When you are teaching a group of students, you may or may not have insight into their backgrounds and experiences. But something we all have in common is that in one shape or form, we all have been touched by trauma. Everyone’s experience with trauma is different, which is why it is crucial to strive towards creating a supportive, safe space for people to learn.
This month’s People of PLT highlights the work that Yasmeen Hossain, Oregon PLT State Co-Coordinator and Associate Director of the Oregon Natural Resources Education Program, is doing to help educators incorporate a trauma-informed approach into environmental education.
What is Trauma-Informed Teaching?
Yasmeen shares, “In my experience there is no one whose life has not been affected by trauma in some capacity, whether their own experiences, those of loved ones, adversity impacting the community they live in, countries, regions or even the entire world (which was the case with the COVID pandemic). Trauma is pervasive. It is also often likened to an invisible wound. If someone has a broken arm that is in a cast, it signals to us that they are wounded. With trauma it is often not as noticeable. This is why it is important to apply a trauma-informed approach in all situations and in all interactions, including in educational settings.
Students, educators, staff, volunteers, students’ families–everyone can benefit from a trauma-informed approach.
In brief, trauma-informed education is a system-wide approach that recognizes the prevalence of trauma, how it impacts learning and teaching and aims to respond to trauma, prevent re-traumatization, and foster resilience.”
How Can Educators Better Support Learners Who May Be Experiencing Trauma?
This is an extremely complex and important topic, and while we’re only scratching the surface in this article, Yasmeen has a few helpful recommendations to get started.
“Often a trauma response stems from feeling overwhelmed, threatened, and that we have no control over our well-being. A trauma-informed approach aims to prevent and counteract this perception.”
A Language Shift
She suggests using inviting language instead of directive language.
With directive language, you’re telling, as though learners must do something and have no say. Examples of directive language include: “You should do this activity, you have to divide into groups, you will write an essay”.
Whereas, Yasmeen says, “Inviting language tells our brains that we have a choice in the matter. For example, “I encourage you to write an essay. I invite you to watch this documentary”. It is a small shift in language for the educator that can make a big difference for students.”
Expand Your Knowledge
The more you learn about trauma-informed teaching, the better you can support your learners.
In the PLT workshops that Yasmeen hosts, she utilizes a trauma-informed lens to not only plan the agenda but in the language and materials she uses to how she interacts with participants and leads activities. In certain workshops, such as ones about climate change or wildfire, Yasmeen incorporates the topic of trauma, sharing tools and strategies with educators to effectively lead these types of thematic lessons with their students.
We suggest checking out this free downloadable resource that Yasmeen created, Trauma-Informed Toolkit: A Resource for Educators. In it, she references PLT’s activity “Living with Fire / Viviendo con Fuego” from the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide / Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8 and the Nature of Fire activity collection as a case study of how to embed a trauma-informed approach into an existing lesson. You’ll also find helpful information about various types of trauma and toxic stressors, symptoms of trauma, trauma responses (i.e., fight or flight), and helpful ways to bring the nervous system back to normal (i.e., breathwork, being in nature, journaling, etc.).
Finally, we encourage you to seek out professional development workshops that specifically discuss trauma-informed approaches to education. The more you know and learn, the more empowered and comfortable you will be to bring those practices to your lessons or programs.
Additional Resources
Below is a (not exhaustive!) list of several resources to help you understand the various types of trauma and trauma-informed approaches to teaching.
Guest Contributor: This article was written by Dara Brewton from Corazón Latino. Dara is the National Reporting Manager for Corazón Latino but also wears a project manager hat from time to time. In her free time, she dabbles in acting, film making, and script writing.
The collaboration between Corazón Latino and Project Learning Tree (PLT) represents a powerful blend of cultural insight and environmental education. As these two organizations join forces, their combined efforts promise to make significant strides in fostering environmental stewardship within diverse communities.
Explora tu Ambiente
The launch of Project Learning Tree’s new Spanish-language guide, Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8, represents a significant milestone in making environmental education accessible to Latino communities. Recognizing that mere translation is insufficient, PLT thoughtfully developed Explora tu Ambiente to ensure the educational materials are not just translated into the Spanish language, but also resonate more deeply with Spanish-speaking students.
Corazón Latino emphasizes the importance of culturally interpreting educational content. As Felipe Benitez, Executive Director of Corazón Latino, states, “Translations are not enough—word for word doesn’t always make sense. Language needs to be interpreted with the audience considered.” It was an approach carefully taken by PLT when creating Explora tu Ambiente as it ensures the educational materials resonate more deeply with Spanish-speaking students.
Tips for Connecting Multilingual Learners to Nature
Bring activities that are engaging, fun, and rooted in environmental and scientific education.
Bring music, arts, or sports to break the ice before starting the environmental education.
Engage the whole family in the process from the toddlers to the abuelitos (grandparents).
Watch the Explora tu Ambiente Joint Webinar
On September 18, 2024, Corazón Latino and Project Learning Tree hosted a free one-hour webinar titled “¡Explora tu Ambiente! Nature Education for Latino and Multilingual Learners,” equipping educators with strategies and resources for engaging Latino and multilingual learners in environmental education.
The hour included a presentation on the guide itself, engaging activities, and Felipe’s insights on connecting with Latino communities, building authentic partnerships, and ensuring inclusivity in programming. This joint effort underscores the importance of culturally sensitive and engaging environmental education practices.
But Wait, There’s More!
If you’re heading to the NAAEE Conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from November 6-9, 2024, be sure to add the “Engaging Latinx Communities: Inclusive Outdoor Learning Strategies and Activities” session to your schedule! On Thursday, November 7 from 4:50-5:30 pm ET, the joint presentation will highlight PLT and Corazón Latino’s commitment to engaging Latinx communities in outdoor learning.
Discover the benefits and challenges of such engagement and successful strategies for overcoming obstacles. Attendees will also learn about fun, culturally relevant activities designed for Spanish-speaking audiences and receive free activity materials. Emphasizing the importance of diversity and inclusivity in environmental education, the session aligns with the conference’s focus on advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the field.
