Just for Teachers
“If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.”
—Rachel Carson, Author of Silent Spring
ShareThis! 
Teaching is not the easiest of professions, especially with limited resources. For that reason - and because we at Placer Nature Center are passionate about connecting children and nature - we have developed the following list of resources you can use to continue your own education through professional growth workshops as well as obtaining funding or grants. Additionally, the list contains numerous student scholarships – these are ever changing so check back monthly. Placer Nature Center supports the dual goals of increasing our educator’s resources while providing even better environmental education – because a healthy world means the world to us.
Classroom Resource Links for Teachers and Activities
Click on this link to go to additional teacher resources and activities for your students. We're adding more links all the time, so keep checking back.
Placer Nature Center created a special teens page for teenagers to get involved and learn about our world, science and the environment.
Did You Know
Recycling saves energy: Creating a new aluminum can takes 95 percent more energy than making a can from recycled aluminum.
Field Trip Funding, Grants & Scholarships | Education for Teachers| Professional Development
Return to Top
Workshops Just for Teachers
Use environmental education to enhance and enrich learning for your students in all areas of the curriculum. Let us know what you are interested in, and we will contact you when the workshops are scheduled!
Looking for inspiration and fun activities you can use across the curriculum?
Placer Nature Center offers educator workshops that provide interdisciplinary lessons and activities teachers of all grade levels can use to introduce environmental education and awareness while teaching math, science, history, language arts and social studies.
For information about Project Learning Tree, Project WILD/Aquatic and Project WET, talk to Linda at (530) 878-6053 or email linda@placernaturecenter.org
Upcoming Workshops:
- Discovering Nature with Young Children, First 5 Placer PCOE Workshops
- Free Energy Workshops for Educators
- Nature Bowl
Field Trip Funding, Grants & Scholarships | Education for Teachers| Professional Development
Return to Top
Discovering Nature with Young Children
Free Workshops for Professional Growth! These dynamic two-hour sessions present and demonstrate “nature play” in Early Childhood Education to help build school readiness skills through nature exploration. After learning all about the benefits, you get to use hands-on tools and receive inspirational ideas to facilitate nature study both indoors and out. Learn how to weave nature themes into all your activities – support reading, math, science and physical exercise. You can attend all sessions or just your favorite topics.
This workshop series is held on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM on the following dates. We meet at the Placer County Office of Education Annex, Nobili Room, at 356 Nevada Street in Auburn. (click for Google map)
- September 28, 2010 – Furry Friends, Part 1: Those that bound
- October 19, 2010 – Furry Friends, Part 2: Those that waddle
- November 9, 2010 – Everyone Loves Wigglers!
Download the schedule flyer to post and share….
BONUS: Participants attending 2 or more classes receive a free core curricular materials book called Growing Up Wild! from Project WILD! PLUS an Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood book from Project Learning Tree! Both are packed full of more activities!
If you would like to see the Nature Center in action or have children of your own that you would like to bring to a class designed for families, you are welcome to attend “Our Day Outside”. Feel free to bring a friend and invite your fellow Early Education Educators, Caregivers and Moms!
Read more about Our Day Outside and see the schedule.
Quotes from attendees of the 2008-2009 workshops:
"I’m not a huge fan of bugs but this was a very interesting & informative workshop! Bugs are actually pretty cool!"
"You..(Linda)..are so animated…I wish you were a preschool teacher!"
"Very informative. Learned lots of information about things around our school, house environment."
Field Trip Funding, Grants & Scholarships | Education for Teachers| Professional Development
Return to Top
Free Energy Workshops for Educators
Sponsored by SMUD. Offered at no-cost! Materials and meals provided. Workshops are open to all public, private, community outreach teachers as well as student, substitute and home school teachers. Classes continue through the end of May, and are available to teachers in grades preschool through college.
Feel free to call with questions:
Suzette DelBono,
Education Specialist
Energy and Technology Center
Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Office: 916.732.5175
sdelbon@smud.org
Field Trip Funding, Grants & Scholarships | Education for Teachers| Professional Development
Return to Top
Nature Bowl Coaches Extended Workshop
Become a Coach for 3rd to 6th Grade Nature Bowlers!
