EE Events and Resources

Wisconsin Water Thinkers Network Gathering IV: Innovative Ways of Engaging the Public about Water

March 13, 2019    Grand Geneva Resort, Lake Geneva, WI

This year’s WWTN Gathering will be an excellent opportunity to network and explore collaborations around innovative ways in engaging the public about water. We’ll learn about Grand Geneva Resorts use and management of water and think about how places like this and other non-conventional approaches can be used to develop water thinkers.

Registration is just $35 for professionals and $15 for undergraduate and graduate students and includes all gathering activities and lunch.  Also included is a Morning Only registration option that includes a continental breakfast and program participation until 11:00am for $20.

Agenda:

9:00am – 3:30pm

  • Continental breakfast and lunch included
  • Networking, collaboration, and keynote presentation sessions
  • Exploration of innovative strategies of public education and engagement

Registration Deadline: February 22, 2019

Sand Lake Conservation Camp

The annual Sand Lake Conservation Camp will be held June 19-21 at Camp Bird Youth Camp, near Crivitz, WI.  This camp is for Wisconsin & Upper Michigan youth attending grades 6-8 in September.  It provides positive outdoor experiences, helps foster an appreciation for nature, and introduces a variety of opportunities in natural resources and conservation careers.  Topics include wildlife ecology, water quality, fisheries, outdoor skills, and more.  $100 fee until May 22; after May 22 is $150.  Cut-off date is June 3 and space is limited; registrations are on a first-come, first-served basis.  Registration forms will be available by end of February.  For more information, call 715-732-7784 or visit: http://www.marinettecounty.com & search for “Sand Lake” or “Sand Lake Conservation Camp”.

Campers make new friends, participate in hands-on activities, practice social & leadership skills, enjoy the outdoors, and just have fun!  It’s a great educational hands-on opportunity and a unique summer camp experience focused on conservation and natural resources.

Click here for camp brochure. FAQ

The 30th Anniversary ENERGY FAIR IN CUSTER, WI

Save the date, June 21-23, 2019

Celebrate our 30th Anniversary with us on the summer solstice!
Register to exhibit by Feb. 15th for 10% off.  Submit a workshop proposal by Feb. 15th for FREE camping.

Click here for more information.

Fifth Annual UL Innovative Education Award

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) have announced the call for entries period for the fifth annual UL Innovative Education Award (ULIEA)! Eligible 501(c)(3) organizations in the United States and Canada can apply to win up to $100,000 for using innovative Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) curricula to help K-12 students solve real-world environmental problems.

UL, a global leader in safety science, collaborated with NAAEE to launch the ULIEA in 2015. Applicants for the ULIEA should offer programs that promote learning through STEM priorities, engage all people in civic and social responsibility, and find solutions to environmental challenges. ULIEA’s mission is to invest in and support youth engagement in local environmental issues and their communities and encourages youth interest in engineering, technology, science, and mathematics.

Eligible organizations must apply by March 12, 2019. After each submission is reviewed, five winning organizations will be named the ULIEA class of 2019 in August of 2019. One grand-prize winner will receive $100,000; two second-tier winners will receive $50,000 each; and two third-tier winners will receive $25,000 each. Award winners will join a network of like-minded ULIEA alumni from the previous four years. In addition, the winners will work with UL employees and industry experts to build on organizational capacities.

Last year’s grand prize winner, Techbridge Girls, won for offering programming that opens the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to girls in low-income communities with hands-on environmental projects. Techbridge Girls’ curriculum activates its participants through real-world applications.

Read the full press release here and learn more about the UL Innovative Education Award at ulinnovationeducation.naaee.net!

The Urban Ecology Center Institute

The Urban Ecology Center is fortunate to receive inquiries from people all over the world who are interested in the UEC model. The UEC Institute formed to meet that demand. In 2019, the Institute offers a focus workshop series as well as a 4-day summer Intensive.

In 2019, the Urban Ecology Center will host two-day workshops that dive into pivotal topics of the Center’s model. Staff professionals will facilitate in-depth, experiential lessons. Topics include:

  • Nature-Based Early Childhood Education
  • From Transactional to Transformational for Fundraisers
  • Urban Land Stewardship Community Engaged Habitat Restoration
  • Community Science  Supporting Urban Collaborative Spaces

The Center’s second training Intensive for civic and community leaders from cities around the world is slated for July 22 – 26. Attendees will learn about the unique urban environmental education and community center model that the Urban Ecology Center has been running in Milwaukee for over 25 years.

 Rather than travelling to other cities, the Urban Ecology Center is bringing interested groups to Milwaukee. 2018 participants hailed from Guadalajara, Mexico; Tiberias, Israel; Medellín, Columbia; and US cities in North Carolina, Missouri, Georgia, Philadelphia, Louisiana, and Texas.