More About Corazón Latino
At the heart of Corazón Latino is a mission to reconnect Latino families with nature through culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate programming. Our award-winning non-profit is dedicated to fostering social, environmental, and conservation initiatives that emphasize reciprocity between humans and nature. We have a simple philosophy: “If we take care of nature, nature will take care of us.” It underscores everything we do — it is our commitment to nurturing environmental stewardship within Latino communities.
In 2023, Corazón Latino developed a curriculum specifically tailored for Puerto Rico, which was reviewed by environmental education experts and government representatives. It was eventually adopted by the Puerto Rico Department of Education! This curriculum, which serves over 259,000 students across 858 schools, was co-designed in consultation with local communities surrounding El Yunque National Forest. This collaborative approach ensures that the curriculum is not only educational but also relevant and engaging for Puerto Rico’s students.
Project Learning Tree’s mission to advance environmental education, forest literacy, and career pathways using trees and forests as windows on the world is in perfect harmony with ours, making the partnership a no-brainer!
We look forward to collaborating with Project Learning Tree to expand the reach and impact of both our work.
Have you ever met someone who just has that “It factor”? Someone with a magnetic personality, who’s warm, friendly, fun to be around, and draws in everyone around them.
If you haven’t noticed, the Project Learning Tree network sure has a lot of shining stars from educators inspiring learners through PLT activities to amazing facilitators leading PLT professional development events. But at the heart of our network are our PLT State Coordinators. These are the rockstar individuals leading PLT within their state, sharing their passion for nature-based education and introducing young people to the environment.
This month, we’re getting to know our Oklahoma PLT State Coordinator, Tony Pascall. Tony is the Education Coordinator for Oklahoma Forestry Services where he not only juggles multiple projects, but in his spare time he’s teaching himself how to actually juggle! “I’m up to 25ish catches in a row!”
Before becoming a PLT State Coordinator three years ago, Tony taught middle school math and STEM in Title 1 schools in Detroit and Dallas for several years. After graduating with a degree in Ecology from North Carolina State, he joined Teach for America with the intention of going back to become a plant biologist.
But instead, he caught a bug—the teaching bug—and fell in love with it. “The entire time I worked to incorporate my love of nature and the outdoors into my teaching. I brought my students outdoors for math labs, and even had an outdoor adventure club, where I brought some students hiking and camping! Most of my favorite moments in my formal teaching career come from this club, where I got to watch students fall in love with – and ultimately to learn to conserve – their environment.”
It’s all about the people
PLT isn’t just professional development and environmental education resources. It’s also a community of people passionate about educating the next generation and encouraging students to think broadly and dream big. “The environmental education community is very welcoming, and I love how much everyone reaches out to help one another. I’ve been able to work with several different organizations to put on shared educator workshops and student events, and every time I meet new people and learn something new.”
And the best place to meet these awesome people? A local PLT professional development event, that’s where! Tony’s favorite thing about these events is “Meeting cool educators! I love seeing what other folks are up to, how they already incorporate nature education into their teaching, and showing off PLT’s awesome standards-aligned activities. We always generate great ideas to adapt activities for different folks, and there is an awesome spirit of collaboration at PD events.”
Tony is all about creating a welcoming space for educators and students alike. And his local community recognizes his commitment and dedication for doing so. Earlier this summer, Tony was named as the 2024 Informal Science Teacher of the Year by the Oklahoma Science Teaching Association.
Give space for nature
We always like to ask our People of PLT what suggestions they have for educators on how to incorporate PLT into their lessons. Tony shared some great advice at a workshop earlier this year with a group of middle school teachers. He said, “‘You can’t teach awe and appreciation for nature, but you can give space for it.’ They put it on the back of their camp t-shirts this year! I think PLT can help teachers build in more time for understanding of the world around them in their classes. My advice is to slow down and let there be time to notice.”
Start with one activity
Back in Tony’s classroom days, he loved using the outdoors as a way to get students more interested in the material he was teaching. “When I taught 7th grade math, I used to say, “You can draw a graph about anything!” I chose to teach outdoors and about our environment because my students were usually more engaged and more curious when learning about the natural world.
If you’re able to take your students outdoors safely, start small and try one lesson outside. See how things go and as you become more comfortable, increase outdoor time to once a month or once a week. “I believe everyone deserves to understand and love their place. I think that once you get kids looking closely at what is right outside their door, they quickly get curious and start asking questions and making connections.”
Teach language arts? Try the “Poet-Tree” activity from the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide and encourage your students to get creative while writing about nature. Teach math? Collect, analyze and graph bugs you collect in the schoolyard during the “Birds and Bugs” activity from the K-8 guide. Whatever subject you’re teaching, there is a PLT activity you can do that uses nature as a learning tool.
Tony’s favorite PLT activity is “If You Were the Boss” from Explore Your Environment and Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers. “I love that the kids can make choices, then see how what they decided effects things like wildlife, how many trees are cut down, and how much money they will need to spend. I like giving everyone a chance to revise their choices if they didn’t like the outcomes the first time through. I think it gives kids a cool sense of agency.”
Get connected
Want to get meet other educators using PLT in your state? Interested in learning more about becoming a PLT facilitator to lead professional development events? Visit plt.org/yourstate to get connected with your local PLT Coordinator.
Access to High-Quality Nature-Based Education Resources for Multilingual Learners
According to Stanford University, researchers who analyzed multiple studies studying the impact of environmental education “found that students in schools with environmental education consistently outperform other schools on state standardized tests in math, reading, and writing.” In fact, the North American Association for Environmental Education says that “educators have called environmental education an ‘equalizer’ for kids who are struggling, as well as for those excelling or those with special needs.”
With the benefit of environmental education, students thrive in more than academics. Students (and educators) reap many physical and mental health benefits from being in and around nature—even if it is just looking at photographs of it! Confirmed benefits include improved behavior, increased engagement, decreased anxiety, and reduced absenteeism. Learning about the environment also helps encourage students to take positive actions to protect the environment, think more sustainably, and become more civic-minded.
So why aren’t more schools incorporating nature-based education into the curriculum? There are a variety of factors, ranging from too much on teachers’ plates and lack of safe access to the outdoors to limited resources for multilingual learners and equity gaps.