(Fee: $20, payable to Placer Nature Center)
This workshop is perfect for new coaches (parents, teachers or other volunteers) and a brush up for veteran coaches. It provides all the information and materials needed to successfully coach a student team to compete in the regional Nature Bowl - a fun, friendly competition where students in grades three through six demonstrate their knowledge of nature and our local environment.
Activities include team problem-solving, a nature relay, creation of an "enviromercial," outdoor investigations and a fast-paced, Jeopardy-like game called "Bell-Ringers.
The format begins with an overview of activities and how to get started and is followed by a mock Nature Bowl. The workshop closes with a discussion on how to get a team together.
Location & Date:
Placer Nature Center, 3700 Christian Valley Rd., Auburn, 95722, (530) 878-6053
Call for the next scheduled workshop.
Read more about the Nature Bowl here...
Field Trip Funding, Grants & Scholarships | Education for Teachers | Professional Development
Return to Top
Field Trip Funding, Grants & Scholarships
Full-funding for Program AND Transportation fees AVAILABLE NOW!
Available on a first come, first serve basis for registration to lock in your 2009-2010 school year program. Watershed Learning Programs are funded by and in partnership with the Placer County Water Agency. Additional funds that cover field trips to Placer Nature Center and programs at your school or in the field have been made possible by the Social Enterprise Institute for all the programs, both at Placer Nature Center and at your school. Open to all public Placer County schools to cover the cost of the programs, possible transportation funds available. Funds are limited, so reserve your program asap!
Deadline: Available until funds are gone!
DonorsChoose.org an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need.
Here's how it works: public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org Requests range from pencils, to violins, to microscope slide or your field trip to Placer Nature Center!
According to their website, "Our mission is to improve public education by empowering every teacher to be a change-maker and enabling any citizen to be a philanthropist. Our vision is a nation where students in every community have the resources they need to learn."
Teachers, read more about getting started here at Teachers FAQs. For field trips to the Placer Nature Center, make sure you submit your request three months in advance to allow time to generate the funds, schedule the trip, and payments processed.
School supply drives are great during the back-to-school season, but educators need help year round. That's where we fit in...
iLoveSchools.com is a nonprofit online donation center that connects new, used and in-kind resources with our nation’s schools all year long.
Classrooms succeed through community partnership. iLoveSchools.com strengthens that partnership by giving donors and teachers the tools they need to make gift giving and fundraising fast, fun and easy.
Learning form the Land Grant Funds AVAILABLE NOW!
Available on a first come, first serve basis for registration to lock in your 2009-2010 school year program. Funds for Learning form the Land are available thorough a generous grant from the California State Audubon Society matched by our local Sierra Foothills Audubon Society. Funds are limited, so reserve your program asap!
Deadline: Available until funds are gone!
Junior Energy
Junior Energy's mission is to work in classrooms and schools helping children discover how they can positively impact the planet by engaging their parents, family, friends and neighbors in small, simple actions.They offer curricula, an engaging video, and a fantastic website geared toward kids in order to support their compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) fundraiser, which gives 100 percent of funds raised back to schools for environmental programs.
Deadline: Ongoing
Nickelodeon's Big Green Grants
Nickelodeon's Big Green Grants Program provides resources to schools and community-based organizations to support environmentally friendly projects that educate and inspire kids to take care of the environment, be active, live healthily, and engage in community service. Each Green Grant will provide up to $5,000. Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Deadline: Ongoing
Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge Invites Students and Teachers to Address Environmental Issues
Students and teachers in grades K-8 will be awarded grants and publicity for their solutions to classroom environmental issues....
