MAEOE | The Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education

Home

About MAEOE

EE Certification

Membership

Conference

Green Schools

Schoolyard Habitat

Conference Proceedings 2011

You Have a Schoolyard Habitat - Now What?

Schoolyard habitat creation is fun and exciting. But, over time, enthusiasm can dwindle, maintenance can build up, and teachers and administrators change. With all this, keeping a habitat going can be daunting. It is important to design sustainable, low maintenance habitats for use as outdoor classrooms. Even with the best laid plans, there will be some up keep involved. How do you tackle these tasks during the busy school year or over summer vacation? What can be done to keep up excitement, interest and involvement in the outdoor classroom? We will discuss ideas to help with these issues and open discussion for participants to share their stories.

Sarah Hilderbrand
Environmental Concern Inc.

You Have A SYH - Now What - powerpoint as pdf

Creating a Rain Garden from Start to Finish

As the amount of impervious surfaces such as roof tops, parking lots, and driveways increase so does the amount of run-off carrying various pollutants into our precious waterways. A rain garden is a shallow depression that is planted with native, deep rooting trees, shrubs, flowers, or grasses that tolerate being wet or dry during the periods of drought between storms. The function of a rain garden is to capture run-off, provide water infiltration deep into the ground for availability of nearby plants, break up harmful pollutants, and create wildlife habitat. There are several steps to planning and implementing a rain garden in order to ensure proper function of the system. Participants of this workshop will learn the steps of assessing your soils, sizing the garden, construction, plant selection, planting, and maintenance.

Sarah Hilderbrand
Environmental Concern Inc.

with

NorthBay Environmental Learning Center

Rain Garden How-To- powerpoint saved as pdf

How far does your environmental education go? Home Challenges

How far does your environmental education go? Does it end at the school house door or does it follow students home. Learn strategies that are effective in encouraging students to take action at home and to keep at it beyond the school year.

Tom Kozikowski
Mt. Ridge High School

Connecting Children and Nearby Nature

Given the importance and complexity of connecting children with nature, the need to train next generation environmental stewards and the numerous projects underway, a systematic planning approach can provide guidance. This session presents results from five diverse greater-Baltimore communities that build towards a planning system. The presentation includes graphic, qualitative and quantitative portraits of community resources as well as a new developmental hierarchy of grade-school learning needs. Six types of local natural resources are identified and provide diverse opportunities to connect children with nature. In addition, five age-related stages (uniquely abstracted from previous research and theory) point the way to interventions and programs appropriate to learning needs. In other words, the discipline of considering specific local resources and children’s readiness to learn both input to guide the development of local programs to link children with close-to-home nature.

Roberta M. McConochie, MLA, Ph.D.
RMc Pathfinding

(410-279-6840)

Connecting Children and Nature - powerpoint saved as pdf: The presentation is an abbreviated version of my Master’s Thesis in Landscape Architecture at Morgan State University. The complete thesis work and its numerous sources and citations can be found via UMS Dissertation Services. The work can also be searched for via Google and other search engines.

Maryland Asthma Friendly Schools Program

This presentation will provide school nurses, administrators and teachers the tools to implement asthma education within their school and become one of Maryland's Asthma Friendly Schools!

Rachel Hess-Mutinda
Maryland Asthma Control Program; MD Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Asthma Friendly Schools Presentation - powerpoint saved as pdf
All Asthma Friendly Schools program materials can be found at: http://fha.maryland.gov/mch/asthma_school_init.cfm

ARKive.org - Using Audio-Visuals to Promote
Conservation Education

ARKive is a unique global initiative gathering the very best films and photographs of the world's threatened species into one centralized digital library. Free to all at www.arkive.org,
ARKive is a valuable educational resource as teachers have unprecedented access to every film and photograph to supplement education in the classroom. Participants in this session will receive a brief introduction to ARKive including history, a tour of ARKive's vast and free multimedia
collection, educational uses of ARKive and future plans.