Research Shows
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, there were 5.3 million English learners enrolled in public schools in the Fall of 2021, with over 4 million students (nearly twice the population of New Mexico) who speak Spanish at home. At Project Learning Tree, we want to help improve access to nature-based education and high-quality education for all learners to flourish academically, socially, and emotionally. Every young person benefits from exposure to nature.
The Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8 contains 50 activities organized by grade level (K-2, 3-5, and 6-8). The hands-on activities utilize nature to teach math, language arts, social studies, economics, art, and more. Each activity is multidisciplinary in approach, covering a variety of topics that are easy to weave into existing curriculum or programming.
Whether you work with multilingual learners, engage with Latino communities, lead after-school programs or summer camps, or teach the Spanish language, Explora tu Ambiente activities improve literacy, build STEM skills, and foster 21st century skills.
“This initiative is a crucial step in our mission to provide high-quality environmental education to all learners,” said Josh Brankman, Vice President of Education at SFI. “By offering our flagship curriculum in Spanish, we’re not only improving access to nature-based education but also supporting STEM and forest literacy skills for multilingual learners.”
Expanding Community Engagement
Several states with the PLT network have expanded their professional development offerings to include bilingual training. For example, just last year the PLT Illinois team trained four new Spanish-speaking facilitators and offered bilingual educator workshops throughout the state. We’re excited to grow our diverse event offerings to reach even more educators. When educators feel equipped to lead PLT activities, they are more likely to incorporate them into their lessons and enhance student learning.
Want to Learn More?
Learn how to incorporate inclusive outdoor learning strategies and activities with Latino communities. Join PLT and Corazón Latino for a special webinar on September 18, 2024, from 5:30-6:30 pm Eastern Time / 2:30-3:30 pm Pacific Time as we kick off Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.
“Forests are the heart of our planet and the source of our collective health. We firmly believe that educating our communities about the worth of forests is an investment in our future. Education is the bridge between indifference and action, between destruction and conservation.” —Felipe Benítez, Executive Director and Founder of Corazón Latino. Corazón Latino is a national non-profit organization that seeks to generate social, environmental, and conservation initiatives that foster natural resource stewardship.
Thank You to the PLT Network!
With every new resource released, PLT could not accomplish our goals without the support of many individuals. We’d like to express our gratitude to Cecilia Ochoa Blackaller, PLT Mexico Coordinator, for launching the effort to translate the guide. Thanks to Cecilia’s dedication and passion, this resource has come to fruition! In addition, PLT would like to thank environmental education and translation experts Rafael Salgado (former PLT Education Operating Committee Member and Executive Director of the Cal-Wood Education Center) and Beau Salgado (Salgado & Co.), as well as TM Design, Inc., for spending countless hours providing support. Thank you!
Here at Project Learning Tree, we aspire to provide a lifetime of learning through our environmental education resources. I’ll be honest, when we initially thought about a “lifetime of learning”, our primary focus was on early childhood through young adulthood.
But leave it to a retired teacher from California to keep inspiring and educating far and wide, exhibiting the true meaning of a lifetime of learning.
Lola Coleman taught science and other subjects to middle and high school students in Southern California for nearly 20 years, even serving as a professional development facilitator for both Project Learning Tree and Project WILD. When she retired from teaching during the first year of COVID, she had hoped to volunteer in Los Angeles, Compton, and Lynwood Unified School Districts and connect students to nature through PLT. However, when that didn’t pan out, she set to work volunteering with a different audience, senior citizens.
Today, Lola co-leads an online-based Wellness Forum with senior-agers (as she fondly calls group members). They meet regularly via Zoom to talk about various aspects of wellness, from physical and emotional to environmental.
In April, Lola reached out to me via email with the subject line of “PLT for Seniors”. I was immediately intrigued. Over the course of their last several meetings, Lola and her co-facilitator, Gretchen, have been discussing the eight dimensions of wellness. Lola shared that she still reads The Branch newsletter and inquired to see if she could use some PLT materials with her group to celebrate Earth Day as their focus would be on environmental wellness.
Yes, yes, a resounding yes!
Lola invited me to participate in their Earth Day celebration and let me tell you, I feel beyond blessed to have had the opportunity! I left with a heart full and a reminder of why I absolutely love what I do.
Environmental Wellness at Every Age
Lola began the meeting by inviting everyone to take a few moments to just breathe. Deep centering breaths. As we did this, I was reminded by how this simple exercise grounds us all. Sometimes I have my own kiddos do this at home, and it has an immediate calming effect.
Before diving into the PLT activity, Lola set the stage, sharing a brief history of how Earth Day came to be and how events like the Cuyahoga River, once one of the most polluted rivers in the U.S, catching fire over 13 times spurred the creation of the Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency. “We celebrate Earth Day because it’s our home. We wouldn’t keep our house dirty, so why would we do that to our planet?” Lola said.
Lola encouraged the group to be mindful of all aspects of their lives because in doing so, it helps us achieve harmony with our environment. When we think about the impacts of our daily habits, like driving versus walking somewhere or tossing your food waste in the garbage versus composting or putting it into the green waste bin, we can lessen our negative impacts on the environment.
These little things can add up to make a positive difference!
Connecting to Our Environment
Lola led the group in the Personal Places activity from PLT’s Places We Live guide, fostering an incredible discussion about how intertwined we are with our environment and what special place each person has that holds meaning in their heart.
I loved listening to everyone’s stories and learning about what places inspire them.
One woman regularly passes by the Compton Community Garden, founded by Dr. Sheridan Ross. She loves how Dr. Ross took a vacant lot in a food desert, brought it to life with a beautiful garden that now nourishes the community, and teaches children about the value of our land and the environment. She hopes it inspires youth to learn more about our planet.
In addition, several individuals shared how the land they own today was originally owned by their ancestors who escaped slavery. It breaks their hearts knowing that younger generations don’t want to care for that land.
This activity and discussion sparked a deeper conversation into how communities can come together to connect with the environment.
How do we inspire young people to conserve and care for land, especially land that has been passed down generationally?
