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Dec. 9, 2022
path crossing at a stop sign.
Visitors may not think San Diegans enjoy seasons, but we locals embrace the subtle seasonal changes. Fall is our favorite time of the year! This means it’s cool enough to enjoy inland trails, taking in the early morning crisp air, and quiet enough to enjoy a beautiful sunset walk on an empty beach. Being able to spend time outside year-round is one of the biggest attractions of the San Diego region. We know that being outside is good for our physical and mental wellbeing, and there are many ways to interact and spend time outdoors. While our tendency is to be physically active, slowing down has its benefits. It allows us to notice our surroundings, clear our minds, and decompress from our busy lives.

Nature journaling is a great tool to help us slow down. In our fast-paced world, taking the time to document our surroundings through words, pictures, and numbers helps hone our observation skills, inspire curiosity, and increase our connection with nature. If you want to slow down for a couple hours, explore the natural wonders of San Diego, and connect with like-minded people, consider joining the Nature Journaling Club. Beginning in 2023, we will be meeting on the second Saturday of the month from 9 to 11 a.m. at various locations around the area. All skill levels welcome!  

Please share this newsletter sign-up link with others so they can receive future Environmental Literacy News and Updates.

San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) Environmental Literacy Coordinator

San Diego Children and Nature (SDCaN) Executive Director
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Photo Source: Nature Collective
educators getting ready to hike.
Founded in 1987, Nature Collective is a conservation and environmental education leader in San Diego County. Nature Collective works to restore habitats to provide healthier waters and greater wildlife diversity, and educate current and future generations to become aware of, appreciate, and act to protect the natural environments surrounding them. They think inclusively and diversely when serving audiences and envision a world where everyone connects with, experiences, and protects nature. Their work spans San Diego County, with a long-term commitment to the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve and the Escondido Creek watershed.

Nature Collective's nature- and inquiry-based learning experiences empower students and families to learn by doing, to experiment with ideas, and to share their learning with others. They center their work outdoors to foster stewardship and a sense of belonging in these natural spaces. Collectively, they work with teachers, schools, and districts to engage students in authentic, relevant, and Next Generation Science Standard-aligned learning at the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, and in their own school gardens and green spaces.

To learn more about Nature Collective, the trails at San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, and to donate or participate in an upcoming event, please visit NatureCollective.org.

Join Nature Collective and your fellow environmental educators for a fun and educational hike along the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve on Jan. 19, from 3 to 5 p.m.
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Environmental Educator Leaders Network logo

This year, the Environmental Educator Leaders Network (EELN) is excited to provide BEETLES' project-based professional learning to local educators. These research-based workshops provide active learning experiences, lots of discussion time, and strategies to improve the time we spend outdoors with students. This fall, we have been fortunate to offer three of the introductory professional learning opportunity: Making Observations, Questioning Strategies, and Promoting Discussions. Even better, the San Diego Zoo has hosted our workshops in its beautiful education center. It is inspiring to see so many environmental educators and classroom teachers strengthen their skills to develop even more robust experiences for our San Diego County students on field trips and in the schoolyard.
Want a way to communicate more often with other EELN educators, see local environmental education career opportunities, and stay connected? Sign up here to receive more information about this upcoming tool from EELN.
Photo Source: C. Starr Howe, 2022
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For Environmental Educators

Local Places Spotlight
Join EELN on Jan.19, 3 to 5 p.m. to celebrate the beginning of 2023 and explore a local place! Visit Nature Collective at San Elijo Lagoon to learn about its educational programming and restoration projects. Follow up the learning with an optional social hour.

BEETLES Professional Learning 
Join us to improve your skills for leading outdoor student learning. These research-based strategies will focus on supporting students to think critically, build their sense of wonder, and help you to promote deeper discussions. Use the links below to register for sessions.

Hike, Network, and Learn
Join the EELN to explore a San Diego outdoor space on March 23. Spend the morning with fellow nature lovers and try on a fun outdoor learning strategy.