Liana Vitali
ARKive

Using Audio-Visuals to Promote Conservation Education - powerpoint show

Integrating Sustainability Across the Curriculum of the University of Maryland

The University of Maryland set a goal of educating all students about sustainability and developing graduates who are equiped to create solutions to the world's most challenging problems. The University's Office of Sustainability is working on a multifaceted approach to comprehensive sustainability education including a greener summer orientation program, first year sustainability education, sustainability in general education, integrating sustainability across the disciplines, the campus as a model sustainable community, and sustainability-focused academic programs. This session will provide an overview of the University's sustainability education efforts and provide an indepth look at specific programs, such as the Chesapeake
Project -- a workshop for faculty from across the disciplines who are finding unique ways of teaching about sustainability in their courses.

Mark Stewart
University of Maryland Office of Sustainability

UMD Sustainability Curriculum

Environmental Education, Lacking Energy

While new energy efficiency technologies and the production of renewable energy are essential strategies for meeting the challenge of climate change, we know that we must also change our energy consumption patterns and behaviors. Existing environmental and climate education programs touch the lives of many young people, both in classrooms and informal settings, and have the potential to change the culture in the same way that children helped persuade their parent to use seatbelts and quit smoking. However, a survey of environmental and climate change education programs globally show that energy efficiency is strongly under-represented in their activities. There are unique barriers to educating about energy efficiency. They include the “invisibility” of energy use, the lack of feedback from changes in energy use, among others. This presentation describes the gap in environmental education program regarding energy efficiency, the barriers to including energy efficiency in these programs, and potential solutions and tools that can help environmental education programs put a more appropriate focus on energy efficiency

Aaron Stainthorp
Alliance to Save Energy

Environmental Education, Lacking Energy

Wetland Charm - Make n Take Session

Teach your students the functions of a wetland through the creation of a wetland charm! Ingredients representing each key component of a wetland are combined to complete the charm as part of a fun, interactive lesson about the value of these important ecosystems.

Katelin Frase
Environmental Concern Inc.

I am including the description of the materials and order form if anyone is interested in using wetland charm for their programs.

Genetics In An Ecology Unit

This presentation shows how the teacher used the Chestnut Tree Lab to incorporate genetics into an Environmental Science class and an Honors Level Biology class.

Mrs. Jan Steeger and two students
Bishop McNamara High School

PowerPoint presentation
Other resources (as ppt for educators to edit and use as needed - not pdf’s) are available at my classroom website: http://sites.google.com/a/bmhs.org/steeger-classes/

And Then We Went Outside

Getting our students involved in the scientific inquiry process beyond the classroom can be done easily by taking a different approach to an established science curriculum. We believe that all teachers and administrators can "encourage children to make discoveries for themselves and solve problems creatively."* By doing so, we can also:
-- extend the established school science, technology, engineering, and math curricula;
-- implement the national movement for No Child Left Inside; and
-- promote meaningful student involvement in preserving the health of our environment.

Lori Rolston
Cedar Grove Elementary School

http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/cedargrovees/Chesapeake/MAEOEconf.html
They are the first two links (PPTs) on the page.

Certified Maryland Green School Leader Training

The newest addition to the Maryland Green School Program - the Maryland Green School Leader Network is designed to create a statewide team of Green School mentors whose relationships and services provided will lead to more schools actively engaged in the pursuit of Maryland Green School certification. The Maryland Green School Leader Network will facilitate the continued growth and expansion of Maryland Green Schools because they will:
• Introduce schools to and excite schools about the Maryland Green School Program
• Mentor and guide schools through their unique Maryland Green School Journey
• Celebrate the significant environmental improvements that Maryland Green Schools make within their communities

Joanne Schmader
MAEOE

Maryland Green School Leader Program

Successful Model of Children in Nature Collaboratives

Richard Louv’s bestselling book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder brought to national attention the fact that children are losing the benefits of a caring connection with nature. Louv and others formed the Children & Nature Network (C&NN) as a source for research and news, including a map of 47 regions that have children and nature initiatives. C&NN also holds an annual Grassroots Gathering that brings together leaders from city and state initiatives to share information. We will share best practices from the 2010 C&NN Grassroots Gathering as well as our Maryland initiatives, including outcomes of the January 2011 Greater Baltimore Children & Nature Conference.

