More Than a Colouring Book: Building Ocean Connections Through Collaboration, Creativity, and Community

Written by: Sondra Eger

The Inner Bay of Fundy Colouring & Activity Book: Volume 1 began with a simple idea: finding a creative way to share the stories, species, and people connected to one of Atlantic Canada’s most remarkable marine ecosystems. 

Photo Credit: Laurie Vinot

Through contributions from scientists, educators, community members, Indigenous knowledge holders, and ocean users, it became a collaborative ocean literacy initiative reflecting the many ways people know, experience, and connect with the ocean. Together, these contributions shaped a resource rooted in the richness and diversity of the Inner Bay of Fundy, while also supporting deeper connections to inspire curiosity, stewardship, and collective action for the ocean.

The vision evolved organically over more than five years through collaboration among the three co-authors, with contributions and content provided through a wide-reaching network of friends, colleagues, researchers, educators, Indigenous knowledge holders, and community members connected to the Bay. These included stories, research, lived experience, ecological knowledge, local observations, and creative ideas from the places they were working and connected to. 

As the material accumulated, it became clear that the project did not fit neatly within conventional publishing formats. While standard publication models provided a useful starting point, much of the work involved adapting those structures to accommodate multiple voices, perspectives, and ways of knowing. This required developing thoughtful labeling systems, creating space for diverse contributions, and making design choices that could present scientific information alongside local and lived experience without diminishing either.

The project also evolved significantly from its original scope. Initially envisioned as a colouring and activity book covering the entire Bay of Fundy, the volume and diversity of content quickly became too extensive for a single publication. As a result, the project was refined to focus on the Inner Bay of Fundy, creating a more manageable and cohesive first edition while leaving open the possibility of a future Lower Bay of Fundy volume. This evolution required ongoing coordination among contributors, the illustrator, graphic designer, and publisher, with continuous adaptation as new ideas, content, and opportunities emerged throughout the development process.

A participatory approach to ocean learning runs throughout the book, inviting readers to explore the ecosystems, species, cultural connections, and human activities that shape the Inner Bay of Fundy and its internationally recognized tides and muddy waters. Species are presented in multiple languages where available, including Latin scientific names as well as English, French, and Mi’kmaw common names, reflecting the many ways people understand, experience, and relate to the natural world. Designed with varying levels of content for curious minds of all ages, the book encourages discovery whether the reader is 3 or 93, a lifelong resident or a first-time visitor, offering multiple entry points for learning, reflection, and connection to place.

At its core, the project is grounded in ocean literacy – the understanding that the ocean is inseparable from everyday life, shaped by relationships between people, place, culture, climate, and ecosystems.

Designed for use across classrooms, homes, community spaces, and informal learning environments, the book was created with accessibility in mind from the outset. It has since been used in education programs, outreach events, tourism, and interpretation settings, often bringing different generations together in shared moments of discovery. This highlights how place-based storytelling can emerge when diverse forms of knowledge and creativity are brought together in accessible ways.

In turn, this strengthens understanding of how people and ocean systems shape one another – supporting curiosity, connection, and pathways toward stewardship and collective action grounded in appreciation for the natural world as something we are part of, not separate from.

Sharing the Book Through Ocean Week Halifax

This past Ocean Week, The Inner Bay of Fundy Colouring & Activity Book made appearances at a number of public events across Halifax. Sondra Eger, Board Member of CANOE, project lead, and co-author, shared the book with residents, visitors, educators, and ocean enthusiasts through community activities focused on ocean literacy, creativity, and connection to place.

Sondra and winner at the Halifax Library. Photo Taken by Mélanie Koehnemann

Photos from Ocean Week Halifax capture these moments of exchange, where the book was shared directly with the public through conversations and interactive displays focused on ocean literacy and connection to place.

After sharing the book at an Alliance Pense event during Ocean Week 2025, Sondra was invited back to participate in French + Craft = Fantastique on May 22, 2026, a recurring community event hosted by Alliance Française Halifax at the Halifax Central Library. This year’s bilingual Ocean Week gathering invited children and their families to colour pages from the book, experiment with plasticine using ocean stamps, and explore ocean imagery through tracing and hands-on creative play.

Copies of the book were raffled off during the celebrations. Alanna Canaran, co-chair of Ocean Week Halifax pictured here with the lucky winner at the Waterfront! Photo taken by Sondra Eger

On June 7, 2026, the book was featured at the Ocean Week Halifax Ocean Celebration at Foundation Wharf. The event brought together ocean organizations, educators, researchers, artists, and community groups for a day of public engagement focused on ocean education. Visitors explored the activity book, shared stories of their own connections to the Bay of Fundy, coloured pages, and discovered new ways to learn about the region’s marine ecosystems through Ocean Literacy Bingo.

These experiences reinforced a central theme of the project: ocean literacy begins with curiosity and grows through shared experiences that connect people to place. The enthusiasm, conversations, and new connections created during Ocean Week highlighted the power of creative, community-based approaches to learning about the ocean.

For more events, updates, and future opportunities to connect with the project, follow @colourthecoasts

Looking Ahead

While the English edition of the book is currently available online and in shops throughout the region, the next phase of the project focuses on strengthening its role as a practical support for educators and expanding its reach and accessibility through French and Mi’kmaw versions.

The goal is for the book to complement classroom learning by bringing ocean topics into everyday teaching, helping youth better understand their own “backyard” ecosystems, why it matters, how it supports them, and how their actions, in turn, affect it. With connections to the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Bay of Fundy Ecosystem Partnership (BOFEP) and the International Ocean Institute at Dalhousie University, the team hopes to work alongside educators to develop a curriculum guide that maps sections of the book to specific learning outcomes and education levels, making it easier to integrate ocean literacy into classrooms in meaningful and practical ways.

In parallel, the project is seeking funding to support French and Mi’kmaw translations, ensuring the resource reflects the linguistic and cultural diversity of the region. Translation work is underway, but additional support is needed for layout, formatting, collaboration with the publisher, and production costs required to adapt the visual design for multiple languages.

Together, these next steps aim to deepen ocean literacy in classrooms, strengthen connections between students and their local marine environments, and support a more grounded understanding of how people and the ocean are interconnected.

Most importantly, the hope is that the book continues to spark curiosity – whether through a child colouring a page, a visitor discovering a species, an educator introducing ocean concepts, or a community member sharing local knowledge.

If the project has demonstrated anything, it is that ocean literacy does not begin with facts – it begins with connection.

To learn more about the book, see recent news articles, share ideas, or explore partnerships, contact colourthecoasts@gmail.com or visit https://linktr.ee/colourthecoasts.

About the Author

Despite growing up and studying in landlocked communities, Sondra Eger always felt drawn to the ocean. For more than a decade, she has worked at the intersection of marine science, policy and practice –  contributing to research, science communication, local engagement and program development across Canada, the Caribbean, and Africa. She currently works for Parks Canada to support the expansion of effective and equitable ocean protection and decision-making while pursuing passion projects focused on ocean stewardship, storytelling, art, and education.