VT Education and Environment Network upcoming events

Community Science Teacher Workshop (7 Jul 2026)

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Are you a science educator? Then join us for VCE’s Community Science Teacher Education Workshop! In this four-day program, you’ll engage in inquiry-based exercises that incorporate both data collection and analysis, gain confidence in incorporating field methods into your curriculum, work with open-access data, discuss both planning and conducting community science, and receive a primer on the ecology of Connecticut River’s Upper Valley. You’ll also learn ways in which your classes and students can contribute to VCE’s community science initiatives. Thanks to our funders, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Wellborn Ecology Fund and Hypertherm’s Hope Foundation, we will be able to provide a $150 stipend to participants. Continuing education credits are also available for participants of this workshop. Participation is limited to 12 educators on a first come first served basis.

For more information and to register: https://vtecostudies.org/what-we-do/community-science/community-science-teacher-workshop

Place-Based Geology & Earth Science with North Branch Nature Center (8 Jul 2026)

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Place-Based Geology & Earth Science

At North Branch Nature Center

July 8 – 10, 2026
$850 ($1,150 with 2 graduate credits). Financial Support Available
12 – 20 students
For Middle and High School educators
Instructors: Sean Beckett & Naomi Heindel

The rocks and sediment beneath our feet are part of a billion-year story that shapes much of what we see around us, from the contours of our mountains to the biodiversity of our forests to the locations and industries of our towns. Even the character of our communities are partly determined by what’s underfoot. Yet for as fundamental as geology is to our lives and landscape, it is among the most difficult sciences to learn and to teach. In this three-day dive into the bedrock and surficial geology of Vermont, we will marry science and exploration to discover and interpret the patterns and processes that characterize our landscape.

This course explores the full rock cycle on display in the wilds of Central Vermont. We’ll start by visiting modern streams and deltas to examine how sediment erosion and deposition happens in real time. We’ll then visit hills and terraces formed by these same processes operating at larger scales during the ice ages. We’ll turn our attention from sediment to stone, and see how plate tectonics and time operate over millions of years to turn sediments into the mountains and landforms we find today. Finally, we’ll scour our built environment to see how Vermont’s geology is infused directly into our architecture and settlement history. Along the way, we’ll discuss strategies for communicating earth science with students in ways that are scaffolded, interdisciplinary, standards-aligned, and deeply rooted in place.

Click here for more details and to register.

Powering Up with Mount Washington Observatory (8 Jul 2026)

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:30:00 GMT

YCI Food Waste Systems Professional Learning (14 Jul 2026)

Tue, 14 Jul 2026 18:00:00 GMT

Leveling Up Nature Based Learning Through Play with North Branch Nature Center (20 Jul 2026)

Mon, 20 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Leveling Up Nature Based Learning Through Play

At North Branch Nature Center

July 20 – 24, 2026

$1,300 ($1,750 with 3 graduate credits). Financial Support Available

12 – 20 students
For PreK – 3rd grade educators

Instructors: Jenna Plouffe & Harriet Hart

This course is for teachers who are already taking their students outside but want to bring their outdoor experience to the next level. We will explore ways to enhance curriculum and deepen students’ connection to nature through the intentional introduction of new tools and loose parts. Participants will create and experiment with elements and invitations that build on seasonal affordances and the ever-developing play/learning of young students. Essentially, we will be focusing on all the fun parts of teaching outdoors. Participants will finish this course with concrete strategies and ideas for teaching young children outdoors and a deeper understanding of how nature can be a partner in this endeavor.

During this course we will immerse ourselves in the rhythm of place-based curriculum, engaging in discussions and intensive play-driven lessons held entirely outdoors. Our experiences throughout the week will reflect those of a nature-based early childhood setting, with additional time to envision the integration of these philosophies into our teaching practice.

Click here for more details and to register.

Art, Engineering, Music and More for the Forest Classroom with North Branch Nature Center (27 Jul 2026)

Mon, 27 Jul 2026 04:00:00 GMT

ECO Institute — Nature Specials

At North Branch Nature Center

July 27 – 31, 2026
$1,300 ($1,750 with 3 graduate credits). Financial Support Available
12 – 20 students
For Elementary and Middle School educators and administrators
Instructors: Ash Kerby-Miller & Guests

For 15 years, North Branch Nature Center’s Educating Children Outdoors (ECO) program has embedded with local public schools to bring standards-based lessons to the fields, woodlots and city parks nearby. Together with classroom educators, our NBNC Teacher-Naturalists have designed and taught many lessons on ecology, physics, geography, math… and music, visual art, engineering, storytelling, cooking, crafting, and play! During this course we’ll focus on ECO lessons based in “Specials” while still tying in academic standards. Expect to teach literacy through an oral storytelling workshop, physics through natural instrument-making, and ecology through harvesting and cooking wild foods.

