Globe at Night: The Globe at Night program is an international citizen-science campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of light pollution by inviting citizen-scientists to measure their night sky brightness and submit their observations from a computer or smart phone. Light pollution threatens not only our "right to starlight", but can affect energy consumption, wildlife and health. Explore the last 12 years of data in the interactive data map, see how your city did with our regional map generator, and help put your city on the map with observations! Plus, with how early the sun goes down, it is the perfect time of year for students to make observations without having to stay up late. Get your classroom involved by checking out their website.

Green Teacher Webinar: Using Geocaching and Orienteering as Engaging Learning Tools

This webinar was previously recorded and is available to view until Jan. 4. This one features Becky Lewis, who has 15 years of classroom teaching experience and is always looking for ways to get students learning outdoors, and has recently used geocaching and orienteering as learning tools for prek-5th grade science. View it on YouTube.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Free Webinar Series

These engaging monthly webinars provide background information and K-12 activities related to scientific observations, inquiry, NGSS, citizen science, and outdoor learning. Educators can also opt to receive one Continuing Education Unit (CEU) from Cornell University. Learn more and register on their website.

Student Driven Investigations: Jan. 21, 6 PM or Jan. 23, 8 PM. Put your students in the driver's seat. We'll guide you through the basics of using Investigating Evidence: how to develop observations, formulate questions, and design experiments. Learn what inquiry is and how it can help you meet the Common Core Standards, discover new citizen-science projects in ornithology and beyond, and review case studies to discover how educators foster the scientific process through observing and asking questions.

Winter Snow: Creative Ways to Teach STEM Conference

Jan. 31 - Feb. 1, Camp Nuhop- 1077 Township Rd 2916, Perrysville, OH 44864

Presentation topics are diverse and if possible relate to winter, but will relate to one of the following: STEM, Arts, Environmental Literacy, 21st Century Skills or Careers and the Environment. Keynote Michelle Stitzlein is an artist who will give a digital presentation about materials available in the waste stream and how she has utilized them in her own artwork and collaborative projects with schools. The Sessions and Scheduled Form can be downloaded here. Register online.

Teacher Field School

New this year, we will be offering periodic Teacher Field Schools that any educator can attend! These are perfect for educators considering doing a self-guided field trip, or just looking for new ideas for hikes and outdoor experiences. As always, these are free, though all teachers participating will receive a backpack with supplies (thanks to grant funding) to assist with your outdoor adventure, whether it be at a park or at school.

Winter in the Park: Jan. 8, 4 to 5:30 PM, Cox Arboretum MetroPark's Mead Theater. While some species hibernate in winter, there's a lot of animals still active in winter and lots to explore! We will hike around the park looking at plants in winter and animal evidence. And each teacher will receive a backpack with supplies to help during winter outdoor explorations! Register online.

Teacher's Night Out Series

Join other like-minded, formal educators in the Montgomery County area for an evening in the park, just for teachers! We will explore new ways to connect your lessons with nature and showcase resources available in the community to help support what you do!

Composting in the Classroom: Jan. 21, 6 to 8 PM, Cox Arboretum MetroPark's Mead Theater. Composting is a great way to turn food waste into soil for your school garden. Join other formal educators as we discover how to bring composting to your classroom, and all the activities that go hand-in-hand with this conservation action. Plus, all teachers will build their own worm bin to take back to the classroom! Register online.

Teacher Worskhop Series

Join other like-minded, formal educators in the Montgomery County area for an evening in the park, just for teachers. We will explore new ways to connect your lessons with nature and showcase resources available in the community to help support what you do!

Healthy Water Healthy People: Jan. 11, 9 AM to 3 PM, Cox Arboretum MetroPark's Fifth/Third Room. Graduate credit eligible. This workshop will introduce classroom teachers to the Healthy Water, Healthy People curricula guide, help educators become comfortable teaching outdoors, and demonstrate how to utilize Five Rivers MetroParks' resources to make your curriculum come alive for students! Graduate credit (0.5) is available through Wright State University if attending this workshop. No written project required. Register online.

