Curriculum Support and School Resources

Food and Nutrition

Bright Bites – provides curriculum supports and classroom activities related to food and bodies for grades K- 8.
Teaching Canada’s food guide - Canada's Food Guide - toolkit for educators to help students learn about food skills, develop healthy eating patterns and understand Canada’s food guide.
Grey Bruce Public Health - Supportive Food Environments in Community Settings - resources for teachers to create a classroom that is supportive of healthy growth and development and mental health; includes the language and resources used to talk and teach about food.

Human Development and Healthy Sexuality

Always Changing & Growing Up | Ophea.net - resources for grades 5-8 that supports teaching adolescent growth and development, personal hygiene, and healthy, active living.
Teaching Sexual Health.ca - up-to-date, evidence-based information and strategies for teachers and educators teaching students from birth up to 18 years of age. Note: content focus is on the Alberta Education Human Sexuality curriculum.
SexandU.ca - initiative of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada that provides accurate, credible, and up-to-date information and education on topics related to sexual and reproductive health.
Puberty and Health Education Program - school-based puberty education and healthy, active living program for students in grades 5 through 8.
Ottawa Public Health – add info and link
Sexual Health Ontario

Resources to Borrow:

Birth Control Kits – Includes samples of all types of birth control plus pamphlets for detailed information
Age-Play Kits - Build empathy and understanding for impact of aging on our bodies and abilities.

Immunization

Vaccination Talks Toolkit - teaching and learning strategies, activities and lessons plans related to vaccines as part of healthy living,
Vaccines work - case counts of 6 vaccine-preventable diseases before and after routine vaccination
Vaccine safety: Canada's system – Vaccines in Canada undergo extensive monitoring and testing and are among the most strictly regulated medical products in Canada. Before any vaccine is approved for use, it must be shown to be safe and effective in preenting the disease that it targets.
Diseases & Vaccines - Learn more about diseases that can be prevented by routine immunizations.
Ontario's routine immunization schedule - Note: every province may have a different immunization schedule.
Kids Boost Immunity - Canadian web-based curriculum support that is free for teachers and provides a unique and tailored interactive classroom experience that is carefully curated to follow the school curriculum.
ICON – Easily review, update and print your immunization records using ICON, Ontario's secure online immunization records website.

Personal Safety and Injury Prevention

Grey Bruce Public Health – Concussion and Sport Injury – policy guidance, educator professional development opportunities and Rowan’s Law toolkit.
Grey Bruce Public Health - Road Safety – resources for student empowerment, curriculum connections and ways to reduce traffic congestion and create a safer school zone.
Grey Bruce Public Health – Water Safety – FAQs

Mental Wellbeing

School Mental Health Ontario - partners with Ministry of Education, English and French school districts and school authorities, and a number of provincial education and health organizations to develop a systematic and comprehensive approach to school mental health. Through these services, we aim to enhance the quality and consistency of mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention programming in Ontario schools.
Mental Health Literacy Course for Educators – six module courses designed to provide educators with basic knowledge and information related to mental health, strategies to enhance student mental health, and everyday practices for use in the classroom.
PREVNet –creates and share learning resources that address bullying and teen dating violence across Canada.
Grey Bruce Public Health – Mental Health and Wellness – general resources outlining differences between mental health vs mental illness, Indigenous ways of knowing about mental health and wellness and community resources.
Kids Help Phone - 24/7 e-mental health service; free confidential supports for young people; over 400 resources including videos, games and tools.

Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep

Grey Bruce Public Health - Active Living - resources and curriculum support on physical activity, sedentary behaviours, screen/device behaviour and sleep.
Grey Bruce Public Health - Cycling and Pedestrian Safety - safe cycling rules and skills resources and links.
Grey Bruce Public Health – Sun and UV – sample policies, posters, videos and activities along with information for schools and communities.
Sleep - HPE Curriculum Supports Grades 6-12 - includes information on the science of sleep, presentation notes, links to activities, sleep tracker tools, and Kahoot! Quiz

Resources to Borrow:

Pedometers – to track how many steps people take in a day
OPHEA’s Yoga Alphabet Cards – Playful alphabet poses to support students in learning the basics of yoga while developing physical literacy and language skills
OPHEA’s 50 Fitness Cards – A set of core on-the-spot fitness moves that can be used on their own or to add variety to existing activities
OPHEA’s BrainBlitz- 25 activity cards that make it quick, fun, and easy to take an active break during learning, and can be used as an opportunity to improve attention
OPHEA’s One a Day For Active Play – 200 creative game and activity cards that can be used for ice-breakers, warm-ups or support the implementation of DPA

Screens and Digital Behaviour

Media Smarts (K-8) - tools to help students develop critical thinking skills for interacting with media.
Common Sense Media (K-12) -lesson plans and resources for digital citizenship and responsible technology use.
School Mental Health Ontario - webinars and resources on the adverse effects of excessive screen time and tools to reduce usage.
Screen-Free Week and Screen-Free Saturdays
Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum Supports 2024
Grey Bruce Public Health - Screens and Digital Behaviour – key statistics, screen use policies and digital literacy, amongst other useful resources.

Head Lice

Head lice - Caring for kids– reviews the signs and symptoms; causes, risk factors and prevalence; diagnosis; treatment and prevention.
Grey Bruce Public Health – Head lice FAQ – reviews frequently asked questions, including: When can my child go back to school? Who should I tell? What is the cost? How do I treat the home?

Infectious Diseases

Infectious Diseases Guidelines for Schools - disease signs and symptoms; cause and transmission; incubation; contagious period and exclusion guidelines for schools and daycares.
Infection Prevention & Control (IPAC) – School Absenteeism - infection prevention and control measures to consider when schools see an increased rate of illness among students and staff.
Reportable Disease of PH Significance - outlines diseases and their etiologic agents that are reportable to Grey Bruce Public Health as per Ontario Regulation 135/18 under the Health Protection and Promotion Act.
Health Guidance for Going to School - document to help guide decisions about when to go to school and when to stay home if you’re not feeling well.

Resources to Borrow:

Glo Germ – teaches how to wash hands using a glow Germ black light!

Inclusivity and Diversity

pflagcanada - website that helps 2SLGBTQ+ people and loved ones connect with resources, find a supportive community and provide peer support, education and advocacy.
Kids Help Phone - 24/7 e-mental health service; free confidential supports for young people; over 400 resources including videos, games and tools.
LBGT youthline - provides affirming, anonymous peer support and resources for 2SLGBTQ+ youth across Ontario.
Rainbow Health

JK Registration Resources

Sleep Recommendations for Children Handout (OSPAPPH)

Screen and Digital Devices - Using Parental Controls (Media Smarts) - a resource for parents on ways of limiting what content your kids can see online, which apps and programs they can access and how much time they can spend online.

Technology Agreements (Positive Parenting Solutions) - print and use example family technology use agreement

Lunch Your Kids Will Munch

10 TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD: Have a Positive Relationship with Food & Their Body

Nurturing Healthy Eaters in Elementary Schools (French)

Nurturing Healthy Eaters in Elementary Schools (English)

Fine Gross Motor Skills

Movement for Learning - Meals and Snacks

Eye See Eye Learn - Eyeglasses Program for JK/SK Students

ICON: Electronic Immunization Record

Healthy Smiles Factsheet

Substance Use and Harm Reduction

Smoke-free Act – how does it impact schools?

School Offence Reporting Form – Form to report offences on school property, within 20 metres of school property or on school buses to Grey Bruce Public Health. Offences can include smoking, vaping, or providing commercial tobacco or vape products, including e-liquids or pods to another student under 19 years of age.