Mary Hardcastle
Parks and People Foundation

PRESENTATION DOWNLOAD: Included are PowerPoint slides from the Children & Nature Network that explain the purpose of the movement and the initiatives of C&NN that support 80 regional grassroots campaigns in the U.S. Also included are C&NN best practices for communities and individuals, and inspirational photos.
In addition, provided arePowerPoint slides that provide info and website addresses for many regional grassroots campaigns including the contact person and website for the Greater Baltimore Children & Nature Collaborative

How to Educate for Sustainability, Not Just Less Unsustainability

This presentation is for those who are drawn to the work of education for sustainability (EFS), yet who suspect that tinkering with or even overhauling what happens in formal education will never do more than help make industrial civilization somewhat less unsustainable. Participants will learn how a new certificate program has resisted the comfortable work of ‘less unsustainability’ and focuses instead on the challenging work of making a sustainable future possible by outlining a conception of EFS that moves it from a tool of ‘less unsustainability’ to a more general and deliberate strategy of cultural creation and transformation. I then shows how this perspective has informed the development of the new certificate programs in Education for Sustainability at West Chester University (WCU), where the inaugural class finished in August 2010.

Paul Morgan
West Chester University

1. PowerPoint saved as a PDF

Lost Ladybug Project

Ladybug populations across North America are changing due to the introduction of non-native ladybug species. This workshop will present the Lost Ladybug Project of Cornell University. The project involves authentic science and a fun opportunity to get outside with kids. The Lost Ladybug Project can be utilized in a formal or non-formal classroom setting. Geared toward an elementary or middle school curriculum, the Lost Ladybug Project is a fun way to get kids involved in real-life science. Prepare to learn all about native and non-native ladybugs and what is currently happening to their populations. You will learn how to capture, photograph and identify these insects and submit your data to scientists and entomologists at Cornell University.

Carly Ferguson and Mary Hoy Carroll County Outdoor School

www.prezi.com/oszhsaum1abj/lost-ladybug-project/ Online link to the Prezi presentation of the Lost Ladybugs. It replaced a PowerPoint presentation.
www.lostladybug.org - Project website which contains all information needed to get started as well as resources that were available at the workshop including curriculums, coloring books, bookmarks, etc.

Port of Baltimore Environmental Education

Maryland Environmental Service, on behalf of the Maryland Port Administration, offers FREE environmental education programs at its Dredged Material Placement Sites:

Paul S. Sarbanes Ecosystem Restoration Project at Poplar Island
Hart-Miller Island
Swan Creek Education Program at Cox Creek

A brand new teacher’s guide has been developed to accompany our educational tours. Also included are pre- and post-trip lesson plans to be used in the classroom to prepare students for their trip and to review and reinforce concepts after they’ve visited one of our sites. All lessons and activities are aligned to Maryland State Curriculum.

Laura Baker, Laura Baldwin, Beth Kivela

Maryland Environmental Service on behalf of Maryland Port Administration

Port of Baltimore Environmental Education Field Experiences

Developing a Schoolyard Habitat

Participants of this workshop will learn how to effectively design and implement a Schoolyard Habitat project at their schools while utilizing MAEOE's Toolkit for Schoolyard Habitat Program Development. Information and resources will be provided on the key processes that go into designing and implementing a successful schoolyard habitat. Schoolyard Habitats are valuable teaching tools and can be effectively utilized across the curricular spectrum. Projects also have an aspect of student empowerment as educators use them in issue investigation as a viable action project. Topics for this session will include funding and obtaining community & administrative support, choosing native plants, developing obtainable goals & creation and execution of a timeline.

Salena Garber and Jessica Green
NorthBay Enviornmental Learning Center

Measuring Effectiveness of U.S. Environmental Education Programs: NELA Phase II

Members of the National Environmental Literacy Assessment (NELA) research team will present and discuss aspects of their ongoing research funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and supported by the North American Association for Environmental Education. Phase II of NELA was designed to provide environmental literacy data from schools that incorporate EE as a part of instruction and to compare these data to the baseline environmental literacy data generated in NELA Phase I. Schools across the United States with established and recognized EE programs in place in grades 6, 7, and/or 8 were selected for inclusion in the study from among those nominated by members of the EE community. In addition, a comparison of Phase I & II results will be presented. Discussion will follow regarding the findings and possible directions for further research.