Deadline: Various
Earth Science Week Contests -
The Earth Science Week contests this year include photography, visual arts and essay contests. The photography contest challenges photographers of any age to use their camera to capture their community's use of energy. The visual arts contest asks elementary students to create a poster showing energy's place in the way the planet works. The essay contest, for students in grades 6-9, asks participants to write an essay on the ways energy interacts with the Earth system and how people can be efficient, responsible stewards of the planet's energy resources. Prizes include $300 and a copy of the American Geological Institute's Faces of Earth DVD. Learn more
Submission deadline: October 15
PLT GreenSchools Grants
Project Learning Tree’s GreenSchools Initiative provides training and funding for students and teachers to investigate environmental issues at their school and engage with their community in service-learning projects that create green and healthy learning environments.
Deadline: Ongoing
NEA Foundation Grants & Grantee Resources
The NEA continues to offer grants for both Learning & Leadership and Student Achievement. In addition, NEA lists a number of other resources for grants opportunities.
Apply By: See the NEA website for details.
Kids in Need Teacher Grants
The Kids in Need Foundation offers Teacher Grants for educators to provide innovative learning opportunities for their students. Grants range from $100 to $500 each and are used to fund creative classroom projects. Typically, 200 to 300 grants are awarded each year. 2010 deadlines have not been announced.
Applications for 2010 Teacher Grants will be available July 15, 2010
Captain Planet Foundation Grants
The Captain Planet Foundation accepts applications four times each year for funding projects that help students better grasp environmental issues. Grants range from $250 to $2,500.
Apply By: September 30 and December 31
Ashoka and Staples Launch Fourth Annual Global Youth Social Entrepreneur Competition
Grants of up to $5,000 will be given to young people between the ages of 12 and 24 whose entrepreneurial ventures are making a positive impact on their communities. Eight young change makers will be chosen as winners of our annual Staples Youth Social Entrepreneurship Competition and invited to present at the first TEDxYSE event in Washington, D.C.
Deadline: September 20, 2010
The Chefs Move to Schools program, run through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will pair chefs with interested schools in their communities so together they can create healthy meals that meet the schools’ dietary guidelines and budgets, while teaching young people about nutrition and making balanced and healthy choices.
Join the Chefs Move to Schools Program, visit the school sign-up form here. Teachers can find more information on the HealthierUS School Challenge resources on the special USDA website.
Kids In Need Foundation Accepting Applications for Teacher Grants-Grants help K-12 educators in the United States implement innovative learning opportunities for their students. The Kids In Need Teacher Grants are funded by retail and education credit union sponsors.
All certified K-12 teachers in the U.S. are eligible. Applications are judged on the basis of innovativeness and merit, clarity of objectives, replication feasibility, suitability of evaluation methods, and cost effectiveness.
Grant awards range from $100 to $500 and must be used to finance creative classroom projects. Typically, two hundred and three hundred grants are awarded each year.
Deadline: September 30, 2010
Healthy Sprouts Award - The Subaru Healthy Sprouts Award recognizes and supports youth gardening programs focused on teaching about the environment, nutrition and hunger issues in the United States. Schools planning to garden in 2011 with at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 are eligible to apply. Award package includes a $500 gift certificate to the Gardening with Kids catalog and online store, gardening supplies and educational materials. Learn more
Application deadline: October 1
Field Trip Funding, Grants & Scholarships | Education for Teachers | Professional Development
Return to Top
Education for Teachers
The Forestry Institute for Teachers (FIT) is a multi-day (FREE!!) residence workshop held at 4 northern California locations.
The goal of FIT is to provide K-12 teachers with knowledge, skills and tools to effectively teach their students about forest ecology and forest resource management practices.
The program brings together natural resource specialists and teachers from rural and urban settings for one week, working side by side to gain a deeper understanding of the intricate interrelationship of forest ecosystems and human use of natural resources. The environment becomes the basis for integrating the learning of many subject areas, including environmental science, physical science, social science, biology, forestry, and history.
Each institute can accommodate 30 to 45 participants. All meals and lodging are free. Teachers are provided with extensive classroom and curriculum materials, and a $200 stipend on completion and implementation of a forest related curriculum unit or project conducted in their classrooms. Visit their website...
