National Children & Youth Garden Symposium
Building Blocks for a Sustainable Future
Call for Session Proposals
The American Horticultural Society is pleased to announce its 27th annualNational Children & Youth Garden Symposium (NCYGS), the only national professional development event of its kind where we are cultivating tomorrow’s gardeners by energizing, inspiring, and training today’s garden educators. The 2019 event will take place July 10-13 in Madison, Wisconsin, hosted by Community Groundworks, the University of Wisconsin’s Environmental Design Lab, and the Wisconsin School Garden Network. At the core of the symposium are peer-led educational sessions that focus on relevant, thought-provoking topics, provide attendees with practical knowledge and skills, and appeal to attendees representing a variety of experience levels, educational settings, and youth audiences.
Now’s your chance to share your expertise with garden educators by presenting a session! We are calling for sessions that embody our theme, Building Blocks for a Sustainable Future. Sessions should introduce attendees to innovative sustainable gardening curriculum and practices, and partnerships; explore “green” career resources; and highlight model partnerships and management techniques for attracting the human, financial, and intellectual capital needed to sustain youth gardening endeavors. Session presenters receive a discounted registration rate to attend the symposium. Please reference these tips and guidelines and submit your session proposal online by December 31, 2018.
Save the date for the 27th annual National Children & Youth Garden Symposium!
Who: adults working in many different capacities – garden designers, educators, community leaders – to connect young people with the natural world
What: an annual professional development event, training educators in current trends and best practices in garden- and nature-based learning
When: July 10-13, 2019
Where: Madison, Wisconsin with excursions to the Troy Kid’s Garden, Madison Children’s Museum, Olbrich Botanic Gardens, and more
Why: share ideas, success stories, and inspiration with like-minded colleagues from across the nation
How: four dynamic days of:
- peer-taught sessions covering a range of relevant topics in small group settings to encourage substantive discussions
- field trips to regional sites with a garden/nature focus
- expert keynote presentations
- structured and informal networkingopportunities
For more information about NCYGS or to unsubscribe from future NCYGS emails, contact education@ahsgardening.org.
As we celebrate the holidays with tables filled with produce brought to us by pollinators (cranberries, pumpkins, apples, herbs, coffee, chocolate, peppers, tomatoes, etc.), populations of monarch butterfly are still struggling across their North American range. They need milkweeds and other nectar-bearing native wildflowers to be planted across the landscape to support their amazing tri-national annual migration. Help out our pollinator friends this holiday by ordering milkweed plugs for spring!
Many gardeners, farmers, conservationists, and other land managers find it tricky to find locally appropriate milkweed plants. Help is here! Our partners at the non-profit,Monarch Watch, have created the Milkweed Market to offer low cost or free (for non-profits and schools) milkweed seedlings for your pollinator gardens or larger-scale projects. Monarch Watch distributed over 147,000 milkweed seedlings in 2018 through partnering nurseries in Kansas, Oklahoma, California, and Florida. Simply order ahead of time (now) to make sure suppliers can meet the upcoming year’s demand. Preorders and early applications are necessary to help determine how many plants are needed for production.
Three ways to get milkweed seedlings for Spring 2019:
- Purchase young milkweed plants by the flat through the Milkweed Market:https://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market/
- Funding is in place to distribute 100,000 FREE milkweeds for restoration projects, which provides free milkweeds for large scale (2+ acres) habitat restorations on both private and public lands. Monarch Watch is currently accepting applications for Spring 2019: http://monarchwatch.org/bring-back-the-monarchs/milkweed/free-milkweeds-for-restoration-projects/
- A separate grant is available so schools and educational non-profit organizations can apply for one free flat of milkweed at this link:https://biosurvey.ku.edu/application-free-milkweed-nonprofits-and-schools
Thank you for your help in spreading the word and planting more milkweed for monarchs. If you do not see milkweed available for you now, re-visit the Milkweed Market later to see if they have added products based on new seed acquisitions. Please contact Dena Podrebarac at Monarch Watch with any questions at denap@ku.edu.
Midwest Outdoor Leadership Conference
“Seeking Simplicity”
February 15-18, 2019
Earlham College. Richmond, Indiana
Join us for the 9th annual Midwest Outdoor Leadership Conference!
MWOLC is a student-run outdoor leadership conference that occurs each year, hosted by various colleges and universities throughout the Midwest. The weekend consists of workshops, networking opportunities, a Q&A panel, and a keynote address, as well as many fun activities. This conference is an opportunity for undergraduate students interested in the field of outdoor recreation and education to unite and learn from each other, developing their leadership and technical skills, while making connections with others that may influence their future careers or hobbies.