How can we turn vacant lots in urban areas and food deserts into community gardens like Dr. Ross did?
What can we do to make our planet better for our children when they grow up?
How do we harness what each person knows and use that to work together and help each other?
The takeaway from this powerful discussion was that it takes collective education and action to drive change. Lola shared how the seven principles of Kwanzaa can help communities make positive impacts – unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
When we come together for the greater good, amazing things happen.
Consider bringing students to an assisted living residence and leading the Improve Your Place activity from Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide. Together, students and seniors can plant a vegetable garden and learn from one another while in nature.
Invite grandparents to participate in some fun nature activities that you can do in your backyard.
Whether you’re an educator, caregiver, parent, student, natural resources professional or anywhere in between, I encourage you to look for ways to cultivate intergenerational conversations, relationships, and work together on behalf of our environment.
Coming together for the first time in over 25 years, Project Learning Tree, Project WET, and Project WILD hosted an annual conference that was one for the record books! Over 250 people came to San Antonio, Texas over 4 days of connecting, sharing best practices, and learning from one another. We wanted to share a little recap of some of the highlights from this year’s conference.
Pre-Conference PLT/WET/WILD Educator Workshop
Typically, this conference is limited to PLT/WET/WILD State Coordinators and Facilitators, but this year we offered a pre-conference educator workshop that was free to local Texas educators thanks to a generous sponsorship from Manulife. Over 60 formal and nonformal educators received training and certification to bring environmental education experiences all three Projects into their work with Texas youth.
From learning about the parts of the tree (and literally becoming a human tree through song and movement in the Tree Factory activity from Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide) to understanding how land-use decisions are made, educators got a taste of how to incorporate hands-on activities from all three Projects into their programs.
Whether you need a one-time lesson or want to take a theme-based approach, there are so many options to choose from that make learning fun and accessible.
So, if you’ve ever wondered whether you should sign up for a PLT educator professional development event, the answer is YES!
97% of attendees agreed that after this workshop, they felt prepared to use PLT/WET/WILD with their students and 100% of attendees plan to use PLT/WET/WILD with their students within the next six months.
Keynote speaker, Minna Paul, inspired everyone, encouraging us to dream big.
Imagining a Brighter Future
To kick-off the main conference, keynote speaker Minna Paul, the Education and Engagement Officer with the San Antonio River Authority, shared her powerful story of dreaming big and making those dreams a reality.
Minna’s passion for nature and conservation began at an early age, growing up watching her father who was a senior officer with the forest service in India. Since moving to the U.S. 23 years ago, Minna has been laser-focused on achieving her dreams of making a positive impact on the environment.
She is a firm believer in harnessing the power of the collective and engaging communities to get involved. When people come together, they can do great things. Through many of the volunteer-led programs that Minna and her team organize, they are keeping waterways clean, removing invasive species, educating people of all ages, and making a BIG difference.
When you focus on what you want, instead of what you don’t want, you’ll see change happen. But most importantly, when you find where your passion and your work align, you’ve hit the jackpot. As Minna reminded us all, keep dreaming big.
Engaging ALL Communities
(L to R): Tuesday’s General Session – Panelists: Susana Cruz, David Buggs, Dr. Rickey Frierson, and KK Langley. Facilitators: Jerri Taylor and Kate Nagle
Tuesday’s general session brought together an incredible panel of leaders with a long-standing history of leading community work in the conservation and forest sector, facilitated by SFI & PLT’s Director of Education and PLT Network, Kate Nagle and Senior Director of Diversity and Career Pathways, Jerri Taylor. This engaging group discussed best practices for successfully developing collaborative relationships to advance environmental education.
Not every child has access to nature, to environmental education, to green career opportunities which is why all three organizations felt it was critical to have this open and honest conversation about doing the work to ensure access for all communities.
When it comes to fostering relationships, you must embrace being open, authentic, and intentional. The conversations you have may make you feel uncomfortable. But, Dr. Rickey Frierson, Interim VP of Student Success and Community and Engagement at Colorado State University said, “That’s ok. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Give grace and mercy for yourself and others.” You may say something you wish you hadn’t. You may make missteps. But you’ll learn. You’ll grow. You’ll connect.
Outreach vs. Engagement
What many organizations don’t understand is the difference between community outreach and community engagement.
Community outreach is one-sided. You’re sharing information and resources that you think are important to a particular community.
But the reality is that they may not be.
As panelist KK Langley, Tribal Relations Program Specialist for the US Forest Service Southern Region, shared, “There is a lot of hurt in so many communities. Don’t think you know everything when you walk into a room.”
Jerri Taylor said, “Community is much more than belonging to something; it’s about doing something together that makes belonging matter.”
If you truly want to engage and work with all communities to improve environmental education, it’s got to be a bilateral exchange. Relationships shouldn’t be one-sided. Jerri shared, “By taking an assets-based approach to community engagement, it builds on the assets already found in a community and mobilizes individuals, associations, and institutions to come together to build on their assets. Active participation and empowerment—and the prevention of disempowerment—are the basis of this practice.”
You need to understand the strengths and needs of a community and ask for the privilege to come to the table. Don’t come to the table with solutions. Come to the table with open arms, an open mind, and an open heart, and the solutions will come from the community and conversation.
But most importantly, as Susana Cruz, founder of Chicana in Nature, shared, “You have to show up…more than once.” Relationships and trust take time to build, so you must make the effort to show up, continually.
Moving from Listening to Planning and Doing
Panelist David Buggs, Director of Community Engagement for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, shared the importance of not just having a strategy when it comes to community engagement. “Make sure you’re doing the work. What are you going to do?”
Looking around the room, you could see people nodding their heads. So many organizations get stuck in planning, strategizing, and analyzing mode that change doesn’t actually happen.
After the general session, everyone was invited to attend breakout sessions focused on engaging with specific communities. Attendees had the opportunity to have open and honest conversations, ask questions, listen, and reflect.
Everyone left with concrete first steps for starting a conversation with a community-led organization in their own state – for doing the worktogether to make environmental education accessible to all.
