Community Calendar

With Pamela Gibson & Janice Haines (Learning for a Sustainable Future)

Wondering how you can further the outdoor experience for your students beyond science and geography? Perhaps re-envisioning your Math Program can help. Join Pamela Gibson & Janice Haines of Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) for some inspiring ideas and practical ways of connecting math curricula with outside. It’s a liberating experience!

Pamela is a career long classroom teacher with k-10 experience and has been taking students outdoors for decades. To get at curriculum she uses a hands-on experiential approach, place based outdoor learning and inquiry.

Janice is an elementary teacher with a passion for learning outdoors and in the community. Janice has been using the Sustainable Development Goals to help children become informed active citizens who are taking action and making a difference in their communities.

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop, you will receive a link to the resources shared, the recording, and access your Certificate of Attendance.

You can access some of the Outdoor Math Resources that will be shared here:

1. Math in Nature Seasonal Series
2. Messy Maths: A Playful, Outdoor Approach for Early Years

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop you will receive a link to access your Certificate of Attendance.

REGISTER HERE

Receive training in Project Learning Tree’s early childhood curriculum, Trees & Me, and Project WILD’s Growing Up Wild curriculum. This workshop is for educators of kids ages 3-7. Educators, homeschool parents, and nature lovers are all welcomed to attend.

All lessons are nature-based, and each participant will receive two curriculum guides.

Qualifies for 6 hours of ADE and Arkansas PDR Professional Development.

Cost: $10 payable day of the workshop via cash, check, or credit card

To register, click here.

With Aadil Nathani, Co-founder of Green Ummah

Join Aadil Nathani of Green Ummah, a non-profit organization with the goal of creating a green movement in the Muslim community.

Aadil has responded to the urgent need to address climate change and the responsibility that we have to take care of the planet by co-founding Green Ummah with the hope that it can provide simple, practical solutions for Muslims to be more environmentally friendly.

Aadil will share some ideas and resources from the work of Green Ummah, and will also share the work of Ambreen Tariq, author of Fatima’s Great Outdoors, and of the founder of @BrownPeopleCamping.  

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop, you will receive a link to the resources shared, the recording, and access your Certificate of Attendance.

Access Fatima’s Great Outdoors

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop you will receive a link to access your Certificate of Attendance.

REGISTER HERE

With Author & Teacher, Tim Swinehart

Tim Swinehart is a high school teacher and co-author of A People’s Curriculum for the Earth: Teaching Climate Change and the Environmental Crisis.

This resource book for educators features some of the best articles from Rethinking Schools magazine alongside classroom-friendly readings on climate change, energy, water, food, and pollution – as well as on people who are working to make things better.

At a time when it’s becoming increasingly obvious that life on Earth is at risk, here is a resource that helps students see what’s wrong and imagine solutions.

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop, you will receive a link to the resources shared, the recording, and access your Certificate of Attendance.

Access A People’s Curriculum for the Earth Educator Resource Book

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop you will receive a link to access your Certificate of Attendance.

REGISTER HERE

With School Garden Educators, Kaci Rae Christopher and Megan Zeni

With spring around the corner, we are excited to bring back Megan Zeni and Kaci Rae Christopher, two amazing school garden specialists!

Kaci Rae is a School Garden & Farm Educator, and author of The School Garden Curriculum: An Integrated K-8 Guide for Discovering Science, Ecology, and Whole-Systems Thinking.

Megan is a Teacher and School Garden Educator, and the co-curator of the Soil Study and Inquiry Kit, as well as the Looking Closely Outdoor Learning Kit.

Kaci Rae & Megan will share some tips, tricks, activities and resources for taking your learning into your school or community garden. We will also share the learning resource that accompanies the Food Cycler for Schools.

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop, you will receive a link to the resources shared, the recording, and access your Certificate of Attendance.

You can access these fantastic outdoor learning resources here:   

1. Soil Study & Inquiry Kit
2. Looking Closely Outdoor Learning Kit
3. The School Garden Curriculum
4. Food Cycler for Schools

All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! Following the workshop you will receive a link to access your Certificate of Attendance.

REGISTER HERE

The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announces the 2023 STEMinar series; a collection of virtual informational sessions for administrators, STEM teachers, and curriculum coordinators who want to include STEM teaching and learning experiences in schools. STEM teaching and learning is when science, technology, engineering, and math intentionally come together as STEM to present a rigorous, integrated approach to understanding and interacting with the world in which we live. STEM education provides equitable opportunities for students to engage in authentic experiences in the classroom that are linked to community, to occupations, and to the global world so that all students become STEM literate in their K-12 journey towards college and career readiness. The inclusion of integrated STEM in K-12 classrooms can narrow learning gaps, increase student interest, and develop 21st Century skills.

