We are now deep into Pumpkin Spice season, and those cold mornings tell us that Peppermint🍬Mocha season is soon to arrive! Fall provides us with weather that still allows for teaching outside, pesky bugs in torpor, and the gorgeous leaves🍁. Plus, we will soon be thinking about all that we are thankful 🦃 for and trying to cultivate our traditions while making new ones with coworkers, family, and friends.

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Are you already feeling the holiday🦃stress? Not ready for frost❄ in the morning (us either!?) It's the time of year when we all feel the need to sit by a fire 🔥! Even if you do not have a fireplace ☲, all you need is a screen.

Fall 🍁& Thanksgiving 🦃 Teaching Ideas!

Use Mentimeter to make classroom Word Clouds like this one with your students. Mentimeter offers free account options.

Take a peek at the 2021 November Outdoor Almanac from Massachusetts Audubon.

Learn what animals & plants are up to in November, what Meteor Showers are coming up, and why the full Moon ☪ on 11/19 is called the "Beaver Moon."

In-person at Jacobsburg EE Center, 400 Belfast Rd, Nazareth, PA 18064

Are you a college student, pre-service teacher, classroom teacher, environmental educator, or homeschool provider seeking lessons and skill-building to engage early childhood students (ages 3-7) in nearby nature? Dive into wildlife 🦊education activities, receive a Growing Up WILD Activity Guide with 27 field-tested lessons for little learners, experience a sampling of activities from the guide, and learn tips and tricks for working with little ones outdoors. This workshop will be co-led by professional PA State Park educators. Bring a lunch and dress for outdoor fun! Register NOW. Contact Andy Fedor, EES at anfedor@pa.gov with questions or concerns. Covid-19 protocols will be followed.

In-person at R.B. Winter State Park, 17215 Buffalo Road, Mifflinburg, PA 17844

This workshop is for formal and informal educators who are seeking a source of interactive, hands-on activities to engage early childhood students (ages 3-7) in backyard nature and local 🦊wildlife. Participants will receive a FREE Growing Up WILD Activity Guide with 27 field-tested lessons for little learners, experience a sampling of activities from the guide, and learn tips and tricks for working with little ones outdoors. The workshop will be co-led by professional environmental educators from Sinnemahoning and Raymond B. Winter State Parks. It is open to ALL current and future educators, including classroom teachers, preschool teachers, homeschool educators, college students, pre-service teachers, environmental educators, and youth group leaders. Register NOW. Contact Alexis Weber, EES at alweber@pa.gov with questions or concerns. Covid-19 protocols will be followed.

Online MWEE 101 before the workshop; in-person at Stroud Water Research Center, Chester County, PA

Facilitators: Steve Kerlin, Ph.D. (Stroud Water Research Center), Kammas Kersch (Chester County IU), and Tammie Peffer (Pennsylvania Department of Education)

Are you a K-12 school administrator passionate about supporting your teachers and students through relevant and real watershed education? Learn how to support successful implementation of Meaningful Watershed💦 Educational Experiences (MWEEs) in your school district to help advance environmental literacy and stewardship while increasing standards-based student achievement. MWEEs are learner-centered experiences in which students investigate local environmental issues and complete informed action projects. In addition to becoming a Certified MWEE Ambassador, you will tour a suite of stormwater and agricultural best management practices. Covid-19 protocols will be followed.

Please complete this free MWEE 101 Online Course before attending the in-person workshop (includes 3 Act 48 hours). Register NOW. Funding made possible through a generous B-WET grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA Grant #NA20NMF4570238).

This is a virtual professional development opportunity for current and future early childhood educators looking for innovative ways to engage young learners (ages 3-7) with nature🦊. Along with sampling some of the 27 different lessons contained in the curriculum all participants will receive a free Growing Up WILD Activity Guide and will be eligible to receive 2 Act 48 hours. Pre-registration is required. Register NOW. Questions? Contact Holly Dzemyan, EES at hdzemyan@pa.gov or 814-778-5467 ext. 106.

In-person at the Elk Country Visitor Center (ECVC), 950 Winslow Hill Rd (for navigation), Benezette, PA 15821

Join PA Game Commission and PA State Park scientists and educators at the beautiful Elk Country Visitor Center (ECVC) to learn all about what was almost our national bird - the Turkey 🦃! This workshop is for formal and non-formal educators teaching grades 6-12. During this workshop, we'll explore the Eastern Wild Turkey through its natural history, how it is managed in PA, and fun ways to teach about turkeys. Register now, call 570-398-4744 ext. 30311. Covid-19 protocols will be followed.

Thursday, November 11, ​5:00 pm - 6:00 pm on Zoom

Join PAEE to discuss how our Environmental Education organizations have changed as we near the two-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. What changes are permanent? What creative or new methods did you use to still share the EE message during COVID? What have been our biggest lessons and takeaways? This will be a casual conversation where we can learn from one another. Register NOW. Questions? Email Julie for more information. Provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators (PAEE).

NOAA B-WET💦 in Pennsylvania: Tips & Tricks Webinar

Wednesday, December 15, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm on Zoom

Join B-WET Program Coordinator, Elise Trelegan to learn about the open priorities for B-WET 2022 and to hear some tips and tricks for writing effective proposals. This session will include Q&A for you to get all of your grant questions answered. Register NOW. Questions? Email Julie for more information. Provided by the Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Educators (PAEE).

