News

Our latest release features three PLT activities for educators of students ages 8-11 and grades 3-5. Use the activities to invite students to investigate how being outside—and among trees, specifically—provides people with many different physical, emotional, social, and learning benefits.

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 create a supportive space for people to learn. Learn about the work Oregon PLT State Co-Coordinator, Yasmeen Hossain, is doing to help educators incorporate a trauma-informed approach into environmental education.

Project Learning Tree is excited to share that we’ve expanded our high school-focused instructional materials with a brand-new digital activity collection! Forests, Water & People includes three place-based lessons that invite learners to explore how trees, watersheds, and our communities are connected.

Mentors profoundly impact the lives of others. Whether you’re a 5th-grade teacher, a university professor working with preservice teachers, an executive director of a nonprofit, or a natural resource professional, you can nurture relationships with the next generation of green leaders and make a positive impact.

Join PLT and Corazón Latino on September 18, 2024, for a free webinar to equip educators with strategies and resources for engaging Latino and multilingual learners in environmental education. You won’t want to miss this special event!

Kick off the school year by making your space a greener place! Use your school grounds to explore outdoor learning and earn Tree Campus K-12 recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation!

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 environmental education and introducing young people to nature. This month, we’re getting to know our Oklahoma PLT State Coordinator, Tony Pascall.

At PLT, we want to help improve access to nature-based education and high-quality education for all learners. We’re excited to announce that our flagship curriculum, Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide, is now available in Spanish.

The Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8 contains 50 activities, organized by grade level (K-2, 3-5, and 6-8).

See how Lola Coleman, a former PLT facilitator and retired teacher, brings PLT environmental education to senior citizens, sparking powerful intergenerational discussions on caring for nature and inspiring collective community action.

After 25 years, Project Learning Tree, Project WET, and Project WILD hosted an unforgettable conference in San Antonio, Texas, with over 250 attendees. Dive into our recap to see why this year’s conference was one for the record books!

Get your learners outside this summer with fun and educational activities perfect for families! From exploring local parks to uncovering nature in your own backyard, these engaging outdoor adventures will help kids develop observational skills, creativity, and a love for the natural world.

Every year we honor a few individuals who embody PLT’s mission of advancing environmental education, forest literacy, and career pathways by using trees and forests as windows on the world. Join us this year as we honor two outstanding educators, Jennifer Rude and Jennifer Ortega!

What makes a home? Explore these resources (perfect for World Migratory Bird Day on May 13) by guest author Naamal De Silva of the American Bird Conservancy, and reflect on our relationships with birds, nature, and the idea of “home”.

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.

In a sector where women comprise less than 20% of forestry professionals, Asia Dowtin, Beth Hill, and Christine Leduc lead with passion and purpose while calling for greater inclusivity and mentorship this International Women’s Day and Day of Forests.

Discover the hidden impact of forests in our daily lives and celebrate the International Day of Forests on March 21 with the theme “Forests and Innovation.” Dive into the innovative ways forests shape our future, providing eco-friendly alternatives to plastics, building materials, fabrics, and more. From breakfast to musical instruments, let’s explore the diverse forest origins of everyday items!

It’s been a year since we released the Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers guide, hear from a few of the readers impacted by the incredible stories shared within the book!

Are you ready to be part of something extraordinary? We are thrilled to announce a milestone event that promises to shape the future of environmental education in classrooms and communities across the nation. For the first time in over 25 years, Project Learning Tree, Project WET, and Project WILD are joining forces for a groundbreaking joint conference!

Black Americans have made significant but often overlooked contributions to environmentalism. Recognize the legacy of these leaders, from historical hidden figures, some highlighted in Black Faces in Green Spaces: The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers, to modern leaders advocating for climate justice. Their work lays the foundation for a more diverse and inclusive future in these fields.