Click here for more information.
NAI – Heartland
Join us in the Badger State for the 2019 NAI Heartland Region Workshop, March 20-23, hosted at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Explore local parks, trails, and museums, stroll through the historic downtown, and sample Wisconsin’s famous cheese!
Connect with Aldo Leopold’s land ethic at his historic shack, tour historic landmarks of the largest rural Polish American community in the U.S., visit internationally known Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, and more at off-site sessions.
The 2019 Workshop will include keynote presentations by Stanley Temple and Ron Zimmerman. Temple is a Senior Fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation and was Professor in Conservation at UW-Madison, a position first held by Aldo Leopold. Zimmerman was Director of Schmeeckle Reserve at UW-Stevens Point where he helped develop one of the largest college interpretive training programs in the country.
FREE- SCIENCE RESOURCES
Titled: “Bringing the Universe to America’s Classroom!” produced by WGBH- PBS LEARNING MEDIA. There are some great lessons dealing with climate, weather, and the solary energy from the sun… just to mention a few!
https://wpt.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/universe/
Each topical collection listed below includes a lesson plan and supplementary resources that feature a range of innovative media. Some of the media-rich education resources featured in these lessons include: IMAGES, INTERACTIVES, GAMES, VIDEOS, and DATA VISUALIZATIONS. Flexible support materials aid instructional use and integration into the classroom. The material contained in this product is based upon work supported by NASA.
There are units for all grades K-12.
K-2: Waves (light), Space, Earth’s Systems, and Weather/Climate
3-5: Space, Earth’s System
6-8: Space, Earth’s System, Weather/Climate
9-12: Space, Weather/Climate
$1250 Scholarships for Amazon Rainforest PD Workshop
Educator Academy in the Amazon Rainforest
The July 1-11, 2019 Educator Academy in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru is a cross-curricular professional development workshop for K-12 formal and informal educators to learn and use:
· 21st Century Instruction: Inquiry-Based Exploration ~ NGSS ~ STEM ~ 5E
· Inquiry Protocols & Resources: Project Learning Tree ~ Cornell Lab of Ornithology ~ & More!
· Global and Cultural Perspectives: ~ Sustainability ~ Global Education ~ Indigenous Cultures
Join Al Stenstrup, Project Learning Tree; Dr. Nancy Trautmann, Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Kristie Reddick, The Bug Chicks; along with scientists Dr. Steve Madigosky, Widener University; and Randy Morgan, Curator/Entomologist, Cincinnati Zoo as you:
· Work side-by-side with scientists and researchers on citizen science projects and field studies on the ACTSPeru Rainforest Canopy Walkway in one of the world’s most biologically diverse environments.
· Explore conservation and sustainability via hands-on workshops with indigenous communities.
· Spend a day in an Amazon village and explore the role of education in creating a sustainable future for Amazon children.
· Work in grade-level cohorts to develop strategies for using the Amazon as a vehicle for incorporating standards-based inquiry, STEM, and sustainability education into your classroom.
PLT Certification, BirdSleuth, and other resources included. Academic Credit and Machu Picchu Extension optional. $1250 scholarship deadline February 1, 2019. With a scholarship, Academy Program fees are $1345 (airfare not included). Space is limited to 30 educators – Register early to secure your spot!
Get the details and download a syllabus and scholarship application at here. Contact Educator Academy Director, Christa Dillabaugh, for more information:
Email: christa@amazonworkshops.com
Phone: 1-800-431-2624
Back to Basics: MNA Conference 2018
- November 9-11, 2018
- Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center
- Lanesboro, MN
- Click here for more information
Become Your Best Teacher!
Get inspired and reignite your passion by using the environment to advance student learning. Connect your curriculum to standards-based activities using the outdoors. Advance your utility of place-based resources to engage learners. The Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education works with you to integrate environmental education into your curriculum and increase the sustainability of your school community. Various workshops and courses listed below also fulfill the DPI Environmental Education Stipulation. Look below for (EE Stipulation) to identify the approved opportunities. Click here for more information.
