"I skate to where the puck will be, not to where it has been."

-Wayne Gretzky, famous Canadian philosopher

November 2010

MN-PLT News

Feature Story- Why Teach Outside?/Barriers to Teaching Outside/Top Ten Tips for Teaching Outside

Quick—what's your favorite Project Learning Tree activity? Now think again. Where do you do it?

If you answered "indoors," reflect… could you have done it outdoors? Even reading a story, like the "The Story of S.T. Shrew," takes on so many added dimensions, if simply read outdoors. Full story

PLT GreenSchools
How "green" is your school? Does your school recycle, compost, post "No Idling" signs at parent pick-up spots, use motion sensors to turn off lights, or aerators on faucets to conserve water? The PLT GreenSchools website contains 5 student-led (teacher-facilitated) investigations of their school site. (There are 5 investigations designed for elementary students, and 5 for secondary students.) Students use tools such as surveys, light meters, CO2 sensors, and stopwatches to measure and assess their school's "green-ness." Teachers facilitate learning as students discover ways to help the school save money by recommending and implementing greener strategies. Students in other PLT GreenSchools around the country have presented their findings and recommendations to principals, school boards, parents, and superintendents, and have collectively saved their schools several thousand dollars each year in operating expenses.

More Professional Development

Land Ethic Leaders Workshop
Date: Nov. 13-14, 20101
Location: Baraboo, Wisconsin
Cost: $100 for a two day session. Includes all meals, costs of training, and training materials. Participant travel and lodging must be covered separately.

This two-day training on leading reflective discussions on environmental issues, led by staff of the Aldo Leopold Foundation is for community organizers, environmental educators and administrators, conservation and restoration professionals, teachers and professors in English, environmental literature, ethics, history, science, ecology, biology, and other environmental topics. At this workshop, you will learn a new practice for engaging audiences in discussion about human values about the natural world, using environmental literature and experience as a common starting point.

2011 workshops at Prairie Wetlands Environmental Learning Center :

• June 18, 2011, 9 am – 3pm Summer Nature Journaling Workshop
• June 27-30, 2011, Teaching in the Outdoor Classroom free (limited to 10)

Awards and Grants

PLT Pollinator Garden Grants – plant an educational pollinator garden at your school or in your community next spring!
Deadline: December 1, 2010
Amount: $200 - $1,000
Order a free poster from the DNR on wildflowers and pollinators! Contact info.dnr@state.mn.us and ask for the "What's the Buzz? About Pollinators and Roadsides" poster.

Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants

Deadline: February 18, 2011
Amount: $2,000 - $5,000
Lowe's priorities are permanent facility enhancements (both indoor and outdoor), landscaping, and cleanup projects, project that encourage parent participation and community involvement.

Youth and Scientific Education Grants
Deadline: Rolling
Amount: $20,000 - $60,000

American Honda Foundation Grants offered to youth and STEM education programs.
The American Honda Foundation supports youth education with a specific focus on the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), in addition to the environment.

Events

Using PLT, Project WILD and Project WET With Special Education Students
Date: Feb. 4-5, 2011
Location: Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Cost: $90
Do you teach children with special needs? Attend this workshop with other special education colleagues to learn tips and techniques for using PLT and WET activities with your students. If you're not ready to replace your PLT PreK-8 Activity Guide, you may register at a reduced rate.

The presenters have several years' experience working with children who have special needs or are learning English (ELL) and have seen the benefits of integrating environmental education with this unique audience. To register, contact april.rust@state.mn.us. Attendees get the PLT PreK-8 Activity Guide, the Project WILD K-12 Activity Guide, Project WET K-12 Activity Guide, lunch (both days), and 12 CEUs.

Resources to Enhance PLT Activities

Carbon Calculator
How much carbon can your tree sequester each year? To calculate the amount of Co2 sequestered in a tree per year, let your high school students use this activity to determine the volume, green weight, and dry weight of a schoolyard tree.

How much money does your tree save you each year? Use this nifty tree benefits calculator that quickly gives you a pie chart of estimated yearly dollar savings in stormwater, CO2 sequestration, electricity, air quality, property value, natural cas, and CO2 benefits. All you need to do is enter your zip code, name of tree species, and trunk diameter. www.treebenefits.com

Using PLT to Teach About the Deepwater Horizon/Gulf Oil Blowout
One of the "science" news event of the year is surely a teachable moment. The environmental and social effects of the Gulf Oil Blowout will continue to draw the attention of educators for years to come as we discover more of both the short- and long-term effects of the blowout.

Interesting

Americans' Beliefs About Children's Nature Experiences
I realize that reading research reports isn't everyone's idea of "fun," but this sure is interesting! The folks at the Children and Nature Network conducted this study.

The "American Beliefs Associated with Children's Nature Experience Opportunities Development and Application of the EC-NES Scale," is the 2009 baseline study that measures the attitudes of the American public concerning the importance of direct experiences in nature for children's healthy development.