There are many ways, big and small, to give back. On January 15, 2024, we can volunteer as a way not only to honor the legacy of Dr. King but also to come together to improve our communities. We’ve compiled a list of service projects you can do with the youth in your life on MLK Day and throughout the year.

This year, the Green Schools Conference & Expo (GSCE) will be held in Santa Fe, NM, from March 5–7, 2024, and we’re excited to be back in person and learning about the newest trends and innovations in providing healthy, sustainable learning environments and education for students, teachers, and school communities.

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 …

Perhaps 2024 is the year you become a certified Project Learning Tree (PLT) educator. Maybe this is the year you attend your third PLT professional development event. Whatever you decide, make 2024 a year of continued learning and growth!

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 …

Let’s clear up a few misconceptions about bats and take a moment this Bat Week to share our appreciation for the ways forests and bats work together.

Alexis Martin participated in the 2023 SFI Annual Conference’s young professional scholarship program. Alexis engaged in sessions, actively participated in discussions, and established valuable new connections. Explore Alexis’ conference experience, including key learnings, speaking to over 500 attendees, and remaining resilient.

This school year, keep the energy and excitement for learning high with some fun ways to engage learners. Plus, save BIG on PLT resources with our fantastic back-to-school sale!

Birds are a wonderful introduction to the natural world and happen to be just outside your door. Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with PLT’s newest activity collection, Together for Birds!

PLT recognized four outstanding individuals who have made significant contributions and embody PLT’s mission of advancing environmental education, forest literacy, and career pathways using forests and trees as windows on the world.

April 17 – 25, 2021 is National Park Week! Celebrate this annual week-long celebration by teaching your students about public lands and the many contributions of Black Americans to the National Parks System, and encouraging the exploration of these culturally and historically significant areas.

Earth Day is April 22, 2022 and the theme is Invest In Our Planet—because a green future is a prosperous future. To celebrate, we’ve compiled stories and resources to help educators and youth learn about sustainability issues, climate science, and actions they can take this #EarthDay2022 and every day.

During the month of April, join experts from the Forest Service and NASA for a four-part video series that looks into the splashdown of Orion, seed viability, germination, and more. Tune in every Friday in April for Moon Trees LIVE 2! 

Every March, we celebrate two special days – International Women’s Day and International Day of Forests. We’re excited to highlight Brenda Haskill, who has shared her story of being a woman working for the woods.

The SFI-PLT-MANRRS Black Faces in Green Spaces: The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers guide highlights 22 Black Americans who share their personal stories about finding their passions and overcoming challenges, and offer advice to the next generation about exploring their own careers in the forest and conservation sector.

As we ring in the New Year and look forward to all the great things to come in 2023, it’s also a perfect time to reflect on and celebrate the past year.

From launching new PLT materials like Trees & Me and our activity collections, Connecting for Health and Planet and Trillions of Trees, to the continued success of PLT state coordinators and facilitators training over 6,000 educators—we made big impacts in 2022.

This year, the Green Schools Conference & Expo (GSCE) will be held in New Orleans, February 27-March 1, 2023, and we’re excited to be back in person and learning about the newest trends and innovations in providing healthy, sustainable learning environments and education for students, teachers, and school communities.

With winter break just around the corner, we’ve compiled a list of fun outdoor activities to keep everyone entertained. Unravel two weeks’ worth of advent-ures from nature-based gifts to identifying animal tracks!

The future of the green job workforce is bright and enthusiastic—but its success will also come with the advice and support of those already in the sector. Apply by November 21, 2022, to join the first PLT US Green Mentor program cohort.

Hear how the recent PLT conference in Madison, Wisconsin brought together new mentees and mentors and how the program is supporting PLT’s growing work connecting young people to opportunities in the forest and conservation sector.

Lydia has worked in the forest and conservation sector for seven years but had no idea she was missing out on the resources MANRRS offers until SFI and MANRRS partnered to ensure young Black Americans have greater opportunities for rewarding careers in the forest and conservation sector.

