Educators can earn ACT 48 and PQAS hours at our professional development workshops, which are held across our region multiple times a year. Our Education Team has created many original workshops, and our educators are facilitators for many international curricula including Project WILD, Growing Up WILD, Project WET, Getting Little Feet WET, Population Education, NAAEE Standards of Excellence, and more. Come to a public workshop or schedule a private workshop at your school or center for your educators.

Contact Julie to learn more about programming, pricing, or scheduling.

Teacher Workshops

(ACT 48 and PQAS hours available)

Animal Architects

Using Nature’s Builders to Teach STEAM: What is an architect and how can animals be architects without using pencils, computers, or blueprints? This hands-on workshop will explore how cross-curricular topics such as ecology and environmental science can be used to teach math and engineering. We will discover how the expertise of animal architects such as spiders, beavers, and birds can be utilized in an early childhood classroom to teach STEAM concepts.

From Eww to Ah-ha! Turning Fear of Nature into Curiosity

What creeps and crawls, slithers and hisses? This course will explore the fascinating world of creatures usually considered “creepy”. Learn facts and myths and explore the folklore behind some of these creatures. You will take away new ideas on how to incorporate these “creepy” creatures into your preschool classroom through games, crafts, stories, and more!  

Getting Little Hands on the Land

In this workshop, we will explore ways to encourage early learners to interact with the natural world around them through environmental education activities. Activities will be adapted to accommodate a variety of locations with a lot of green space or none at all to ensure that all children have access to investigating the great outdoors. Topics explored will include gardening, hoop hikes, insect safaris, and more!

Getting Little Feet WET**

Developed specifically for teachers working with young children (ages 3-6) in coordination with early childhood experts and educators, Getting Little Feet Wet is Project WET’s early childhood curriculum. Getting Little Feet Wet contains 11 interactive, hands-on activities for young learners to explore various aspects of water—from water’s properties to its sounds. Each activity offers both Pre-K and K-2 options and is correlated to respective educational standards.

Growing Up WILD**

Growing Up WILD is an early childhood education curriculum that builds on children’s sense of wonder about nature and invites them to explore wildlife and the world around them. Through a wide range of activities and experiences, Growing Up WILD provides an early foundation for developing positive impressions about the natural world and lifelong social and academic skills. Growing Up WILD is a multi-award-winning curriculum; awards include the 2009 Family Choice Award and the 2011 Renewable Natural Resource Foundation Excellence in Journalism Award. 

Guidelines for Excellence

The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) with the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, provide this set of guidelines for the development of balanced, scientifically accurate, and comprehensive environmental education programs and materials. Quality environmental education programs help develop an environmentally literate citizenry that can compete in our global economy; has the skills, knowledge, and inclinations to make well-informed choices; and exercises the rights and responsibilities of members of a community. Six topics are available: community engagement, early childhood EE and ECEERS, EE programs, EE materials, k-12 EE, and professional development.  

Population Education

Established in 1975, Population Education has earned a reputation for educational excellence. Through memorable, standards-aligned classroom activities like simulations, cooperative challenges, and debate, Population Education inspires students to tackle a variety of real-world problems such as human-wildlife interactions, resource management, climate justice, population growth, and more. Students and participants alike are inspired to become positively engaged in their communities as the next generation of leaders and stewards. Free access to 60+ lessons is included for educators who take this workshop.

Project WET**

Project WET’s 2.0 guide is a national curriculum dedicated to 21st-century, cutting-edge water education. Correlated to the Common Core Standards (preliminary Next Generation Science Standards correlations are in review and coming soon), the Curriculum and Activity Guide 2.0 gives educators of children from kindergarten to twelfth grade the tools they need to integrate water education into every school subject. Featuring 64 field-tested activities, more than 500 color photographs and illustrations, and useful appendices with information on teaching methods, assessment strategies, and more, this guide is an essential classroom tool. 

Project WILD**

Project WILD’s mission is to help students learn how to think—not what to think—about wildlife and the environment. All curriculum materials are backed by sound educational practices and theory and represent the work of many professionals within the fields of education and natural resource management from across the country. Topic or themed Project WILD workshops are available (Flying WILD, WILD About (specific animal), WILD about Conservation, etc.).  

Project WILD Science and Civics; Sustaining Wildlife**

Science and Civics, Sustaining Wildlife provides educators with activities and action projects for involving high school students in stewardship efforts targeting local wildlife found in a community. The program involves students in decisions affecting people, wildlife, and their shared habitat in the community. This curriculum is geared for students in grades 9 – 12.  

Utilizing Nature Storybooks in the Early Childhood Classroom

This hands-on course is intended to provide educators with the knowledge and skills needed to incorporate culturally diverse nature themed books into their classrooms. Games, dramatic play, and lesson activities will all be explored!

Windows on the Wild; Exploring PA’s Web of Life**

This guide is designed to provide ideas on how to integrate biodiversity into teaching at many levels in both formal and informal settings. These curriculum materials are part of the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) environmental education program called Windows on the Wild (WOW) in conjunction with the PA Game Commission and the PA Biological Survey. WOW incorporates current data from projects around the world and draws on information from many organizations, agencies, businesses, and individuals whose work is directed at maintaining and enhancing Earth’s biodiversity.  

** National Curriculum with additional fees for curriculum guides