Mexico PLT Coordinator, Cecilia Ochoa, showing students how to do a bark rubbing in their tree journals.
Teaching Little Learners at the Will Smith Zoo School
Imagine this.
Children running, exploring, digging, and creating…outdoors for 70% of their day. All while enjoying hands-on learning about nature, their ABCs, colors, shapes, and more.
Like so many nature-based and outdoor schools around the U.S., the Will Smith Zoo School is fostering sense of self, encouraging age-appropriate risky play, and giving us all hope for the next generation of environmental stewards.
As part of the conference, PLT State Coordinators and Education Operating Committees members had a special opportunity to visit the Will Smith Zoo School. We toured the preschool’s campus, the first daycare in the U.S. to be awarded LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
After the tour, we broke out into smaller groups with each of the classes and led activities from Trees & Me: Activities for Exploring Nature with Young Children – making “Our Favorite Trees” scrapbooks from My Tree & Me, singing and dancing to “Yippee, Hooray!” from Parts to Play, and creating sun prints from The Shape of Things.
I had the pleasure of being with a class of 4- and 5-year-olds with special needs. We began by asking one question, “Who loves nature?”
Every single hand flew up in the air.
And when I asked, “How much?”, 14 pairs of little arms stretched out wide beside them.
We absolutely loved seeing how excited the kids were doing each activity. Their smiles, laughter, and most of all, love of nature made our hearts swell. Watching kids learn about and explore nature is incredibly fulfilling, and it’s exactly why we love what we do!
(L to R): Cynthia Chavez, California PLT State Coordinator, Jennifer Ortega, Leadership in Education Awardee, Dennis Mitchell, PLT Facilitator, and Rocco Saracina, SFI/PLT Director, Partnerships & Development(L to R): Jennifer Rude, Leadership in Education Awardee, Michelle Youngquist, Idaho PLT State Coordinator, and Rocco Saracina, SFI/PLT Director, Partnerships & Development
Celebrating Environmental Education Rockstars
The heart of PLT is our network – a collective of passionate, dedicated, creative, and amazing individuals who are boots-on-the-ground, leading PLT professional development in communities across the U.S. and even internationally in Canada, Chile, Japan, Mexico, and Japan. At this year’s conference, we honored several individuals who have gone above and beyond when it comes to delivering environmental education through PLT.
Leadership in Education Awards
Two incredible educators and PLT facilitators, Jennifer Rude (Idaho) and Jennifer Ortega (California), were honored with this year’s Leadership in Education Awards. We had the chance to celebrate them during our joint awards luncheon at the conference, along with Project WET and Project WILD’s Coordinator and Facilitator of the Year Awardees. Learn more about Jennifer Rude and Jennifer Ortega’s contributions to PLT.
Gold Star Awards
Every year, PLT selects two outstanding individuals, typically PLT State Coordinators, to honor with our Gold Star Award. This year we strayed ever so slightly from the norm—honoring one State Coordinator and one former PLT staff member who now serves as our curriculum advisor.
Wyoming PLT State Coordinator, Hazel Scharosch, recipient of the 2024 Gold Star Award
Hazel Scharosch, Wyoming PLT State Coordinator
If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Hazel Scharosch, our Wyoming PLT State Coordinator, consider yourself blessed. Her warmth and kindness radiate, and she welcomes everyone with a big hug. In her former life, Hazel taught in a one-room schoolhouse with kids from K-6 grades where she discovered PLT.
“I love PLT because it is absolutely essential to get people – especially young people like students – in touch with the outdoors. Folks tend to take care of things they enjoy and know something about. Basic info about our environment is crucial in the task of preserving it. In addition, PLT helped save my entire teaching career. For 30 years, I juggled all elementary grades, K-6, in the same classroom. I had to find ways to present content in many grade levels and subjects, using fewer activities, and PLT does exactly that. It is highly adaptable, very engaging, and allows flexibility over a wide range of age levels. I know for sure that every student learns outside: conducting educator workshops allows me to exponentially reach many more students than I could all by my lonesome self!”
Hazel went from being a dedicated teacher using PLT with her students to becoming a facilitator who was recognized as an outstanding Educator of the Year in 2007, and then finally serving as the State Coordinator for Wyoming for the past several years. Hazel is incredibly deserving of this award!
Jaclyn Stallard, Independent Curriculum Advisor for PLT, recipient of the 2024 Gold Star Award
Jaclyn Stallard, PLT Curriculum Advisor
You may have never met her, but you’ve likely seen her name in the acknowledgment pages of PLT curriculum resources.
Behind the scenes, Jaclyn Stallard has been working with PLT for nearly 20 years, serving as PLT’s Director of Curriculum and now as our independent Curriculum Advisor, helping to lead the development of so many of PLT’s incredible learning materials. Jaclyn’s love of nature, environmental education, and all things PLT shines brightly, as evidenced by the fact that when asking PLT State Coordinators if Jaclyn should be honored as a Gold Star Awardee, the answer was a resounding yes!
Jaclyn exudes positivity, empathy, creativity, and spirit. She approaches life with intentionality, and you’ll find that incorporated in every piece of curriculum she touches. We are so lucky to have Jaclyn on our team!
Congratulations to Hazel and Jaclyn for being this year’s recipients of the 2024 Gold Star Awards!
If you’ve ever been to an in-person PLT professional development event, you’ve been lucky enough to meet some incredible individuals who are passionate about training educators, advancing environmental education, and having a lot of fun with PLT activities! Our PLT facilitators love sharing their wealth of knowledge, tips and tricks for leading nature-based activities, and inspiring educators to incorporate PLT lessons into their classrooms and programs.
This Earth Month, in our People of PLT feature, we’re celebrating not one, but two amazing PLT facilitators from Nebraska whose enthusiasm for environmental education is visible to all who work with them.
Meet Dena Harshbarger, Ph.D., PLT Facilitator & Professor at University of Nebraska, Kearney, College of Education
Before she began fostering the next generation of teachers, Dena Harshbarger, Ph.D., spent 18 years in the classroom as a 4th and 6th grade teacher. Today, Dena is a professor at the University of Nebraska, Kearney (UNK), where she teaches elementary education methods courses to preservice teachers. She loves sharing her passion for teaching and classroom experience with her students, so much so that last year the Nebraska State Forest Service honored her for her dedication to environmental education!