We’re excited to spend time with the SFI and Project Learning Tree networks engaging with forest sector professionals and exchanging best practices for delivering environmental education. Join us in Madison, WI this June 14-17, 2022.

All children should have the opportunity to learn about and enjoy forests with the grownups who love them. Here are some ideas for families.

Trees and Me includes 12 activities and more than 250 learning experiences for families and teachers to connect children ages 1–6 to nature, with a focus on trees

Do you know an educator who goes above and beyond? Show them a little love and submit a nomination for the PLT Outdoor Classroom Kit Giveaway for Educators between February 14 and March 14 and they will be entered for a chance to win!

Check out the improvements we’ve made to your PLT Account! You can now easily access your PLT materials and free supporting resources, update your profile, and manage your subscriptions, all in one place.

We’re thrilled that PLT’s Explore Your Environment has won an Academics’ Choice Smart Book award, was named one of Kirkus Reviews’ 100 Best Indie Books of 2021, and received platinum awards for design and layout, among other recognitions.

Highlights of our newest releases, as well as the training and resources we deliver for free, thanks to our state and national partners and sponsors.

The Minnesota DNR’s forestry education program recently adapted seven classic PLT activities to include Ojibwe and Dakota culture and knowledge.

Nature of Fire is the next installment in a series of theme-based PLT Activity Collections. It features three PLT activities for educators of students in grades 6-8 that invite learners to investigate wildfire and ecosystem change.

Our new, self-paced online course is an interactive journey that helps you make the most of PLT’s Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide. The course includes activity simulations, video demonstrations, reflection questions, and action planning. Choose a learning path that fits your needs and earn continuing education credits.

The new theme-based PLT activity collection Trillions of Trees features three PLT activities for educators of students in grades 3-5. Download the activities to encourage learners to investigate the unique characteristics of different tree species and learn how best to plan, plant, and care for trees in their community.

PLT’s new Forest Literacy Framework translates the complex language of forests, trees, and sustainable forest management into concepts that everyone should know by the time they graduate from high school.

We’re thrilled to announce a new video featuring PLT-trained youth, educators, and USDA Forest Service Chief Vicki Christiansen. Please help support PLT, share this video with others, and let us know your thoughts!

The Country Day School in McLean, VA, is the first early childhood center in the country to be honored as a certified PLT GreenSchool! Students and teachers embraced outdoor learning, and completed all 5 PLT Early Childhood Investigations and a variety of action projects to make their school more green, a great accomplishment during the pandemic.

We are thrilled to announce that many registered PLT GreenSchools have been recognized as awardees of the US Department of Education’s 2021 Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS) program. Learn more about these outstanding green schools and gain some inspiration to improve your own site’s sustainability!

The 2021 Green Schools Conference & Expo will be held virtually, June 28-29. Learn about this timely and important convener for the green school community and empower educators and students to create healthier, more sustainable learning environments.

EE Week (April 19-23) is the nation’s largest annual celebration of environmental education. Bookmark these resources to help students celebrate each day, learn about nature, and their connection to the environment.

PLT recently joined PBS’s Cyberchase for a 20-minute Workshop on Facebook Live that demonstrated the many fun ways children and their families can take inspiration from nature to create My Tree Journal pages adapted from our new Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide’s Adopt a Tree activity.

Project Learning Tree has released a new curriculum guide to engage kindergarten through grade 8 students in exploring their environment. It includes 50 field-tested, hands-on activities that integrate investigations of nature with science, math, English language arts, and social studies using hands-on classroom studies and outdoor field investigations.

Engage middle school aged youth in learning about trees, forests, and sustainable forest management and help grow the next generation of environmental stewards with Learn About Forests, which includes 12 free, hands-on activities to use with ages 10 to 16.

Our Pocket Guide: Seeds to Trees is a great stocking stuffer gift idea for educators, group leaders, parents and grandparents to introduce young children ages 3–6 to nature through trees and forests. At just 4 by 6 inches, it’s small enough to fit into a pocket or backpack. Purchase now in time for the holidays!

