September 2010

MN-PLT News

PLT's Early Childhood Book Wins Big!
PLT's Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood wins the 2010 Teachers' Choice Award from Learning magazine. This prestigious award heralds the very best in classroom-tested, teacher-recommended products. Each year a nationwide panel of teacher-judges names the standouts in books, classroom supplies, educational games, software, websites, and supplemental materials that teachers need for their classroom. After receiving top ratings in rounds of rigorous judging, PLT's Early Childhood Guide and CD won a 17th annual Teachers' Choice Award for supplemental materials.

Wanted: Outdoor Classrooms
Thanks to a large grant, the Minnesota School Forest program is actively seeking schools that have or want to establish outdoor classrooms to join the program. The School Forest program can help you use your existing school site or find land. There are several benefits to being in the program, namely long-term DNR support! Download the free booklet, Planting the Seed: How to Start a Minnesota School Forest.

Evaluate Project Learning Tree's Technology Connections
Do you incorporate technology when using PLT activities? If so, please evaluate PLT's "Technology Connections" by participating in a short, online survey developed by the national PLT program. The survey includes questions about the use of technology with PLT's range of preK-12 curriculum materials, especially the PLT PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide.
Survey is available through October 5, 2010.

More Research Supports Teaching Outdoor
In addition to the FOUR VOLUMES of research on children and nature, the Children and Nature Network has released two new compilations of research abstracts.

1. Health Benefits to Children From Contact With the Outdoors and Nature
2. Children's Contact With The Outdoors and Nature: A Focus on Educators and Educational Settings

Vote for Joy Cowart's Idea
Joy Cowart is a high school language arts teacher in Valdosta, Georgia (and one of the 2010 National PLT Outstanding Educators) who thinks that using PLT will help us connect children to the Great Outdoors. If you agree, please take a quick moment and vote for Joy's idea on the Initiative's IDEAS website. Your vote will help encourage President Obama and his administration include environmental education as one of their top recommendations in their America's Great Outdoors Initiative. Once you get to the site, you will need to register with your name and an email address. To vote for Joy's idea, simply search for "Cowart" in the search box. Then, click promote.

Awards and Grants

PLT Pollinator Garden Grants – plant an educational pollinator garden next spring!
Amount:$500
Applications due: December 1, 2010

Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants
Amount: $1500 - $100,000
Applications due: October 8, 2010
Deadline: when they get 1500 applicants
They prefer funding requests that have a permanent impact such as facility enhancement (both indoor and outdoor — like OUTDOOR CLASSROOMS!) as well as landscaping and cleanup projects.

The Children and Nature Network's "Natural Teacher" Award
This is the first year this award has been offered. Are you or do you know a teacher who relishes teaching in the outdoors? You can nominate yourself. Apply and be recognized!

Events

Minnesota PLT and School Forest Programs will be at the National Green Schools Conference
Minneapolis Convention Center
October 24 – 27, 2010
Join us and hundreds of other teachers, administrators, and parents who want to "green" their schools.

• Keynote speakers include David Sobel and Phillippe Cousteau (among others).
• Expert speakers from all over the country, including:
• PLT's national director of educational programs on PLT's new GreenSchools! Program, which is available to any teacher who has completed a PLT workshop.
• Minnesota speakers include:
  • Amy Kay Kerber, School Forest Program ("Outdoor Classrooms")
  • Patty Born Selly, Minnesota PLT facilitator ("Learning Naturally")
  • Sarah Sturgis, Eagle Bluff Env. Learning Ctr. ("The Holistic Approach")
  • Kristin Poppleton, Minnesota PLT facilitator, Will Steger Foundation ("Environmental Stewards Through Curriculum")

Resources to Enhance PLT Activities

Book and Website: A Beginner's Guide to Minnesota Trees
This book is available from the University of Minnesota Extension and is also on-line. The guide covers Minnesota's trees and contains a useful, simple dichotomous key (online, the keys are called "shortcut maps").

Book: Inside-Out: Environmental Science in the Classroom and the Field, Grades 3–8
Seeking a new way to integrate earth science, chemistry, physical geography, and life science into a study of the environment? Step outside! This book provides thought-provoking, interesting activities to help teachers and students leave the classroom and learn outside.

Ten lessons for grades 9-12: With Buy, Use, Toss? A Closer Look at the Things We Buy from Facing the Future
Free download!
Students are surrounded by "stuff" - from blue jeans to the latest cell phone - in their everyday lives. This is a comprehensive unit on consumption that is aligned with standards in all 50 united states. Your students will investigate the lifecycle of products as they do things such as:

• Gain math and science skills while determining ways to reduce the carbon footprint of shipping blue jeans
• Engage in civic discourse during a discussion of how we dispose of our waste
• Develop corporate policies to protect workers and consumers
• Gain media literacy skills while analyzing ads

New ID Guide: Snakes and Lizards of Minnesota

Full-color booklet with habitat & range info, id techniques & photos, and biological facts. Download or request a paper copy info.dnr@state.mn.us

Natural Inquirer: Ecosystem Services

This science journal, from the U.S. Forest Service, is written for middle and high school students and explores ecosystem services. Examples of ecosystems services include clean air and water, beautiful landscapes, healthy soil, places for wildlife to live, minerals, and even places to do outdoor activities. Order your free classroom set in English or Spanish.

Minnesota Bird Calls

New, online bird call resource for 25 common Minnesota birds from the Minnesota DNR.

Climate Change Wildlife and Wildlands Toolkit for Formal and Informal Educators

From the U.S. Global Change Research Program to aid educators in teaching how climate change is affecting our nation's wildlife and public lands, and how everyone can become a "climate steward."

Interesting

Don't Blame the Goldenrods!
From the Science Museum of Minnesota

Hayfever, so called because symptoms occur during the haying season, is essentially an allergy caused by pollen, dust, molds, or other substances. It is also known as allergic rhinitis or pollenosis. Seasonal hayfever is usually due to pollen from trees, grasses, or weeds. Plants with wind-borne pollen, such as the ragweeds, are the major culprits. Plants that depend on insects for pollination, such as the goldenrods, are rarely involved. Goldenrod pollen is sticky and heavy and not adapted for wind dissemination. Both common and giant ragweed cause hayfever symptoms. The flowers of ragweed have no petals and so pass unnoticed; however, they produce tremendous amounts of pollen, more than a billion pollen grains per plant per season. Common ragweed grows to about 36 inches while giant ragweed can reach 13 feet in height. There are about forty-one species worldwide but Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common ragweed) is the most frequently found species in North America. The giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifida, is also widely distributed.