Diversion Process Flow Chart; Diversion Alternative Pathway – process implemented by the Tobacco Enforcement Officer (TEO) for first-time offence students who have been found to have used e-cigarettes, or commercial tobacco products on school property, or when they have supplied these products to another student who is underage.

Supportive Conversations Resource - This is a resource for the parents of students caught in violation of the Smoke Free Ontario Act 2017. Educators can provide this resource to parents to help them have supportive conversations about substance use with their youth.

Quit Supports for Youth – from apps to in-person supports, allies can support youth to reduce and/or quit substance use.

Vaping Prevention, Commercial Tobacco Use Prevention – curriculum resources for educators.

Alcohol and Other Drugs – resources, guidance and infographics related to alcohol, cannabis, prescription and illicit drugs and commercial tobacco products.

Opioids and Overdose – resources, guidance, and videos.

Curriculum Supports Available to Borrow:

Grey Bruce Public Health has a variety of resources available by request for local educators. To request any of the following resources for your classroom, fill out and submit the GBPH Curriculum Supports Request Form

Substance Use Health Resources:

Vaping Trivia Wheel (Grades 4+): A trivia game with questions and answers about vaping. Includes grade-specific lesson plans.
Pig Lungs (Grades 4+): A kit including real pigs' lungs demonstrating the effects of smoking cigarettes for 20 +years. Also includes laminated diagrams of the heart and lungs to show the impacts of vaping on organs. Includes grade-specific lesson plans.
Operation Truth (Grades 4+): A downloadable, print-ready detective style game. Operation Truth teaches youth about the harms of vaping cannabis, how high levels of THC can negatively affect mental health, and strategies on how to stand up to the pressure to vape. Includes grade-specific lesson plans.
Not an Experiment Kit (Grades 4+): Reusable escape room-style game kits for vaping education. Banners, stickers, and colour changing pencils are also available for request. Includes grade-specific lesson plans.
Cannabis Plinko (Grades 5+): A trivia game with questions and answers about cannabis related to the law, health impacts, harm reduction and general statistics. Includes grade-specific lesson plans.
Cannabis Impairment Goggles & Activities (Grades 5+): Includes grade-specific lesson plans.
Alcohol Impairment Goggles & Activities (Grades 5+): Includes grade-specific lesson plans.
Pamphlets and Posters about Canada's Guidance on Alcohol (Grades 5+): Includes grade-specific lesson plans.

Sexual Health Resources:

Birth Control Teaching Kit (Grade 9+): Hands-on, classroom-friendly resource that helps students learn about contraception, pregnancy prevention, sexual health, and informed decision-making.

Physical Activity and Nutrition Resources:

Pedometers: To track how many steps people take in a day
OPHEA’s Yoga Alphabet Cards: Playful alphabet poses to support students in learning the basics of yoga while developing physical literacy and language skills
OPHEA’s 50 Fitness Cards: A set of core on-the-spot fitness moves that can be used on their own or to add variety to existing activities
OPHEA’s BrainBlitz: 25 activity cards that make it quick, fun, and easy to take an active break during learning, and can be used as an opportunity to improve attention
OPHEA’s One a Day For Active Play: 200 creative game and activity cards that can be used for ice-breakers, warm-ups or support the implementation of DPA
Paint Your Plate Kits (JK-Grade 5): Includes Food Bingo and Food Flash Cards, Memory Card Game, and 13 activity cards for teaching and learning about food and nutrition.
Why Paper & Scissors Rock!! (Book - CIRA Ontario): Rock, paper, scissor games and variation for of fun physical activity for warmups, tag games, sport variations, group and individual games.
Intermediate DPA Resource Guide (Book - York Region DSB): Simple moderate to vigorous movement activities and games for the classroom, hallway, gym and outside.
Great Gater Games (Book – CIRA Ontario): Games designed around Gator Balls, including dodge ball, icebreakers, and team games that support various fundamental movement skills.