Interested administrators, STEM teachers and curriculum coordinators are highly encouraged to sign-up to earn professional development credits through ESCWorks. See session information below. All sessions are held after school over Zoom.

Outdoor learning engages students in STEM practices to develop 21st Century skills. Featuring Outdoor Learning Store, local environmental education experts and resources. Green Jobs Network with emphasis on AR green careers is included. Hear how the ALLPS School of Innovation, Fayetteville School District, has successfully implemented an outdoor learning program.

Connect via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/92008316968.

Open the Commissioner’s Memo to see all the dates, session titles and Zoom links. :

Michele Snyder
STEM Integration Specialist
Arkansas Department of Education
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
501-682-7942

The 2nd annual SOAR conference is focused on increasing awareness, collaborations, and actions to build a sustainable future and a better tomorrow for South Arkansas. Founded by a community alliance of educational, business, and public organizations located in Magnolia, Arkansas membership, participation, and support is open to all interested in promoting a better South Arkansas. The conference will be held April 19, 2023, on the campus of Southern Arkansas University. SOAR Stars will be awarded to businesses, organizations, people, and public agencies making progress on these goals.

For more details and registration, see the event website.

The Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announces the 2023 STEMinar series; a collection of virtual informational sessions for administrators, STEM teachers, and curriculum coordinators who want to include STEM teaching and learning experiences in schools. STEM teaching and learning is when science, technology, engineering, and math intentionally come together as STEM to present a rigorous, integrated approach to understanding and interacting with the world in which we live. STEM education provides equitable opportunities for students to engage in authentic experiences in the classroom that are linked to community, to occupations, and to the global world so that all students become STEM literate in their K-12 journey towards college and career readiness. The inclusion of integrated STEM in K-12 classrooms can narrow learning gaps, increase student interest, and develop 21st Century skills.

Interested administrators, STEM teachers and curriculum coordinators are highly encouraged to sign-up to earn professional development credits through ESCWorks. See session information below. All sessions are held after school over Zoom.

Informal STEM educators, STEM Education Service Cooperative Specialists, and STEM Centers share STEM integration professional development opportunities for K-12 educators and STEM internships/camps for students. Featuring museums, state agencies, AR Game and Fish, state parks, AR Environmental Education Association, Economics Arkansas, and more.

Connect via Zoom at  https://zoom.us/j/96074347524

Open the Commissioner’s Memo to see all the dates, session titles and Zoom links. :

Michele Snyder
STEM Integration Specialist
Arkansas Department of Education
Division of Elementary and Secondary Education
501-682-7942

SAVE THE DATE

Join AEEA and the Arkansas Master Naturalists for two days of interactive, interesting, and fun professional development. More details coming soon.

For more details and registration, see the conference page.

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Arkansas’s Teacher Conservation Tour (TCT). The Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation (AFAEF), along with partners from our forestry community including forestry professionals, timber producers and forest products manufacturers from across the state have been providing this professional development workshop for educators since 1993. The TCT has become one of the premier professional development opportunities for licensed educators and the only forestry-specific workshop in the state.

Ever wonder what kind of tree that is… How tall a tree is… How old a tree is… or How many trees there are per acre?

Join Project Learning Tree for this fun, hands-on, interactive 2-day STEM workshop focusing on tree ID, basic forestry techniques, sustainable forestry practices, tree pests and disease, and age and growth analysis – plus so much more!!! This workshop is for anyone interested in learning about – or taking a refresher on – basic tree and forestry knowledge.

Click HERE to see the flyer for more information and a link to register.

Please contact Rob Beadel at rbeadel@arkforests.org with any questions.

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Arkansas’s Teacher Conservation Tour (TCT). The Arkansas Forestry Association Education Foundation (AFAEF), along with partners from the forestry community including forestry professionals, timber producers and forest products manufacturers from across the state have been providing this professional development workshop for educators since 1993. The TCT has become one of the premier professional development opportunities for licensed educators and the only forestry-specific workshop in the state.

Urban forests help filter air and water, control storm water, conserve energy, and provide animal habitat and shade. They add beauty, form, and structure to urban design. By reducing noise and providing places to recreate, urban forests strengthen social cohesion, spur community revitalization, and add economic value to our communities.

Join Project Learning Tree for this fun, hands-on, interactive 2-day STEM workshop focusing on urban forests, tree health, green infrastructure, and the benefits these unique ecosystems provide to us and our communities.

Click HERE to see the flyer for more information and a link to register.

Please contact Rob Beadel at rbeadel@arkforests.org with any questions.