Karen Cifranick
The Center for Instruction, Staff Development and Evaluation (CISDE)

Measuring Effectiveness of U.S. Environmental Education Programs: NELA Phase II - Powerpoint presentation as PDF

Teaching and learning with the most magnnificent Monarch

The purpose of the presentation is to link environmental issues (and the process to solve them) to educational standards already in place. I will give enough background
information to provide confidence in using this amazing butterfly as a tool to teach topics such as scientific observation skills, geography, life cycles, socio-economic factors, biology, math, and many more.

Joseph Stevens

Carroll County Outdoor School

Greening the Classroom and Beyond

By "Greening the Classroom", schools provide a safer and healthier environment for their students as well as
teachers. "Greening the Classroom and Beyond" takes a look at schools, internally and externally, and how what
they do can serve as a role model for their associated parents and community. From small ways teachers can
green the classroom to how school officials can green the landscape, while also involving the students. Often, by
going green, schools also save money, and can stretch their budgets further for school betterment
Furthermore, teachers have a big impact on homes' consumption as well. By teaching children to reduce waste
at school, express why the environment needs to be protected, and provide environmental community service
opportunities, teachers can make a significant impact on consumption and waste at home. If lifestyle changes
must happen in order to protect the planet, changes must also happen in the schools.

Melinda Hughes-Wert
Nature Abounds

Greening the Classroom and Beyond - powerpoint saved as PDF
“Green Tips for Schools” Tip Sheets, will be revamped over the next several months. If someone is interested in them, please contact me by email at Melinda@natureabounds.org .

Buy, Use, Toss

Some concepts just naturally engage students. Consumption is one of them. Participate in interdisciplinary activities designed to build 21st century skills while helping students think critically about consumption. Buy, Use and Toss is a series of 10 lessons about the system of producing and consuming goods. Learn about the 5 major steps of the materials economy, analyze the sustainability of these steps and determine how consumption can benefit people, economies and environment. Free download of all lessons.

Rebecca Bell

Download 10 interdisciplinary lessons which explore the materials economy and its 5 steps: Extraction, Production, Distribution, Consumption and Disposal: FREE at www.facingthefuture.org.

Early Childhood Environmental Education
Programs--2010 Guidelines for Excellence

To introduce the new Guidelines to Maryland educators, administrators, curriculum specialists, and others interested in this first reach-out by NAAEE to our youngest
environmentalists.

Mary Rivkin

Handouts for the conference was the new Early Childhood Education guidelines book, which can be found online by going to the NAAEE web site. The exact site is http://resources.spaces3.com/91ecfc06-2076-4e26-880d-2332e87b5caf.pdf

eBird: Integrating Technology with a Focus on Birds

Instructors will demonstrate how technology can be used in the collection and reporting of birding data. Whether using a schoolyard feeder or collecting observations from a birding
trip, individuals can use GPS units and Google Earth to pinpoint locations of observations. Online the eBird site can be used both as a way to submit observations as well as a way to recover data in a variety of formats for educational use. The instructors will also highlight a summer program where both educators and students can be trained to use
these technologies at a higher level.

George Radcliffe

Handouts and Resources have been posted to the Youth Division of the Maryland Ornithological Society website

Leading the Nation: Maryland No Child Left Inside & Children in Nature

To familiarize formal & non-formal educators, public lands personnel, non-profits and interested parties with the status and potential impact of federal No Child Left Inside
legislation and Maryland Children in Nature initiatives.

Julie Dieguez
Maryland No Child Left Coalition

How to Grow a Green School

Joanne Schmader

MAEOE

1. Powerpoint PDF

Green Map Your Watershed! Your Town! Your Neighborhood!

Learn about the international Green Map System and its universal icons used to map nature, culture and sustainable living resources. The 160 icons cover topics such as flora, fauna, land and water, mobility, food, green technology, cultural and historical sites, and social activism. GMS icons can be used to create print and interactive maps.

Janet Felsten

1. Green Map Your Watershed powerpoint as pdf