We were thrilled to see PLT prominently featured on CNN Health last month! Check out this article and accompanying video that showcases how PLT is supporting educators and parents in a growing movement to get kids outdoors, not only during the pandemic, but also as a way for using nature and the outdoors for improving children’s health and social and emotional learning.

Preview our newest online professional development course to help guide your students on the path to a green career.

Biodiversity Blitz is the third in a new series of theme-based PLT activity collections. It features three PLT activities for educators of students in grades 3-5 that invite learners to investigate the variety of species in an ecosystem, and how this variety – or biodiversity – helps sustain life on Earth.

Sensational Trees is the second in a new series of theme-based PLT activity collections. It features three PLT activities for educators of students in grades K-2 that invite young learners to investigate trees using their senses.

I’m excited by my new role at PLT where I can channel my passion for community sustainability and urban forestry into my day-to-day work. PLT’s Discover Your Urban Forest activity collection for middle school teachers is a great example of the kind of PLT resources to engage youth who will be leading voices on sustainability challenges like climate change in the years to come.

Discover Your Urban Forest is the first in a new series of theme-based PLT activity collections. It features three brand new PLT activities for educators of students in grades 6-8 that invite learners to explore their urban environment and investigate environmental issues that affect their urban community.

We are thrilled to announce that Project Learning Tree’s very own Rachel Lang has been recognized as part of the North American Association for Environmental Education’s (NAAEE) EE 30 Under 30 Class of 2020!

Project Learning Tree now offers remote professional development to model new ways educators can work with students virtually, including adaptations to PLT activities.

Help Project Learning Tree support a Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) initiative to build the case for renewed investment in forest education globally by taking a 15-minute survey.

Our new interactive quiz allows youth to answer a few simple questions online and get recommendations for a rewarding green career path that might suit their personality. Educators can try a no-cost version of the quiz to discover how easy it is to administer to youth.

We’re thrilled that 18 registered PLT GreenSchools have been recognized this year as part of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools program.

We’re supporting educators in their transition to remote instruction by offering 50% off our online trainings with e-curriculum. Also check out these simple videos that our PLT community is creating to help demo for you some favorite PLT lessons!

Project Learning Tree is now in Chile, thanks to a new licensing agreement with Fundación Ibáñez Atkinson and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI). The program officially launched in January with a series of PLT workshops held in Santiago.

Climate change may be the single biggest challenge that faces our planet today. PLT has several resources for middle and high school students to explore both the scientific and the social aspects of climate change.

Green jobs represent one of the fastest growing and changing segments of the global economy and Project Learning Tree has a new resource for helping youth ages 12-25 explore green careers in forestry and conservation.

The only national event that brings together people who lead, operate, build, and teach in U.S. green schools will be held March 2-4 this year in Portland, Oregon.

We’ve extended our 2019 Holiday Sale by one day! You have until midnight Dec. 3, to save 25% off select PLT curriculum and online courses.

Whether you’re new to PLT or have used PLT resources for many years, we want to hear from you! Complete a short survey to enter to win a $50 Amazon gift card.

Suitable for use with youth aged 12-25, four hands-on instructional activities help youth research different forest-sector jobs, and practice managing and monitoring forest resources. Can be used in settings ranging from community youth programs and school classrooms, to college and career prep, to field trips and forest tours to help youth discover careers in sustainable forestry and conservation.

We have completed a pilot test of five new PLT activities for grades K-8 with both formal and non-formal educators across the county.

Project Learning Tree’s Carbon & Climate curriculum for grades 6-8 has been selected a Learning magazine 2020 Teachers’ Choice Award for the Classroom winner.

A new recognition program of the Arbor Day Foundation provides a simple framework and resources for using trees as a learning tool for students.