Project WILD and Project WILD Aquatic Workshop: Jan. 12, 9 AM to 5 PM, Cox Arboretum MetroPark's Fifth/Third Room. Graduate credit eligible. This workshop will certify classroom teachers in the nationally recognized Project Wild curricula and allow teachers to take an in-depth look at inquiry-based learning through Inquiry Adventures. Participants will take home both the Project Wild and Aquatic guides, as well as field guides and other classroom resources, and gain access to MetroPark's Inquiry Adventures Kits: Tubs filled with a variety of outdoor scientific instrumentation for classroom use. Lunch is provided and Project WILD materials are provided free of charge by the ODNR Division of Wildlife. Graduate credit (0.5) is available through Wright State University. Participants can also earn 6 Ohio Approved hours through OCCRRA. No written project required. Register online.

Bees 101

Jan. 18, 10 AM to noon, Possum Creek MetroPark. Pollinators are critical to community gardens. In this class, learn from an expert beekeeper how to start a backyard (or community garden) beehive. This program often fills up fast, so register soon.

Ongoing Five Rivers MetroParks Opportunities

Green Schoolyards Program

The Five Rivers MetroParks Green Schoolyards Program assists schools in developing habitat and/or vegetable gardens, which can be great ecological teaching tools that encourage connection with nature. It also supports two seedling schools each year, with additional resources to get a green schoolyard established and thriving! If your school would be interested in an initial site visit to discuss the Green Schoolyards Program, or interested in becoming one of our seedling schools for the 2019-2020 school year, please call or email Hallie Hayden. More information can be found on our website.

School Field Trips

Now is the perfect time to start thinking about your 2019-2020 school year field trip to Five Rivers MetroParks! I will begin scheduling in June, so get your ideas ready! Call at least three to four weeks in advance for school field trips in the parks. Think of our parks as 16,000 acres of green schoolyard for you to use with your students. While we have guided field trip options, you're always welcome to lead students on your own adventures and we can help reserve spaces for you. Call 937-275-5059. Check out our guided programs.

Teacher Field School

Are you interested in taking students to a park but a little unsure about what to do or where to go? You may know the standards you'd like to teach, and don't need a guided experience, but still could use help planning your self-guided trip. This usually takes 90 minutes to two hours, usually after school, and helps build confidence, expand ideas and sort out logistics for your self-guided field trip. At Cox Arboretum MetroPark, grant funds help provide supplies and a backpack for teachers. Call 937-275-5059 to schedule a Teacher Field School for you and your fellow teachers.

Educator Facebook Page

Five Rivers MetroParks has created a community on Facebook to help share upcoming opportunities, helpful articles, classroom resources and as a way to communicate with fellow educators in the area. Visit Facebook for more information and to join.

To join, you will be asked two questions:

1. Where do you teach?
2. What grade level do you teach?

These questions are a way for us to verify that those looking to become members are teachers in the area. Feel free to start discussions in the group, ask questions, share ideas, and we will be sure to share resources we find as well.

Free Education Resources

eBird Explorer's Curriculum Series: Download your free eBird lessons to get a taste of the birding world! The stand alone, comprehensive downloads allows educators an opportunity to explore the new K-12 curriculum suite, eBird Explorers. Each grade-band offers youth the opportunity to make careful observations, collect and explore data and patterns, and build STEM practices, all while addressing standards align science content. Entire kits with lessons and supplies will be available through our partners at NASCO soon! Find the free downloadable lessons on their website.

Explorer's Curriculum Webinar: Discover how you can engage your 6-12 grade students in the eBird citizen-science project with our latest eBird Explorers curriculum. Lessons explore the complexity of biodiversity and human impacts on the environment, and how citizen science can help us understand our world. Sign up for either the Nov. 19 at 6 PM or Nov. 21  at 8 PM.

Climate Change in My Backyard Curriculum: With support from NASA, and in collaboration with the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) and schools and teachers throughout Illinois, the Chicago Botanic Garden has developed the Climate Change in My Backyard curriculum series. The project targets grades 5 to 12. Students explore climate change in the context of an investigation of how climate affects their local plants and ecosystems. They collect data to contribute to Budburst, and analyze the data they collect in the context of NASA and NOAA climate and atmospheric data, as well as NASA satellite imagery. They learn about the effects of changing climates on ecosystems through participation in Budburst, and then broaden that perspective by exploring the effects of climate change on human communities around the world. You can find the overview and the three different curriculum sets on their website.