Professional Development with CDI and CURB
Join SLC Child Development Institute and CURB staff for virtual and in-person professional development sessions focused on environmental education resources. Sessions will be taking place throughout the winter and spring and CTLE hours are available for these programs. Please see below for more details.
February 25 (Virtual Session): Remote Environmental Education Resources: Who, What, Where, How, When, and Why?
Eli Caref will showcase some of her favorite Environmental Education resources that you and your students can use remotely, whether on the computer or as a phone or tablet app. Some are old favorites and some are new gems that have popped up in the wake of the pandemic. This will be a live session with screen sharing so she can take you through some of the technology, apps, and websites.
Best for middle and high school, but some resources are accessible for younger students as well.
March 18 (Virtual Session): Using CURB Resources in Your Remote Classroom
Join Eli Caref to go through some of the educational modules the CURB team has created during the pandemic. Currently there is one module on the geography, watershed, and pollution of the Hudson River Estuary, and a second module on water quality testing. We will have a discussion about the modules themselves and how to use them with different age groups. Some materials will be sent in advance to review before the session.
Best for upper elementary through high school.
April 10 (In-Person & Outdoors): Bird Walking and Trees, Plants, and Carbon Sequestration
We will take a walk around Central Park's North Woods to observe the birds and bird life. We will learn about tips for identifying birds by sight and sound, and the tools needed for observing them, including patience and practice, as well as binoculars and field guides.
We will also observe the plant life, thinking about how to incorporate plants and trees into your science and math classrooms. This experiential workshop will model different ways to use outdoor spaces as extensions of the classroom, whether in person or remote. This will be a good basis for the afternoon art and nature session, but can be done as a standalone or in conjunction with that session.
In the event of inclement weather, the rain date is April 17th.
April 10 (In-Person & Outdoors): The Art of Nature
In this session we will use Central Park's North Woods to explore how art can enrich our connection to and understanding of the natural world and its systems over time. Capturing our vision of the world using different mediums gives us an opportunity to reflect on our own perceptions of the world and discover the details and delights that are often missed at first glance. We will discuss sustainable approaches and resources, explore colors in nature and run through a few activities that integrate science, literacy, math and art.
In the event of inclement weather, the rain date is April 17th.
May 13 (Virtual Session): Project-Based Gardening for Different Ages
Eli Caref will review the plant life-cycle and gardening basics, thinking about ways to incorporate more plants and plant-based learning into our curriculum. With a few simple supplies, we will get a grasp of helping students access nature wherever they are. This session will provide teachers with a variety of activities to use with their students to do project-based learning in the classroom or at home.
June 3 (Virtual Session): Small Sustainable Practices and Activities
What is sustainability? How can we use sustainable practices in a fast-paced, increasingly single-use world in the name of convenience? This session will synthesize some of the previous sessions, while providing discussion points and concrete activities for teachers to use with their students surrounding sustainability. This can be a standalone or in conjunction with the previous sessions. Suitable for teachers of all ages.