PLT collaborated with the Boy Scouts of America to correlate PLT activities to the requirements for many Cub Scout Adventures and Scouts BSA merit badges.

The awards acknowledge students, teachers, and administrators who reduce their school’s environmental impact and utility costs, improve health and wellness, and incorporate effective sustainability education.

Over 100 participants from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Chile, and Japan attended the PLT Coordinators’ Conference held May 6-9 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

PLT’s Leadership in Education Award recognizes those who make significant contributions to advance PLT programs and initiatives at the state or regional level.

This day-long workshop in Raleigh, NC on August 1, 2019 will prepare teachers/advisors who will coach high school student teams in the 2020 Envirothon competition.

Will you be attending the NSTA conference in St. Louis, Missouri in April? Join one of our focus groups to tell us how PLT might better meet your needs and we’ll give you a $50 Amazon gift card.

Here are 8 ideas for things to do with students and youth to explore and celebrate the gifts we receive from trees. Share your photos on social media for the chance to win a prize!

Nearly 5,000 students, from kindergarten to high school, are helping to design and lead a variety of projects to green their schools and improve forests, watersheds, and wildlife habitat.

Gracias al U.S. Forest Service [Servicio Forestal de Estados Unidos], muchas actividades de PLT ahora están siendo traducidas al español, tanto para maestros como para padres.

PLT is updating its flagship curriculum, the PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide. We’re seeking educators to pilot test five new activities. Stipends are available, apply by March 8, 2019.

SEEC is a partnership between School Superintendents and PLT, NAAEE and Upstream Alliance that’s working to educate superintendents across the US on the benefits of environmental education to encourage more schools to integrate environmental education into the classroom.

Teachers, students, school and district staff, educational leaders, building industry professionals, non-profit partners and others who are passionate about making green, healthy schools a reality are invited to attend.

Our new series of free webinars will provide teachers, administrators, and students valuable information and ideas on how to implement PLT’s GreenSchools Investigations.

Four new easy-to-do activities using free online tools help parents, children and teens learn together about the many ecosystem services that trees provide.

From Friday, Nov 23 through Monday, Nov 26 save 25% on all our e-units. Go to shop.plt.org and enter the code EUNIT2018 upon checkout to receive the discount.

Project Learning Tree’s Energy in Ecosystems curriculum for grades 3-5 has been selected a Learning ® Magazine 2019 Teachers’ Choice Award for the Classroom winner.

To celebrate our partnership, Your True Nature is offering a 30% discount on all Advice items for members of the PLT community AND an additional 10% of all purchases will be donated to PLT.

Teachers, kindergartners and 5th graders share their experiences using PLT activities like Every Tree for Itself, Tree Cookies, Renewable or Not, and Web of Life while on a field trip to Gully Branch tree farm in Georgia.

The 2018 Project Learning Tree International Coordinators’ Conference was held June 4-7 in Cody, Wyoming. Now in its 32nd year, our annual conference provides professional …

PLT’s new Leadership in Education Award is designed to recognize individuals and partners who have made significant contributions to support PLT programs and initiatives at the state-level. Join us in celebrating this year’s winners and honorees who represent our diverse network and all those who help sustain and grow PLT state programs.

The awards acknowledge the students, teachers, and school administrators who are working to improve the sustainability, health, and safety of school facilities; ensure nutrition and fitness practices; and engage students in real-world learning.

This in-depth professional development includes critical thinking, lesson planning, time outdoors, and lots of resources to incorporate teaching about forests and forestry into your classroom.

Three hands-on activities engage middle and high school students in STEM as they analyze the environmental benefits and calculate the dollar value of trees.

To celebrate International Day of Forests 2018, here are some ideas for students to learn how trees make cities greener, healthier, happier places to live.

Project Learning Tree has awarded 28 GreenWorks! grants to schools and community organizations across the United States for environmental service-learning projects.

Whether you regularly use the outdoors as a classroom or tend to hesitate every time you take your class outside, this unit is an invitation to increase the quantity and quality of your K-2 learners’ contact with nature and trees.