In 2022, Dena became a PLT Facilitator after Jack Hilgert, Nebraska PLT State Coordinator, reached out to her about offering a workshop for her elementary science methods students. “I was trained in Project WILD and Project WET when I was an undergraduate student at UNK in 1992. As a result, I have always been an advocate for environmental education and using the outdoors as an extension of the classroom.”
Incorporating PLT into her preservice coursework was a natural fit. “I strive to find ways to create inquiry-based learning opportunities in which students can discover and ponder the world around us. PLT perfectly aligns with my focus on constructivism and experiential learning. I enjoy getting UNK preservice teachers excited about using PLT in their future classroom.” In fact, Dena’s favorite days are when she sees her preservice students teach elementary students during their field experiences. It brings her back to her classroom days and fills her with pride seeing these future teachers in action – “It’s a full circle moment for me.”
Nebraska PLT State Coordinator, Jack Hilgert (far right, back row), with UNK preservice teachers during a PLT workshop
One of the things Dena loves most about PLT is how engaged students (including her preservice teachers) are during activities. Her favorite PLT activity is Every Tree for Itself from the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide. “The students are physically and mentally engaged in the lesson as they actively discover how available resources impact a tree’s growth and survival rate. This type of multimodal learning opportunity deepens students’ understanding and increases recall and retention.”
“Today, many children spend less time outdoors and have a more sedentary lifestyle. My goal for elementary and UNK students alike is to gain background knowledge through experiential learning, so they are informed citizens. PLT provides opportunities in which PreK-12 students can explore the world around them and develop an appreciation of nature.” By training future teachers how to use PLT, Dena hopes that when they do enter the classroom, they’ll feel comfortable using nature as a tool to teach about multiple subjects, know how to create safe spaces to teach outdoors, and be more inclined to use PLT in their lessons.
Meet Hannah Rennard-Ganley, PLT Facilitator & Director of Education and Outreach at Keep Omaha Beautiful
As the Director of Education and Outreach at Keep Omaha Beautiful, Hannah Rennard-Ganley teaches educators how to engage students in urban nature. “I love helping people understand that nature exists within the city, how people are part of that ecosystem, and how they can help improve the environment starting right in their own backyard (or schoolyard, business, park, playground)!”
Hannah’s long-time love of all things PLT began nearly two decades ago when she became a facilitator in 2007 (or according to her “a million years ago and 10,000 jobs ago”!). She’s led PLT professional development events in Missouri, Illinois, and now Nebraska. It’s her goal to connect educators to great resources, like PLT, that can be used in formal and informal settings.
“I became a facilitator because I’m passionate about providing great resources to educators, and PLT is a great resource for educators in both informal and formal educational settings. I like empowering educators to feel comfortable teaching about the environment. So often people forget about the urban forest when they are teaching kids about nature. Facilitating workshops for educators allows me to help educators look at the nature within the city in a new way – the whole world outside becomes their classroom – while also providing hands-on, relevant activities.”
Like Dena, Hannah loves just how engaging and fun PLT activities are. Here are her top three favorite activities:
Bursting Buds from Explore Your Environment | “I like Bursting Buds because it can be done at so many different levels. Little kids can understand the parts of a tree and spring renewal from the observations, and older students can learn the anatomy of a tree and participate in detailed dissection.”
The Shape of Things from Trees & Me: Activities for Exploring Nature with Young Children | “Going for a shape walk forces students to slow down and make observations of the world around them. It can also be repeated many times, and kids observe different things each time they do it. And the leaf dance makes everyone laugh!”
Parts to Play from Trees & Me | Hannah thinks the Tree Costumes activity, where children dress like a tree, is fantastic. “Any time you get little kids to dress in costume, they learn so much and have a blast. I really enjoy making Kindergarten ‘forests’!”
Tips for Getting Started with PLT Lessons
When it comes to training current and future educators, there is a delicate balance of teaching to state and national standards and also keeping students with differing backgrounds and abilities engaged with what they’re learning. There are multiple competing priorities for educators today that Dena frequently hears: “I don’t have time to do PLT” or “How do educators use PLT if they are obligated to teach to the fidelity of their program?”.
In the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide, you can find activities by subject, grade-band, setting, and differentiated instruction, plus you’ll find an Index organized by topic. This helpful reference makes lesson planning easy.
Dena says, “PLT does not need to be an “add-on” to your existing curriculum. The PLT lessons include cross-curricular components that potentially deepen understanding and make concepts applicable to real-world phenomena. Finding time to weave a PLT lesson into your existing curriculum or standards-based instruction will potentially accomplish many learning objectives with one lesson. Students can read, write, and discuss environmental concepts in a meaningful way.”
Both Hannah and Dena recommend starting small.
Dena suggests selecting “one or two lessons that would work well with your goals/learning objectives.” Plus, she shares how you can adapt and break apart activities into short and easy-to-implement formats. Hannah agrees. “Don’t be afraid to fit PLT into the time you have. I have built whole semester long units around PLT activities. I’ve also used a fraction of an activity for a quick 15-minute “brain break” during other educational programs. One of the fantastic things about PLT is that there is such a variety in the activities that you can make it fit the time you have.”
Sometimes, educators worry about taking students outside for lessons. Dena recommends you “explicitly teach and model expectations for outdoor activities prior to going out or distributing materials.” Setting expectations up front helps set the stage for success.
Always Be Learning
The beauty of PLT’s professional development is that you’re not only learning how to use nature to teach, but you can be inspired by other educators. Hannah says, “Take as many classes as you can! I am super familiar with PLT curriculum and activities, but I LOVE watching how other people teach them. I feel like I learn something new every time I see someone teach. And when I take classes, I participate in activities that I don’t always teach so it opens up new options.”
But most of all, Dena says, “Get excited and enjoy watching the students get excited about learning using this ‘TREE’-mendous resource and program!”
Ways to Get Involved with PLT
Educator Professional Development: If you’re interested in taking a PLT professional development course, check out events happening near you.
