Nature Programs and Field Trip Providers
- CAELI Partner Portal. This Portal promotes environmental literacy by building educator awareness of Community-Based Partners (CBP) and their products and services and fosters educator-CBP relationships for increased student enrichment and engagement. The goals of the CAELI Portal are to increase the visibility and access to environmental education Community-Based Partners and be a reliable central repository for districts, schools, and teachers to identify programs that align with their local needs and meet educational standards.
Professional Learning and Networking Opportunities
- Moving Instruction Outdoors: SDCaN provides standards-aligned professional learning opportunities for K-5 educators interested in using schoolyards and neary nature for outdoor learning lessons. Depending on needs, training can range from half day to multiple day workshops. Contact [email protected] for more information.
- Environmental Education Leaders Network (EELN): In collaboration with San Diego County of Education, SDCaN co-chairs EELN. The goals of EELN are to:
● Increase collaboration between formal and informal educators,
● Strengthen multi-year environmental programming opportunities for students,
● Advocate for student outdoor learning experiences, and
● Celebrate the biodiversity, of San Diego.
Click here to view and register for upcoming programs. - Nature Journaling Club: In collaboration with San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE), we have launched San Diego’s first Nature Journaling Club. Join a community of like-minded outdoor enthusiasts to learn nature journaling techniques while exploring the diversity of San Diego County. Make nature journaling a routine practice for yourself and your students. Meetings take place on the second Saturday of the month from 9 -11 am. Click here to join.
- Environmental Educator Certification Program: Get certified and gain recognition for your skills as an environmental educator! Join a community of environmental educators across California in this 11-month program. Designed to support working professionals and conducted primarily online. Applications will open in May. Scholarships available. Learn more and register for an info session this spring: aeoe.org/EECP
Resources for Outdoor Learning in the Schoolyard and Nearby Nature
- Green Schoolyards America: Green Schoolyards America seeks to transform asphalt-covered school grounds into park-like green spaces that improve children’s well-being, learning, and play while contributing to their communities’ ecological health and climate resilience. The Resource Library and Teaching and Learning pages provide practical resources to take instructional time outside.
- Taking FOSS outside: Guidance for taking students outdoors, with general teaching strategies and how to manage time, space, students and materials, 2012, 28 p.,
- Boston Schoolyard Initiative, Outdoor Classroom User’s Guide
- National Wildlife Federation, How-to guide for schoolyard habitats
- Nearby Nature School Field Trip Guidebook
More pages for classroom teachers: Nature and NGSS Schoolyard Habitats Local Lessons Videos Natural History and Citizen Science