PA Department of Education's Standards Aligned System (SAS) Institute for Teachers and School Administrators: Focusing Forward: Creating Innovative Educational Pathways

Monday, December 6 - Wednesday, December 8, 2021 (An Act 45 program is also scheduled for Sunday, December 5)

The Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, Hershey, PA

In-person and virtual options available.

Fee: SAS Institute $150; Act 45 Program  $150

Conference Registration NOW OPEN! Questions? Contact Jean Dyszel at c-jdyszel@pa.gov or O. David Deitz at c-odeitz@pa.gov.  

The Governor’s STEM Competition asks student teams to research, design, and present a device or project that can improve the quality of life for Pennsylvanian’s. Teams must collaborate with a local member of their community or a business/industry partner to help identify a challenge faced by Pennsylvanians along with a solution to that challenge.

November 19, 2021 is the deadline for teacher advisor to register. Get your team of five students in grades 9 – 12 together now. Once registered and accepted, the teams will be working on both Phase 1 & Phase 2 of the competition through April 18, 2022. These phases include the written proposal and device/prototype presentation. Learn more. Questions? Contact your local intermediate unit (IU) or email govstemcomp@pattan.net. 

Address the pressing issue of human-caused climate change by entering work to any category in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards and opting in to the One Earth Award.

Pennsylvania public & private schools can now apply for national recognition as part of the Green Ribbon Schools program. Applications are now open (Nov 1-January 12). State finalists schools will be forwarded to the US Department of Education for consideration at the national level. Apply NOW

Questions? Contact Tamara E. Peffer, Environment & Ecology Content Advisor, PDE at TPeffer@pa.gov.

Apply now for a 2022 Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Environmental Education Grant which provides funding for non-formal and formal environmental education projects in Pennsylvania.

2022 EE Grant Applications only accepted through December 10, 2021.

Questions? Contact RA-epEEgrants@pa.gov.

Nolde Forest EE Center, 3025 New Holland Rd., Reading, PA 19607

Let's Gather and wander through some of the magical trails at Nolde Forest and around the Environmental Education Center, in the heart of the Fall season.🍂 A time to observe the forest animals gather food as they settle into their winter hibernation.🌰 A time where the wild plants and trees will be letting go of their leaves🍂 and sowing their seeds🌰 for growth next Spring. We humans have much to learn from the more-than-human world, like slowing down and letting go.💚 Let's explore the inviting spring-fed creek crossings, spend time with the trees as they slow down for the winter, and explore the densely carpeted hemlock forests🌲 Are you willing to explore your senses and trust Nature to be your guide? Registration is REQUIRED for this event. Register NOW. Questions? Contact Nolde Forest EES, Rebekah Sheeler at rsheeler@pa.gov or (610)796-3689.

Consider heading out on the trail or join one of the many Veteran's Day hikes that will be offered at state parks on Thursday, November 11, 2021. For more more info and to find a hike near you check out the DCNR calendar of events.

With the increased interest in recreation and trails, DCNR is looking at ways to improve information about its trails for trail users. Take DCNR's Trail Users Survey to provide your feedback about what kind of information you, as a trail user seek before visiting and while on trails.

Before Hiking in PA Parks and Forests, Know These Markings - Know Your Trail Blazes - from the PA Parks & Forests Foundation (PPFF)

- Learn more about DCNR's DEI efforts here -

DEP Grants 101: For First-Time Applicants Who Want to Make Their Environmental Project Happen Webinar

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is offering a new webinar, DEP Grants 101, for those who've never applied for a DEP grant and may not know that DEP offers funding to help them improve the environment in their community. If you're an outdoor group, community organization, farmer, small business, or local municipal office, particularly in Environmental Justice areas, find out how to apply for a variety of DEP grants. If you want to be more energy efficient, restore your local stream, reduce erosion, prepare for climate change, help lower air pollution, or teach kids or adults about environmental challenges and solutions, let DEP help make your project happen with funding. Learn more and register now for DEP Grants 101.

Here's a great one to add to the list...She-Explores!

Take a listen to the most recent podcast segment with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant

As a little girl, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant loved watching nature shows — and she paid a lot of attention to the humans that showed up in front of the camera. Not seeing anyone in the host position who looked like her as a Black woman, Rae made it her goal to become a wildlife🐻 ecologist and to help change the face of who holds the expertise and shows up for some of the most unique animals in the world. Today, she’s not only an ecologist, a conservation scientist, and a National Geographic explorer, she’s also so proud to be the voice of a new podcast from PBS called Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant.

Other sustainability work at Colonel Denning includes weather proofing buildings, changing out heating and cooling systems for energy efficiency, adding electric vehicle charging stations, a new energy efficient showerhouse🚿, and the planting of 75 trees and shrubs in a riparian zone. Read more.

Book your virtual, in-person programs, and field experiences with PA State Park Education staff now! Find a PA State Park. Need help connecting to a PA State Park with an Educator on staff? Reach out to Carissa Longo at calongo@pa.gov.

🦃 Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

Carissa Longo, Environmental Education Program Coordinator

Christine Ticehurst, Recreation and Interpretation Coordinator

Visit the DCNR Events Calendar- Teacher Workshops to find additional training opportunities!