Preservice/Higher Education: PLT is an amazing resource for those working with preservice teachers and natural resource students. Contact your PLT State Coordinator to bring PLT into your preservice or higher education program.
Become a PLT Facilitator: We’re always looking for individuals who want to share their passion for PLT and environmental education with others! Connect with your PLT State Coordinator to learn more about becoming a PLT workshop facilitator.
SFI and PLT have been working alongside Auburn University to foster the next generation of green leaders and environmental stewards. On this anniversary, we wanted to celebrate by sharing some new stories – those of Auburn University leaders and Junior MANRRS students who have been inspired by the journeys of others.
Michelle Cole
Academic Administrator, Auburn University College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment
Growing up in a middle-class home, Michelle Cole dreamed of becoming an accountant. “I must be honest, a green career was not my first choice.” But thanks to her mentor, she ended up finding her green path.
Ron Smith, who now works for Tuskegee University, used to work for the USDA Forest Service. He shared with Michelle that organizations like the Forest Service need accountants, too. He encouraged Michelle to attend a forestry camp in Florida. “I really liked the camp and all the things it had to offer; however, I still wanted to be an accountant.” It wasn’t until Ron convinced Michelle to take an introductory forestry course in college that everything changed.
“I got an A and never looked back. The next thing I knew, I had an internship in Sheffield, Pennsylvania, and boom! Green career, here I am! I landed one forestry job after the next and finally carved out where I was always supposed to be.”
In Michelle’s work, she has seen the direct impacts of The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers. “The most inspiring thing about the guide for me was seeing all the people who looked like me, people that I knew who had careers in the green industry, and they were doing what they were passionate about. As I turned the pages, I said to myself, ‘I taught him in that class; I worked with her on this project.’ It brought me full circle in my career, and I love it. We are a small niche, but we are here for each other. I was in awe of the guide and was thankful that someone took the opportunity to feature natural resource professionals.”
Michelle’s advice to the next generation is this: “Take the leap of the unknown. Think outside the bark. Have an open mind about a green career path. My green career has taken me to some pretty amazing places, opportunities, and spaces that I thought were out of my reach. Trust and believe that there is an opportunity out there that has your name on it. It may not be what you thought you would be doing, but everything that you needed! Take that leap!”
Amari Parker and Hannah Padgett
High School Students
Just like Michelle’s mentor pointed out, a green job doesn’t mean you have to be working in the forest. Whether you want to pursue a career in communications, human resources, accounting, or law…your job can still be green! There are so many organizations within the forest and conservation sector needing your talents!
Amari Parker, Vice President of the Junior MANRRS program at Auburn University, is planning to pursue law school. “I’ve always wanted a career in the legal industry where I could assist others.”
Hannah Padgett, President of the Junior MANRRS program at Auburn, is following her dream of going into medicine, where she hopes to become a dermatologist and eventually own her own practice.
Through being a part of Junior MANRRS, both Amari and Hannah learned about green jobs. But after reading The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers, both students discovered just how many more green career opportunities there are.
For Amari, “The most inspiring thing about the Journeys guide was being able to read and learn about the different people who look like me and have found happiness inside their green careers.” Hannah felt “The most inspiring thing to me was seeing all of the African Americans working in this field.”
Amari hopes that more people in his generation “will be open to learning more about green career paths and pursuing careers they are passionate about and love.”
And even if students don’t pursue a green career, they can still be inspired to take care of our planet. Hannah hopes her generation “will do all we can to make the earth a safer and better place.”
Janaki Alavalapati, Ph.D.
Emmett F. Thompson Endowed Dean of the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment at Auburn University
Dr. Janaki Alavalapati was born and raised in a rural community where he developed a passion for farming and natural resources. He went on to obtain master’s degrees in botany and forestry, getting his first job working for a state forest service agency in India. “After moving to North America, I continued my efforts in advancing higher education related to forestry, wildlife and the environment.”
Today, Dr. Alavalapati leads the world-class College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment at Auburn University in Alabama. He is helping develop the next generation of natural resources professionals. “The future of the environment lies in sustainable management and conservation of agricultural and forested landscapes. The youth, considered as our next generation, will significantly influence the ways we produce, consume, and distribute goods and services. These activities will have direct implications for conservation of natural resources.”
He is hopeful that more young adults will choose green careers. “Anyone who is interested in and passionate about natural environments, green career paths [such as] forestry, wildlife conservation, environment-society interface offer a great promise. The importance of these areas for social, economic, and environmental well-being at local, state, national, and global is growing leaps and bounds. Youth in these career paths would be in the front and center of analyzing complex issues and finding practical solutions.”
Resources like TheJourneys of Black Professionals in Green Careers guide help increase the visibility of these types of careers, opening a whole new world of possibilities for students and young adults. “The Journeys guide provides youth with valuable information about green career pathways. More importantly, the featured stories in the guide inspire youth to embrace green jobs. Since governmental, non-governmental, and private organizations are increasingly seeking professionals from minority groups, I am very hopeful that the Journeys guide will stimulate the supply of minority professionals.”
It’s up to us to have conversations with young people and expose them to various career paths. Find out what makes a person tick, what they’re passionate about, and what their strengths are.
Do you love writing? Communications and marketing are green jobs!
Do you love numbers? Accounting and finance are green jobs!
Do you love wildlife? Biologists are green jobs!
Do you love teaching? Educators are green jobs!
Are you fascinated by building designs? Architects are green jobs!
Just think of the endless opportunities. As Dr. Alavalapati said, there are government, non-government, and private organizations that need the talent and passion of this next generation!
As the holiday season is in full swing, people around the world partake in the time-honored tradition of searching for the perfect Christmas tree. Whether finding one at a tree farm or getting a permit to cut one down in a national forest, it’s a fun way to spend a crisp winter day. But did you know just what it takes to find one of the most famous Christmas trees each year?
The “People’s Tree,” a 63-foot-tall Norway spruce, arrived in Washington, DC, in late November to grace the Capitol West Lawn thanks to dozens of people who work in forestry and other green jobs.