Energy Education
Utilizing the School Building as a Teaching Tool: Investigations in Energy Efficiency Workshop (EE Stipulation)
- CESA 6, Oshkosh – December 14
- CESA 4, West Salem – January 23
NRES 633 Energy Education: Concepts and Practices Course (EE Stipulation)
- Online – October 31-December 2
Forestry Education
Introduction to Forestry Education for the K-12 Classroom Workshop (EE Stipulation)
- CESA 6, Oshkosh – January 18
Addressing Middle and High School Disciplinary Literacy through Forestry Education Workshop (EE Stipulation)
- CESA 11, Turtle Lake – January 24
- CESA 4, West Salem – March 5
- CESA 3, Fennimore – March 26
Developing Elementary Literacy Skills through Outdoor Learning Workshop (EE Stipulation)
- CESA 11, Turtle Lake – January 24
- CESA 4, West Salem – April 11
Working Toward a “Three-Dimensional” Approach to K-8 Science Learning Workshop (EE Stipulation)
- CESA 4, West Salem – February 5
Project Learning Tree “Energy in Ecosystems” Workshop for 3rd-5th Grade Teachers
- UW-Stevens Point – November 6
Project Learning Tree Climate Change and Our Forests Workshop for Secondary Educators
- Schmeeckle Reserve Visitor Center, Stevens Point – December 14
Project Learning Tree “Carbon & Climate” Workshop for 6th-8th Grade Teachers
Click here for more information
STEAM Point Days
UWSP Continuing Education is looking for energetic presenters to take part in STEAM Point Days (formerly known as STEM Exploration Days). STEAM Point Days are offered by UWSP Continuing Education and Outreach via three annual events. The two larger events are held at UWSP with one in November for boys and one in February for girls, both catering to students in grades 7 and 8. The third event is for boys and girls in grades 6 – 8 and is held at Treehaven in May. This is a great way for you and/or your students to showcase passions and inspire middle school students to consider a major in your department.
Presenters may provide one to three, one-hour, hands-on STEAM workshops at the UW-Stevens Point events and up to four, 40-minute workshops at the Treehaven event. Workshops are intended to engage and interest students into entering STEM careers with an understanding that the “A” within STEAM is an essential piece of being successful within STEM careers.
If you have STEAM workshop topic idea and are interested in presenting to area youth at one or more events, please complete the workshop proposal form. Workshops are typically limited to less than 25 students and we can adjust capacity to meet accommodate your plans.
For more information on STEAM Point Days visit: https://www.uwsp.edu/conted/ConfWrkShp/Pages/STEM/STEAM.aspx
Event dates and Workshop Proposal Form Deadlines:
- STEAM Achieve for Girls: Friday, February 15, 2019 (Workshop Proposal Deadline: November 30, 2018)
- STEAM Achieve at Treehaven: Friday, May 3, 2019 (Workshop Proposal Deadline: February 8, 2019)
“STEAM is an educational and integrated approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics, where principles of the arts-the creative process, critique and innovation-support critical thinking used in areas of STEM. STEAM education encompasses a larger pallet of learning resulting in students who are thoughtful risk takers, persistent and collaborative problem-solvers, and experiential learners”.
Solar Central Wisconsin 2.0
MREA’s Solar Central Wisconsin 2.0 has now launched. This is a series of 20 FREE one-hour events that teaches people about the basics of solar, its financial implications for a households/businesses, and how the solar group buy program works. Program schedule and other information is available at www.CWsolar.org and https://www.growsolar.org/sola
Each one-hour event is the same as the next, just at a different location, so you would only need to attend one event to get all necessary information.
For questions, please contact Ryan at the MREA at ryan@midwestrenew.org , or 715-592-6595 Ext 105.
Project Dragonfly
Miami University’s Project Dragonfly is accepting applications for 2019 Earth Expeditions graduate courses that offer extraordinary experiences in 16 countries throughout the world. http://EarthExpeditions.MiamiO
Earth Expeditions can build toward the Global Field Program (GFP), a master’s degree that combines summer field courses worldwide with web learning communities so that students can complete the GFP master’s part-time from anywhere in the United States or abroad. http://GFP.MiamiOH.edu/18-19_n
Project Dragonfly also offers the Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) master’s degree that combines web instruction from Miami University with experiential learning and field study through several AIP Master Institutions in the U.S. Applications for Miami’s 2019 cohorts are being accepted now with place-based experiences provided at zoos in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Denver, New York, San Diego, Seattle, and St. Louis. http://AIP.MiamiOH.edu/18-19_n
Graduate tuition for all programs is greatly reduced because of support from Miami University.
Prairie Wetlands Learning Center
