April is the perfect time to consider how you make a positive impact on the planet. We often focus on the negative impacts of humans, but taking the time to consider how you help the earth and how you might inspire your students to help the earth can be a lot more beneficial for our community. This might be as simple as reducing the amount of water you use each day or as complex as joining a campaign such as Youth v. Oil. Have your students explore sites such as Regeneration.org to research possible solutions to the climate crisis and identify which might make sense in their homes and communities. Use the SDCOE Earth Day Activity Board to take your students outdoors and remind them why they should care about nature. Visit Cabrillo National Monument during National Park Week to connect with the amazing landscapes of our county. Getting outside is the first step to caring for our planet!
If you share your students' actions and learning on social media, use #SDEnviroLit in your post to tag us!
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Photo Source: C. Starr Howe
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San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) Environmental Literacy Coordinator
San Diego Children and Nature (SDCaN) Executive Director
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The Water Conservation Garden — located in El Cajon on the campus of Cuyamaca College — is a vibrant garden opened to the public that features nearly six acres of interactive and educational exhibits, including themed gardens to inspire and engage the community.
The garden is home to the nationally acclaimed Ms. Smarty-Plants™ Education Program that offers field trips, classroom visits, full school assemblies and outreaches. The garden is a learning laboratory for the dedicated gardener, a delightful place for an afternoon stroll, or a place to gather for community events.
Visit the garden May 6 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the annual Spring Garden and Butterfly Festival. This free event includes the Cuyamaca College Coyote Music Festival and free tours of the Heritage of the Americas Museum, educational workshops, butterfly releases, and a Pollinator Party with Ms. Smarty-Plants. Visit www.thegarden.org for more info.
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Photo Source: L. Magnuson
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In March, the Environmental Educator Leaders Network hosted the SoCal Environmental Literacy Showcase. This event brought formal and informal educators together to highlight the importance of environmental literacy in the classroom. The programs that attended were inspiring and fun! Teachers shared that the event excited them to bring new experiences to their students. We had a fabulous evening of learning from one another, getting excited to connect students with nature, and hearing from the wonderful kids that keep us motivated! We can’t wait to see more of our programs and teachers join us next year!
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Photo Source: C. Starr Howe
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For Environmental Educators
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, engage in outdoor instruction, and support high-quality teaching and learning experiences.
NGSS Refresh
This workshop will provide a refresher or introduction to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for environmental education program instructors. Consider how NGSS connects to your field or in-school program and how to highlight the dimensions of NGSS for students.
Job Opportunities
See environmental education open positions for San Diego. This document will be updated regularly, so you may want to bookmark it for future use.
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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.
Learning in Local Nature
This one-day virtual professional learning for K-8 teachers will focus on environmental literacy in science and how to use your campus as an outdoor classroom. Identify local environmental phenomena and get tips on connecting with community partners. Learn from experts in the field and collaborate with other classroom educators from across Southern California. Substitutes will be reimbursed.
Hike, Network, Learn
Connect with formal and informal educators in San Diego County as you enjoy the amazing nature in our county. Bring your partner teachers, your friends, and your favorite environmental colleague to explore the outdoors at the Living Coast Discovery Center on May 13 from 9 a.m. to noon. Find details for this and other professional learning opportunities.
Environmental Phenomena Design Teams
Two phenomena design teams will be offered this spring. Each team will learn from a local scientist about their topic of research and collaborate to support the development of a phenomena resource, such as this one, that connects the science to classroom use. Substitute reimbursement is available for teachers to be out of their classrooms. Fill out the interest form for more information on the design team topics, dates, and to apply.
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Environmental Literacy Inquiry
Join a one-year cohort of grades 3-5 teachers to explore San Diego County’s diverse ecosystems and rich biodiversity, increase your knowledge in watershed and climate literacy, engage directly with natural phenomena, and strengthen your teaching network. Teachers will get the opportunity to learn outdoors across six Saturdays in 2023-24, as well as earn a $1,000 stipend. Fill out this form to apply and download the Environmental Literacy Inquiry event flyer to learn more and share.
Statewide Conference for Environmental and Outdoor Educators
Join the Association for Environmental and Outdoor Educators on May 5 to 7 for Educating for Change — a weekend of learning, networking, and fun in the redwoods. The conference includes about 30 workshops, a keynote speaker, an awards ceremony, resource fair, live and silent auction, evening entertainment, and more. Lodging and meals are offered onsite on Saturday and Sunday and both camping and cabin dorm accommodations are available for Friday and Saturday night. The call for workshop proposals is now open.
Teachers on the Estuary
Tijuana Estuary's middle and high school teacher training, also known as TOTE, will take place June 27 and 28. It will be in-person for the first time since 2019, with some asynchronous preparation. Teachers on the Estuary explores authentic data literacy and brings coastal research into the classroom. Register for TOTE or email Anne Marie Tipton, education coordinator.
Project WET
State Environmental Literacy Initiative District Innovation Webinar Series
Join the California Environmental Literacy Initiative District Innovation Hub in an interactive online series showcasing the work of inspiring equity-focused leaders in environmental literacy and school sustainability. Register for the series which runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month. You will hear in-depth accounts of district success stories, followed by informal discussions and networking with like-minded colleagues. Folks who lead, work in, or support California’s school districts are especially encouraged to join.
EcoLogik STEM Workshops
Join 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, libraries, and other community spaces around the county. Register for these free workshops on the Cabrillo National Park 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 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. Please reach out to their education team to see if your school qualifies for a free program. Email SmartyPlants@thegarden.org or visit the garden Ms. Smarty Plants website.
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.
Exploring Conservation Science Field Trips
The Community Engagement team 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 firsthand with the tools and techniques used in conserving endangered species. All of their 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, please refer to the Exploring Conservation Science website.
Expedition Baja Curriculum Guide and Teacher Kit
The San Diego Natural History Museum has new educational materials available for San Diego educators! To complement the Expedition Baja exhibit, which opened last year, there is a new curriculum guide with lessons for middle school teachers who want to engage their students in field research and conservation, and a teacher kit available in the Nature to You Loan Library. This kit will teach students how plants are uniquely adapted to their environment.
Youth 4 Climate Teacher Bulletin
Youth 4 Climate provides opportunities for students age 13-23 and adult supporters to build leadership skills, engage in actions, and work towards a brighter future! Empower youth to make change through direct action campaigns, get community service hours and internships (paid and
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Photo Source: L. Magnuson
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Check out this beautiful flower! This hybrid was created in the early 80s by crossing the Mexican Monkey Hand Tree, Chiranthodendron pentadactylon, with the California fremontia hybrid Fremontodendron "Pacific Sunset." Formally, it should be listed as x Chiranthomontodendron lenzii. It grows as a single to multi-trunked tree in a rounded fairly open form to about 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide. The leaves are large, deep green and shiny on the upper surface. The blooms are a loud, flame-orange color. Like the fremontia, the hybrid monkey hand tree does best in a sunny, well-draining site with little or no water once established. This ornate plant is a wonderful small tree, suitable as the centerpiece of a xeric planting. Find it at the north entrance at The Water Conservation Garden beside the labyrinth!
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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.
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If you have any questions or comments about Environmental Literacy News and Updates, please contact one of our Environmental Literacy Science team members.
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Environmental Literacy Coordinator
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Science Administrative Assistant
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Get up-to-the-minute information about what's happening at SDCOE and in our districts across the county.
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