For Environmental Educators and Classroom Teachers

Nature Journaling Club
Develop your nature journaling skills and explore local nature. Nature journaling improves your observation skills, supports wellness, and supports learning for adults and children. Join us to learn new techniques and support bringing nature journaling into classrooms, field experiences, and your life. Register to attend one or all of the sessions this winter.
  • Jan. 14, 9 to 11 a.m. at Felicita County Park
  • Feb. 11, 9 to 11 a.m. at Kumeyaay Garden in Old Town
  • March 11, 9 to 11 a.m. at Living Coast Discovery Center

San Diego Environmental Education Showcase!
On March 16 from 4 to 6 p.m. come the SDCOE main campus in Linda Vista to get inspired to take your students outdoors in the spring! Learn about how to use the schoolyard, meet local nature programs, and find out how environmental literacy connects across the subjects. There will be raffles, learning, and fun! Please register here.
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EcoLogik STEM Workshops
Join science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) professionals for a variety of workshops exploring the real science conducted in America’s National Parks. Participants will use technology to investigate real-world problems and learn ways to solve them, empowering them to preserve and protect nature and sparking an interest in STEM. These workshops are free to the public, and will be located at Cabrillo National Park, libraries, and other community spaces around the county. Register for these free workshops at the Ecologik Cabrillo National Park Services website.

Ms. Smarty-Plants Assemblies, Field Trips and Classroom Visits
The Water Conservation Garden and Ms. Smarty-Plants™ are providing fantastic free, fun programs for your students this school year. She can visit your school in person, or you can visit us at the garden to explore exhibits. She will inspire students about water conservation, gardening, and science. Water districts throughout the county are funding these programs for schools. Reach out to the education team to see if your school qualifies for a free program by emailing Ms. Smarty Plants or visiting her website Ms. Smarty Plants

Energy Is Everything
The Energy is Everything program aims to develop the next generation of energy workers by raising exposure to high-value energy career pathways for K-12 disadvantaged students. Energy is Everything is a multi-disciplinary program aligning with California state standards and STEM skills, focused on energy and environmental topics. The program guides students in applying science and engineering practices (researching, designing solutions, redesigning, notebooking, and communicating). Simultaneously, helping them build their conceptual knowledge, Energy is Everything intends to increase STEM skills, especially in energy and water resource management. As students deepen their understanding of human impacts on the environment, they shift their behavior and decisions towards living more sustainably. Learn more about the Energy is Everything program here.

Exploring Conservation Science Field Trips
The Community Engagement team at Exploring Conservation Science has been working since 2005 to make San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's scientific staff and facilities available to challenge, engage, and inspire students from middle school to college. Their approach provides the opportunity to share a full, in-depth look at the work of conservation biology and the many fields of study that help guide conservation decision making. Their specialized facilities offer the chance to work with the tools and techniques used in conserving endangered species. All of the programs are developmentally appropriate, relevant to real-world problems, and emphasize understanding through inquiry.

The Community Engagement team offers a 2.5-hour lab field trip program, titled Exploring Conservation Science, to interested science teachers and their classes. This program is open to all interested middle school, high school, and undergraduate classes and includes visits to both the Beckman Center and the adjacent San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido. For more information and to reserve a field trip, refer to the Exploring Conservation Science site.

Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults — Virtual Workshop
Join the California Association for Environmental & Outdoor Education on Jan. 1, at 4 p.m. to learn from award-winning best-selling author and professional consultant Monique Gray Smith as she shares about her most recent published book, the adaptation of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass for the young adult audience. During this engaging workshop, Gray Smith will focus on how to share Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge, and the teachings of plants with young adults.
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Photo Source: Nature Collective
Nature Collective recently restored 38 acres of coastal sage scrub habitat that is home to the federally endangered California Gnatcatcher. California Gnatcatchers forage in pairs. They are almost invisible in the shrubs, but you can hear them mew like a kitten. They live in our coastal sage scrub year round. Its shrubby habitat used to be abundant along California’s coast. Now, the San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve is one of this bird’s few remaining strongholds.

To have your event or resource considered for a future edition of SDCOE’s Environmental Literacy News and Updates provide your information via this Google form.
If you have any questions or comments about Environmental Literacy News and Updates, please contact one of our Environmental Literacy Science team members.
Environmental Literacy Coordinator
Science Administrative Assistant
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