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Pennsylvania State Parks
🌲 Educator E-Blast 🌲
December 2025 Edition
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Happy Holidays and Happy Winter 🔆Solstice!
Yesterday, we officially welcomed the winter solstice—the longest night of the year and a beautiful reminder to embrace the darkness. Nearly every culture on Earth acknowledges this event in some way.
Did we mean to get this to you earlier? YES! Did our fancy 'Holiday Anxiety' get us (again)?! YES! Has 'it' gotten you? This is a frantic time of year for many. Below, you'll find solstice & winter lessons. We did our best to shorten this e-blast while still providing you with quick, nature-based lessons, activities, crafts, & videos for use with anyone - your students, your kids, & your family this season.
Try to find a moment in the chaos. Winter darkness brings a quiet stillness & sparkle that daylight can't. We're here to help.
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Looking for a gift 🎁that supports Pennsylvania State Parks?
Checkout our 2026 PA State Parks Calendar.
🎁 Cost: $16.25 + tax (S/H included)
🎁 Buy Online Supplies are limited
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PA State Parks Educator E-Blast Contents ⬇️ -
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Section 1: Holiday & Winter Teaching Ideas + FREE Lessons!
- Section 2: Trainings & Webinars for Educators
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Section 3: Explore the Outdoors! + First Day Hikes!
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Section 4: Striving Towards Inclusion - Holidays Around the World!
- Capstone: PA State Park Info. & Updates
We have some great educator PD trainings in the works for 2026! Check out ALL of the upcoming Educator PD on the DCNR Calendar with more to come!
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The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps is hiring for 2026!
The PA Outdoor Corps is hiring youth (ages 18-25) for their 2026 season which begins March 16, 2026. Participants will learn conservation work skills & receive environmental education all while working outdoors & improving public lands.
- Includes networking & personal/professional development opportunities.
- Each crew consists of a maximum of 6 members under the supervision of 2 Project Leaders.
- Pay is $17.31/hour; weekdays only. Duration: 9-months
PA Outdoor Corps Crews are located all over PA!
- DuBois, Wilkes Barre, Williamsport, Harrisburg, State College (Altoona), Philadelphia area, Meadville, Pittsburgh, & Laurel Highlands (Greensburg)
Learn More & Apply for PA Outdoor Corp Jobs | Commonwealth of PA.
Questions? Email paoutdoorcorps@thesca.org.
| | Section 1: Holiday & Winter Activity Ideas | | |
FREE! Winter Wonders Collection - Explore snow, ice, & winter weather through simple, hands-on, NGSS-aligned activities. Lessons break down big science ideas, like how snow forms, what happens when ice melts, & how animals survive the cold. You don’t even need real snow ❄! Separated by grade levels; lessons for K-12.
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Have you seen the new OBSERVER documentary film? It is now available for FREE for classroom use! The film explores observation through the perspective of scientists & artists—revealing how looking closely can transform the way we understand the world. ttps://www.observerfilm.org/
In OBSERVER, filmmaker Ian Cheney embarks on an experiment in which he brings a series of keen-eyed observers - scientists, artists, a hunter - to a locations around the world, without telling them where, & asks them simply to describe what they see.
In a world where teaching science can feel like a race to cover content, this film encourages students & teachers to slow down, look closely, & reconnect with the wonder that drives discovery & creativity. It goes perfectly with NGSS & STEELS.
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Are you an early childhood educator working with children aged 3-5 years? Take the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center's (SERC) Survey, get free stuff, & help the Smithsonian understand the state of nature-based learning in US classrooms.
Take the 10-min Survey
(In this survey, nature-based learning is defined as an educational approach that uses natural environments & materials to center student learning across subjects).
Your responses will help guide the future development of classroom resources & PD materials for early childhood educators. All perspectives & levels of experience are valuable.
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Get FREE STUFF! Those who complete the survey, will receive a set of nature play teaching materials, only available to people who complete it.
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Questions about this study? Contact DeDee Ludwig-Palit of Inform Evaluation & Research at dedee@informeval.com.
| | | | Section 2: Trainings, Webinars, & Grants for Educators | | |
FREE Winter Virtual Workshops for Educators!
Each course runs 7-8 pm EST; includes access to the recording & a certificate of attendance , pre-registration required. - From the Outdoor Learning School & Store
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Learn with the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Education Workgroup in the 2026 MWEE Practitioner Webinar Series! This series is meant for both non-formal & formal educators who are interested in bettering their practice around supporting Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs).