Join Classroom Earth on Ning, helping high school teachers integrate environmental content into classes. The National Environmental Education Foundation, in partnership with The Weather Channel, has launched Classroom Earth, a program designed to enhance and strengthen environmental education in high school classrooms nationwide.
By harnessing the expertise and passion of teachers and students around the country, Classroom Earth will enrich the high school curriculum by encouraging the inclusion of environmental education into all high school subjects - from biology to art - and make it easier for teachers to access best practices online. The primary goal of the program is to increase the environmental literacy of high school students and to provide models for including environmental education in high school classrooms through the Web. Or visit the Classroom Earth website.
Field Trip Funding, Grants & Scholarships | Education for Teachers | Professional Development
Return to Top
Professional Development
The subject of the National Science Teachers Association's (NSTA) June newsletter, Science Class, is Free For All. Science Class brings an extra issue of online–only content listing free materials and resources available from NSTA, the U.S. Government, and more. NSTA offers many resources and services at no charge; some are available only to NSTA members, but many are available to all. filled with links, freebies, and even a job center, this issue of Science Class provides nearly unlimited free resources to Science teachers. Be sure to check out all the other resources and information on the NSTA website. Middle school and High school editions are available too with class level appropriate information.
Classroom Earth and NEEF have created a list of professional development opportunities for teachers interested in developing their knowledge of and skills in STEM and the environment. Some programs might offer continuing education units or even graduate credit.
Leave No Trace - The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is an educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to the responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people, worldwide. Leave No Trace offers a variety of grant and scholarship opportunities for individuals and organizations seeking Leave No Trace educational materials and/or training. Due to funding, limited grants will be awarded in 2010. Please refer to the specific grant that you are applying for to determine application deadlines. Apply for a grant only if your project fits into the designated timeline.
Galapagos for Teachers - If you're a Natural Teacher, you've spent the past year helping your students explore and learn in nature. Now it's your turn. Lindblad-National Geographic are inviting C&NN Natural Teachers to join them this summer on a world class expedition to the Galapagos. Galapagos for Teachers*. Summer 2010 TWO-for-1 offer.
*Teacher defined as any PreK-12 active (non-retired) educator. Offer applies to first-time Lindblad travelers only and new bookings only, not combinable with any other offers. Offer valid for all cabin categories. Call 1.800.EXPEDITION for children's rates.
Summer Institute for Climate Change Education - August 12, Minneapolis, Minn.
Will Steger Foundation's Institute for Climate Change Education will be held on August 12 at the University of Minnesota Continuing Education Center and available as an online webinar. The Institute will look back on the past five years of climate change education outreach and curriculum development and take time to "Go Back to the Basics." The Institute will also include a presentation from explorer Will Steger and an overview of the Foundation's newly updated Lesson Plans and Educator Resources for grades 3-12. Registration is open for 100 onsite participants for $75/teacher or $100/pair and an unlimited number for online participants for $25/teacher. Learn more.
Sustainability Education: Connecting Art, Science and Design - August 16, Berkeley, Calif.
This three-day seminar explores vital questions at the intersection of art, science and design. The seminar will include a range of approaches and techniques for improving science education by using art and for combining art and science to help students better understand their relationship with the natural world. The seminar will be held at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, Calif. The cost of the seminar is $450, and includes breakfast, lunch, art supplies and materials. A limited number of $400 scholarships are available to educators working in public schools located in low-income or under served communities. Learn more
Wildlife Conservation Society Online Professional Development
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) offers online teacher training courses designed to enhance understanding and revitalize a love for nature and science. The six-week online courses provide opportunities to examine the life sciences of zoology, ecology and conservation through topics including predators, marine biology, habitat ecology and climate connections. Courses are $300 and graduate credits are available for an additional cost of $165. WCS also offers a series of free webinars. Learn more
Field Trip Funding, Grants & Scholarships | Education for Teachers | Professional Development
Return to Top
Questions?
About anything on this page, call us!
(530) 878-6053