News
May 3rd is the last day for IdEEA Educator of the Year nominations! Each year, IdEEA recognizes outstanding classroom and community educators for their unique and invaluable contributions to the field of environmental education. Four awards are given out each year for outstanding environmental educators: Elementary Environmental Educator of the Year; Secondary Environmental Educator of the Year; Informal Environmental Educator of the Year; and Volunteer Educator of the Year. This year's nomination window is open through May 3rd and winners will be announced at the Project Green Sustainability Summit (see listing below). Please fill out this nomination form either to self-nominate or nominate another educator. If you have any questions please reach out to Chris Taylor at chris.taylor@boiseschools.org.
Give to IdEEA through Idaho Gives before May 2! You have until Thursday, May 2 to donate directly through IdEEA’s Idaho Gives page. Your financial contributions allow us to support Environmental Educators through our award program, website and newsletter, teacher grants, and events. Thank you for your support!
The City of Boise has been selected as one of 101 international cities to award local youth-led organizations with funds to implement climate action projects. Powered by Bloomberg Philanthropies in partnership with United Cities and Local Governments and the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, the City will be choosing up to 50 projects to fund. Eligible applicants must be 15-24 years old and must identify at least 3 project team members including themselves (all 15-24 years old) and a sponsor organization (school, green team, local nonprofit). Applications will open June 2024. See https://www.cityofboise.org/programs/climate-action/ycaf/ for more details.
Professional Workshops
Project Green, IdEEA, and many other sponsors will be presenting the 2024 Green Teacher Sustainability Summit this June 5-6. Registration and a call for presenters is now open. Plan to attend to see the award ceremony for IdEEA’s Educators of the Year (see above) and connect with other educators and sustainability professionals.
Free TMC Labs STEM professional development for all educators! Think Make Create (TMC) Labs teach STEM concepts through fun, hands-on, inquiry-based activities. Each TMC Lab is a complete mobile makerspace, consisting of a robust K-8 curriculum aligned to state science standards, and all the materials needed to complete each activity. TMC Labs are available to classroom and non-traditional educators alike to use with your classes, afterschool programs, camps, community events, etc., subject to availability. This training is free and open to all; no previous experience teaching STEM is required! In the training, you will learn how to use the TMC Lab to teach STEM, access educational resources, and make connections with other local educators. Visit the TMC "For Educators" website for more information and to register. Join us for this FREE 6-hour professional development opportunity: May 3 in Fairfield; May 6 in Cascade; May 9 in Pocatello; May 10 in Salmon; May 16 in Lewiston; May 17 in Bonners Ferry; May 31 in Payette. Contact Amy Post for more info: apost@jannus.org or (208) 789-6325.
Asking Purposeful Questions. May 21, June 4, and June 18, 2024 10 AM to 12 PM (MT)
Create an account and register at acrescoaching.org. Register for cohort “ID312PQ (Coach Amy P)”
Free Spring Series of 6 x 60 minute Outdoor Learning Virtual Workshops are now live! https://outdoorlearningstore.com/workshops May 28: Using Sit Spots and your Senses to Connect with Nature and June 4: Métis Learning for the Summer Solstice Each workshop comes complete with a certificate of attendance, access to the recording, discounts for outdoor learning tools & resources, and entry for some great prizes!
Museum of Idaho Educator Summer Camps. Come earn professional credit while learning from experts through these place based experiences in Eastern Idaho. Course titles for this summer include 3, 2, 1, Lift Off! Expedition Yellowstone, Grand Teton Geology, Wasden Archaeology, and Harriman Adventure. Checkout the museum’s PD website and get ready for opening day of registration, coming soon. These courses fill up quickly!
New PD course from Take Me Outside and The Outdoor Learning Store. This comprehensive 30 hour online course will certify K-12 educators in integrating outdoor learning into their teaching practice. This certification program will provide the foundations of outdoor, environmental and place-based pedagogies with practical and tangible resources at the ready.
Resources & Grants
National Invasive Species Action Week is May 12-18. Check out the Invasive Species Education Kit from Outdoor Learning for some new resources.
The McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) has spaces open for the 2024-25 school year.
EE Contests
EPA announces Social Media Water Contest. Please creatively share why water is important in your community or describe why you would consider a career in the water workforce. Applicants aged 13 to 24 can submit videos, art, photographs, vision boards, essays, poems, and more. The top three winners will receive a $100 gift card! The contest runs through May 12, 2024. More information at 2024 EPA Water Contest | Youth Engaged 4 Change
Upcoming Events
June 5-6: Project Green, IdEEA, and many other sponsors will be presenting the 2024 Green Teacher Sustainability Summit this June 5-6. Registration and a call for presenters is now open. Plan to attend to see the award ceremony for IdEEA’s Educators of the Year (see above) and connect with other educators and sustainability professionals.
August 1-2: 2024 STEM Conference, Coeur d’Alene
October 2: Idaho Women’s Charitable Foundation (IWCF) 2024 - Our Shared Environment: LEAD! (Learn - Engage - Adapt - Discuss). Featuring Dr. Jonathon Foley from Project Drawdown and Dana Gunders of ReFED.
IdEEA Updates
We’re still seeking teachers to test and review IdEEA’s draft climate curriculum. Our IdEEA Fellows have completed their drafts of an Idaho-specific climate curriculum based on the Idaho Climate-Economy Impacts Assessment. We’re looking for teachers to pilot these lessons before the end of the school year and provide important feedback before the curriculum is presented at the Idaho STEM Conference in August. If you are able to test and review one or more lessons, please email janice@idahoee.org for details.
Become an IdEEA member and support EE in Idaho! If you have an interest in supporting our mission more fully but don’t have the capacity to be on the board, join one of our committees! Any active members are eligible to meet with a committee to help with specific events and projects. Let us know you’re interested by emailing communications@idahoee.org under the subject “Committees” and we’ll connect you to the correct Committee Chair. Become a member today! Stay current with all our updates! Subscribe to this newsletter and follow our blog at idahoee.org.
About this newsletter - We bring you the latest Environmental Education resources, events, and opportunities from around Idaho, now once per month. You can be a part of this process by sharing resources, events, jobs, etc. with communications@idahoee.org under the subject “Newsletter.” Grow our reach by sharing this message with your contacts and having them subscribe to our mailing list at http://idahoee.org. If this message has reached you in error and you’d like to be removed, you can unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of this message.
Comments