Upcoming Education Webinar Trainings -
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Wednesday, January 7, 2026, 2–3 PM EST, Making Waves Beyond the Classroom: MWEEs that Inspire Changemakers - Discover how Horizons Hampton Roads transforms MWEEs into youth-driven projects that connect literacy, STEM, & social-emotional learning. Learn how our out-of-school time program empowers K-8 students to protect their local waterways & become changemakers in their communities
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Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 3–4 PM EST, From Field Trips to Field Experiences: Partnering for Meaningful EE - This session highlights how strong partnerships between envi. educators & public schools can transform learning for students. By embedding the MWEE framework into curriculum design, schools & community partners can create seamless connections between classroom learning & authentic, hands-on field investigations. Discover how Red Lion Area School District (PA) used a “matchmaking” approach to connect grade levels with community partners—turning traditional field trips into purposeful, inquiry-driven field experiences.
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Wednesday, March 4, 2026, 2–3 PM EST, Expanding Environmental Literacy in Career Technical Education - In support of economic & envi. goals, Advance CTE & the Delaware Dept. of Edu. developed an envi. literacy framework for all learners in Delaware Pathways, Delaware's career & technical education system. Learn about the challenges & opportunities of this process, as well as how this can be expanded to other states.
All webinars will be recorded & added to the MWEE Practitioner Webinar Series playlist on YouTube.
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Section 3:
Explore the Outdoors!
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New year, fresh trails! Join us for a First Day Hike in a Pennsylvania State Park.
Always free, always welcoming. #OutdoorsForAll
Ring in America's sesquicentennial by joining one of the First Day Hikes planned across Pennsylvania & the nation.
Find a First Day Hike in a PA State Park or Forest on 1/2/2026! 🥾 Pre-Registration may be required.
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Visiting family or friends out-of-state? Check out the America's State Parks to find more First Day Hikes scheduled across the nation!
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PA State Parks Winter Report! Check snow ❄ & ice conditions in PA State Parks.
The Winter Report is updated weekly (at a minimum). It is searchable by park & by winter recreation activity. Listing ice/snow ❄ thickness & what snow/ice activities 🛷⛸️🎿🎣are available at each park.
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100+ Outdoor Winter Activities for the Kid in All of Us!
Time spent outdoors during the winter helps our immune system, gets our blood flowing, & helps us get essential nutrients. From freezing bubbles to painting 🎨with snow to ice fishing 🎣 to XC skiing 🎿to ice bowling & more - this list has it all! - from Run Wild My Child
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Honoring Holidays, Inclusively
December & early January are a celebratory time of year for many cultures & religions. Astronomically, the winter solstice occurs near 12/21. Many cultures recognize the solstice as the “rebirth” of the sun ☀ & celebrate it with festivals & other holiday celebrations.
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Holidays included: Christmas in America, Christmas in Australia, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Diwali, Chinese New Year, & Santa Lucia.
$5.00 for the full directions & graphic templates from TeachersPayTeachers.
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PA State Parks are YOURS!
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Book your virtual, in-person programs, and field experiences with PA State Park Educators! 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.
DCNR facilities and Programs are OPEN to ALL👐
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Many Environmental Education programs require pre-registration. Explore the DCNR events calendar for details & to register.
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Plan your outing before you leave. Learn about facilities, download a park map on your phone or print it, & review regulations here: Find A Park
- Take care of & respect the resource. Park, hike, hunt, explore, & more only in designated areas.
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Check the weather before you depart, dress in layers, wear proper footwear, & bring water 💦. Wear orange if hiking in designated hunting areas. Please clean up after pets 🐕.
- Do not litter 🚮.
- Alcohol is not allowed in PA State Parks.
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Make a Reservation (up to 11-months in advance) at a PA State Park Campground, Camping Cottage, Cabin, Yurt, or Pavilion.
You can help keep state parks safe for all by following these practices:
- Use the restroom before you leave your house 🏡 Take hand sanitizer with you & use it
- LNT! Bring a bag & either carry out your trash or dispose of it properly
- If you are sick or have been exposed to someone who is sick, stay home
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🍊🕎🌲 Happy Holidays! 🌲🕎🍊
Carissa Longo, Natural Resource Program Specialist
(Coordinating Project WILD & Pennsylvania Songbirds Curricula for all of PA)
&
Christine Ticehurst, Natural Resource Program Specialist
(Coordinating PLT & DCNR's GO Teach Curricula for PA State Parks)
&
Kim Lott, Natural Resource Program Specialist
(Coordinating DCNR's Watershed Education, PA Land Choices, & Project WET curricula for PA State Parks)
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