Almost everyone who attends a PLT in-person workshop praises the experience. In our continual efforts to innovate based on educator needs, PLT offers online professional development for our new e-units, PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide, Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood, as well as GreenSchools.

Energy in Ecosystems for grades 3-5, and Carbon & Climate for grades 6-8. These new units are available online to educators across the country, just in time to plan for the upcoming school year.

In an exciting move that positions PLT for future growth, the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Inc. (SFI) announced today that PLT has been transferred to SFI Inc. from the American Forest Foundation.

Congratulations to the students, teachers, and school administrators for their dedication to environmental education and healthy, sustainable schools.

The 2017 Project Learning Tree International Coordinators’ Conference was held April 24-27 in Louisville, KY. Now in its 31st year, our annual conference is designed …

Designed to be easy for teachers to access and use, these self-contained units of instruction are fully online.

PLT celebrates five outstanding educators who use environmental education to provide children and adults with skills to meet 21st century needs.

Students across the country will “learn by doing” through a variety of projects they help design and implement to conserve and improve the environment.

There is historic new federal funding available for environmental education through the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). Invite your school superintendent to learn how to apply for this funding and why.

Project Learning Tree has created a new Adult Leader Guide plus updated its GreenSchools Investigations based on feedback from students, teachers, and school administrators.

Do you want children to help improve the environment at your school or in your community? Apply for a GreenWorks! grant to support your project.

We now offer online courses for early childhood, K-8, and GreenSchools. The courses include demonstration videos, planning exercises, and state-specific resources.

Every summer, PLT programs across the country offer multi-day teachers’ tours and week-long forestry institutes. Learn more about what to expect and find a tour.

Project Learning Tree has published many more “Connecting Kids to Nature” family activities as well as a new set of “Green Your Home” checklists.

Helping kids learn from nature is all in a day’s work for Project Learning Tree’s 2016 National Outstanding Educators. Here’s how they do it.

Project Learning Tree has drafted a new K-2 instructional unit, founded on NGSS Performance Expectations. Stipends are available for teachers selected to review the content.

Five GreenSchools Investigations develop the skills of younger learners while teaching young children about their environment and how they can make a difference.

Get your students to contribute to scientific research by joining thousands of others in gathering environmental and climate change information from across the country.

This self-paced online course includes access to PLT’s e-guide designed for ages 3 to 6, plus demonstration videos, simulations, and planning exercises.

Project Learning Tree would like to thank outgoing members from its Education Operating Committee and welcome new members who are dedicated to PLT’s mission.

Back in 1976 the first PLT workshops were held in ten western states. Since then PLT has trained more than 675,000 educators across the country through in-person workshops. But, we’re keeping pace with change and now also offer environmental education on demand.

The overhauled federal education law promotes environmental education as a way to provide students with a well-rounded, 21st century education. It includes funding to grow environmental literacy in K-12 public schools.

Nearly 4,000 students across the country will participate in community-based environmental projects.

Project Learning Tree continues to develop new online professional development opportunities for educators that are carefully designed to create effective learning experiences.

Project Learning Tree is in the process of creating several new online lessons designed specifically for classroom teachers in Grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8.

Do you want a refresher course, or know someone who wants training in environmental education but can’t make it to an in-person workshop?

Do you remember Tamagotchi? Well, the interactive virtual pet just got a major upgrade!

Available online and in print, this poster provides ideas to reduce your school’s environmental footprint based on five areas covered by the PLT GreenSchools Investigations.

Project Learning Tree has awarded 63 GreenWorks! grants to schools and organizations across the country to involve students in community-based environmental projects. Nearly 14,000 students …

Environmental education can play an important role in teaching science to today’s youth, according to Stephen Pruitt who helped develop the Next Generation Science Standards.

A photo slide show illustrates 20 years of PLT GreenWorks! projects.