Getting the 39-year-old, 8,000-pound tree to the Capitol involved a 1,000-mile expedition from West Virginia. There were also close to 60 regular-sized Christmas trees for other locations and offices on the Capitol and more than 14,000 handmade ornaments along for the ride.
Every year, a national forest provides a tree to light up the West Lawn of the US Capitol building for the holidays. West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest, in partnership with nonprofit partner, Choose Outdoors, transported the 2023 US Capitol Christmas Tree from West Virginia to Washington, DC, with support from sponsors, including the Society of American Foresters (SAF).
Green jobs key to delivering holiday magic
“This wonderful holiday tradition would not be possible without all the people who work in green jobs. We were so pleased to see SAF talk about working in forestry and other green jobs as part of their US Capitol Christmas Tree Forestry FAQs,” said Linda Carnell, Assistant State Forester, Education and Communication, West Virginia Division of Forestry.
The SAF FAQ described how green jobs offer a wide variety of career opportunities based on interest areas and skill sets. Green jobs include positions like foresters, park rangers, wildland firefighters, wildlife biologists, policymakers, public outreach professionals, recreation managers, loggers, and lumber mill workers. Jobs can be seasonal or full-time in both indoor and outdoor settings.
“We were also really pleased to see SAF reference Project Learning Tree’s Exploring Forest Careers. The Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers guide includes four hands-on, instructional activities to help youth research forestry jobs and practice managing and monitoring forest resources,” said Carnell, who also serves as the West Virginia Project Learning Tree (PLT) State Coordinator.
The growth of “green jobs”—defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as jobs that produce goods or services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources, or jobs that use more environmentally friendly processes or fewer natural resources—have outpaced jobs in other employment categories by almost 250% over the last decade.
Coming together across West Virginia to celebrate the People’s Tree
The USDA Forest Service took the People’s Tree on a two-week tour across West Virginia, so that residents of the state could give the tree a proper send-off and also learn about green jobs.
“We were so excited to work with so many different entities to make this happen—towns, cities, communities, schools, 4H clubs. Connecting with so many people, especially kids, about green careers was fantastic,” said Carnell. “Kids respond well when they understand what green jobs are all about. We tell them ‘Yes, you can be in hi-tech and use a satellite and a computer to do your job while you work in the woods’.”
PLT West Virginia created a special U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree activity collection to do with youth around the state. It featured several activities found in the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide, including Tree Cookies, Every Tree for Itself, and Our Federal Forests.
Tools, info, and activities to learn about green jobs
Did you know PLT activities also include details about different green jobs? It’s our goal to introduce students to the green job possibilities out there, and we’d love your support in doing so!
Check out some of the green jobs resources that people learned about during the tree’s trip across West Virginia. Explore green jobs that support forests and learn more about career readiness supports through PLT. You can also take a one-time free trial of the PLT Green Jobs Quiz. PLT and SAF are also pleased to announce an online short course – Teaching Youth and Communities About Forests – to help you strengthen your outreach and education efforts to youth and adults. Register Now!
Massachusetts Senator John McCormack planted a 24-foot-tall Douglas fir on Capitol grounds in 1964. This was the first tree that started the ritual tree lighting on the West Lawn. Sadly, the tree died after three years from wind and root damage.
Today, Jim Kaufmann, Director of the Capitol Grounds for the Architect of the Capitol, chooses the People’s Tree. The USDA Forest Service assesses the environmental impact of harvesting the tree by investigating if the tree is close to any endangered species or water sources and if it provides shelter for wildlife.
In 1970, the Monongahela National Forest supplied the first People’s Tree. In 2024, the Capitol Christmas Tree will come from Alaska.
Imagine what introducing one child to nature through Project Learning Tree (PLT) can do.
Imagine a little girl learned how forests improve water quality through a PLT activity. It sparked her curiosity and ignited a passion for the environment. Now she’s a water quality engineer, improving access to clean drinking water. All because of one teacher doing one activity with this one little girl.
Now imagine the positive impacts 145 million students have made on our environment, thanks to the 765,000 educators who have been leading PLT activities in communities across North America for over 45 years.
This Giving Tuesday, consider making a tax-deductible donation to Project Learning Tree so we can advance our mission of educating PreK-12 students about vital topics like biodiversity, sustainability, and climate-smart forestry and nurture the next generation of forest and conservation professionals. Start building a greener tomorrow today.
When you are teaching a group of students, you may or may not have insight into their backgrounds and experiences. But something we all have in common is that in one shape or form, we all have been touched by trauma. Everyone’s experience with trauma is different, which is why it is crucial to strive towards creating a supportive, safe space for people to learn.
Give space for nature
According to Stanford University, researchers who 
The 
Coming together for the first time in over 25 years, Project Learning Tree, Project WET, and Project WILD hosted an annual conference that was one for the record books! Over 250 people came to San Antonio, Texas over 4 days of connecting, sharing best practices, and learning from one another. We wanted to share a little recap of some of the highlights from this year’s conference.
As panelist KK Langley, Tribal Relations Program Specialist for the US Forest Service Southern Region, shared, “There is a lot of hurt in so many communities. Don’t think you know everything when you walk into a room.”
Moving from Listening to Planning and Doing
Before she began fostering the next generation of teachers, Dena Harshbarger, Ph.D., spent 18 years in the classroom as a 4th and 6th grade teacher. Today, Dena is a professor at the 
As the Director of Education and Outreach at 
Growing up in a middle-class home, Michelle Cole dreamed of becoming an accountant. “I must be honest, a green career was not my first choice.” But thanks to her mentor, she ended up finding her green path.
Just like Michelle’s mentor pointed out, a green job doesn’t mean you have to be working in the forest. Whether you want to pursue a career in communications, human resources, accounting, or law…your job can still be green! There are so many organizations within the forest and conservation sector needing your talents!
It’s up to us to have conversations with young people and expose them to various career paths. Find out what makes a person tick, what they’re passionate about, and what their strengths are.
The USDA Forest Service took the People’s Tree on a two-week tour across West Virginia, so that residents of the state could give the tree a proper send-off and also learn about green jobs.