More engaging than a seminar, more interactive than a workshop, only a little more serious than summer camp, this intensive is quite simply, more! Registration opens February 1.

Scholarship & Grant $ for Amazon Rainforest PD Workshop

What:  2019 Educator Academy in the Amazon Professional Development

When:  July 1-11, 2019
Grant: $1500 Vernier Software & Technology Grant for a HS/AP Science Educator

Scholarships: $1250 Amazon Workshops Scholarships for K-12 Educators
Application Deadline:  February 1, 2019
Get more info: http://amazonworkshops.com/educator-academy/

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 explore:

  • 21st Century Instruction:  5E Lesson Design ~ Inquiry-Based Exploration ~ STEM
  • Inquiry Protocols & Resources:  Vernier  Software & Technology ~ Celestron Digital Microscopes
  • Global and Cultural Perspectives:  Service Learning ~ Sustainability ~ Global Education
  • NEW!  A specialized track for HS bio and environmental science educators with a focus on sustainability, conservation, and field work with the Maijuna indigenous community
  • Work side-by-side with scientists and researchers on citizen science projects and field studies.
  •  Explore the ¼ mile long ACTSPeru Rainforest Canopy Walkway in one of the world’s most biologically diverse environments.
  • Work with fellow educators to explore strategies for using the Amazon as a vehicle for incorporating STEM education, inquiry-based learning, and sustainability scienceeducation into your classroom.

Contact program director, Christa Dillabaugh at christa@amazonworkshops.com or 1-800-431-2624 for more information.

Teaching in the Outdoor Classroom Workshop

June 17-20, 2019

Open to all who teach children including licensed teachers, teachers in training, home school educators, naturalists, non-formal educators, park rangers, volunteers, and Friends members! Working together as a team, we explore the many ways to use an outdoor classroom to enhance and strengthen a child’s education. The workshop is held in conjunction with the Summer Explorers Biology Camp for students entering 5th and 6th grades in the fall. Workshop participants may teach any grade level and have the opportunity to apply their new skills each day with a small group of interested students. Participants receive 30 hours of clock hour instruction and workshop materials. Free on-site modern dormitory lodging is available for workshop attendees. Enrollment is limited to the first 15 educators who register.

Instructors: ISD 544 Prairie Science Class teacher Mona Davis and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service educator Molly Stoddard.

Registration opens February 15

Students for Zero Waste Week Campaign

March 18 – April 26, 2019*

*Schools choose one week (or more) to participate

Students for Zero Waste Week is a school-driven, week-long campaign to reduce waste on school campuses and within local communities with the intention of moving towards zero waste.

Students for Zero Waste Week invites your school to take the Zero Waste Week Challenge at school, in your community and at home by:

  • Replacing single-use plastic items (such as drink bottles, sandwich baggies, sport packs, etc.) with reusable alternatives
  • Replacing plastic straws with paper straws or consider not using straws
  • Stepping up recycling and composting efforts
  • Replacing single use condiment packets with bulk dispensers
  • Powering down computers and other electronic devices when not in use
  • And more!

For more information and to download materials, visit Students for Zero Waste Week

The extent to which your school is involved is up to your school!

Nominate Your Energy Champion

KEEP is excited to share we will again be able to award the 2019 Energy Educator of the Year. Two awardees will be selected who will each receive $1,000 (payable to their school or organization to further their efforts) and be honored at the WAEE Awards Banquet in April. We are seeking nominations of educators who demonstrate strong commitment to fostering energy literacy in their school and community, with preference given to educators impacting K-12 school communities, including students, teachers and families.

Nominations are being accepted for the 2019 Energy Educator of the Year awards, sponsored by the Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP). Nominate Someone Today! (Deadline February 1.)

Backyard Science Education

Great information for kids on the environment.

(Site suggested by Hannah Ainsworth’s elementary science class – Jane, Michelle and Sam)

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:

  1. Purchase young milkweed plants by the flat through the Milkweed Market:https://monarchwatch.org/milkweed/market/
  2. 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/
  3. 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.

More information

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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

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.

 

 

Forestry Education

Addressing Middle and High School Disciplinary Literacy through Forestry Education Workshop (EE Stipulation)

  • CESA 4, West Salem – March 5
  • CESA 3, Fennimore – March 26

Developing Elementary Literacy Skills through Outdoor Learning Workshop (EE Stipulation)

  • 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 “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 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”.

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.MiamiOH.edu/18-19_news

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_news

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_news

Graduate tuition for all programs is greatly reduced because of support from Miami University.

Prairie Wetlands Learning Center

Outdoor Classroom News