with Walter White Bear
Please join Walter MacDonald White Bear, Cree singer-songwriter, educator, motivational speaker, and traditional knowledge keeper, as he delivers his workshop in a highly theatrical and educational style. Complete with instruments such as The Native American Courting Flute as well as the Hand Drum, Walter will share traditional songs as well as contemporary music performed on the acoustic guitar. Walter will explain and share traditional knowledge that has been passed down from Elders. The presentation will be shared in a manner that will be enjoyed by teachers and students alike, with a unique cultural perspective on the environment and Mother Earth.
Suitable for Grades K - 6
Session 1: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Session 2: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Session 3: Tuesday, June 6th 2023 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Session 1: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 10:00 - 11:00 AM
Session 2: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Session 3: Wednesday, June 7th 2023 1:00 - 2:00 PM
WP Puppet Theatre
“Tube Worms” with WP Puppet Theatre
This session is a Screening of WP Puppet Theatre’s “Tube Worms” with artist talkback, puppet demonstration, and a Q&A. “Tube Worms” is a shadow and hand puppet show performed to Wendy Passmore-Godfrey’s original poem inspired by the extraordinary hydrothermal vents, wondrous deep-water creatures, and concern for this precious environment. The presentation begins with a video screening of the 10-minute puppet show, which features lovely, shadowy underwater puppets. Then we will go behind-the-scenes to show the puppets and props, demo more ideas on making puppets for the dark - like LED puppets - and will conclude with a hands-on workshop to make and experiment with a shadow puppet.
Suitable for Grades 2 - 5
Online sessions
Opening Ceremony
Opening Ceremony – 34th Annual Mayor’s Environment Expo
Join Mayor Gondek as she kicks off our 34th annual Mayor's Environment Expo. She will share her passion for climate action and environmental stewardship while welcoming students and teachers to join The City in its climate and environment initiatives through Environment Expo sessions, exhibitors and programming. EcoSchools Canada's delivery partner, the Alberta Council for Environmental Education (ACEE), will then announce and celebrate the EcoSchools in Alberta that have achieved certification this year.
Suitable for Grades K-12
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Southern Alberta
Wild Wellness: It's in YOUR Nature
Do you ever wonder why the world just feels better when you are outside? Spending time in nature, or Vitamin N, makes us breathe, think, and feel better; but don’t take our word for it. Join CPAWS Southern Alberta for a dose of nature play and mindfulness, and let Mother Nature convince you!
Suitable for Grades 1-6
City of Calgary – Environmental Education, Recreation and Social Programs
Habitat for Pollinators!
Did you know we have over 200 species of native bees in Calgary? This workshop will explore who our local pollinators are, why we have so many pollinator species in Calgary, what ecosystems are important for their survival, and the bigger picture of how you can help protect the spaces used by pollinators. Students will be encouraged to take action to add to the pollinator habitat in our city.
Suitable for Grades 1-6
Living Soil Solutions
Worms at Work
Get up close and personal with these hardworking squiggly wriggly critters. Students will learn the difference between dirt and soil and its importance to all humans, diving into how worms are used for composting, and all the things the worms need from us to provide them with a comfortable home.
Suitable for Grades K-4