This course is designed to help homeroom teachers bring more art+ into their forest classroom. In our work teaching outdoors in local schools, we’ve also noticed that music, gym, and art teachers are often tapped to help with outdoor learning – a key goal of this course is to build skills to help translate the expertise of those instructors into outdoor learning. Throughout it all, we will learn, play, and create in perhaps our most fun week of summer professional development offerings.

Click here for more details and to register.

Insects in the Schoolyard, a teacher workshop (28 Jul 2026)

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Have you always wanted to teach your students about insects but weren’t sure where to start? Join teacher-naturalists Jenna Spear and Jaime Hutchinson for this full-day workshop exploring the largest class in the animal kingdom!

Learn more and register here: https://harriscenter.org/events/insects-in-the-schoolyard-a-workshop-for-teachers

Starting the School Year with Nature as your Co-teacher (30 Jul 2026)

Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMT

The first two months of school are the perfect time to establish a class culture that includes focused, nature-based learning. This workshop will kick off your outdoor planning by offering numerous strategies for including fresh-air learning during the school day.

Learn more and register here: https://harriscenter.org/events/starting-the-school-year-with-nature-as-your-co-teacher-2026

River and Watershed Science in the Wild At North Branch Nature Center (3 Aug 2026)

Mon, 03 Aug 2026 04:00:00 GMT

River and Watershed Science in the Wild

At North Branch Nature Center

August 3 – 7, 2026
$1300 ($1,750 with 3 graduate credits). Financial Support Available
12 – 20 students
For Middle and High School educators
Instructors: Sean Beckett & Guests

A week of great fun and learning in the river! This week-long exploration of Winooski Watershed starts in the verdant headwaters of the Winooski River in the Green Mountains, and works its way downstream, unpacking fundamental concepts in river science along the way. We’ll visit the old forests way up the Winooski’s North Branch to see where forest ecology and river health intersect. We’ll head downstream to meet a family of resident beavers to see how this species historically defined the flow of water across the Northeast. We’ll visit a brook catastrophically altered in 2023 to witness how streams are adjusting to our ever-increasing extreme rain events. And we’ll envision a path forward for our vulnerable towns and cities that have developed over the last three centuries right along our river channels and floodplains.

After a week in the watershed, teachers will be able to “read” a river, and interpret the pieces, patterns, and processes that comprise different parts of the stream system. This course is organized spatially—from upstream to downstream—as well as conceptually—the river “ABCs,” or Abiotic (fluvial geomorphology, geology, and hydrology), Biotic (aquatic and riparian ecology; fish and wildlife biology), and Cultural (human settlement history, stormwater management, and channel alterations). Teachers will finish the week prepared with ideas and activities to integrate these concepts in their own middle- and high-school classrooms.

Click here for more details and to register.

LENE x HEAT Heliophysics Professional Development for Educators (10 Aug 2026)

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Learn new ways to teach Sun science using teacher-tested curricula.

Learning Ecosystems Northeast (LENE) is pleased to announce a professional development event coming up this summer. This event, held August 10 & 11 at and around Mount Washington Observatory (MWOBS), will give you the opportunity to learn more about the Sun-Earth system and how to share this knowledge with your learners.

At this event, MWOBS and educators from NASA HEAT will conduct workshops designed to engage you directly with Sun science in various forms. On Day 1 (held on the summit of Mount Washington, with transport provided), educational workshops are expected to center around weather, climate, and connections to the Sun. Day 2, held at MWOBS’s offices in North Conway, is expected to be a rapid progression through the Helio Club Study Unit. This collection is geared towards a middle school audience.

Overnight accommodations for those travelling 70miles or more will be provided between Day 1 and Day 2. Rooms will be double occupancy.

Meals will be provided during workshop hours. A $200 stipend will be available for those that attend the full workshop.

Day 1 address- 1 Mt Washington Auto Rd, Gorham, NH 03581

Day 2 address- 2779 White Mountain Highway, North Conway NH 03860

Please reach out to Keri Moskowitz with any questions- kmoskowitz@gmri.org

Click here to register!

NAAEE 2026 Conference & Research Symposium (6 Oct 2026)

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Registration is now open for the NAAEE 2026 Conference (October 6–9) & Research Symposium (October 6–7), hosted by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) in partnership with the Environmental Education Association of Oregon. In times of change, imagination matters. This year’s theme of “Imagine If…” invites us to pause, look beyond current constraints, and consider what becomes possible when education drives connection, action, and positive change. We’ll explore how we can build on the momentum already underway across our field—and what more becomes possible when environmental education is fully leveraged to shape a more just, resilient, and sustainable world.

The Annual Conference and Research Symposium offer inspiring and thoughtful keynotes, a rich variety of workshops, presentations, symposium panels, discussions, bright spots, and posters, along with great opportunities for networking, growth, and change.

NAAEE is committed to making this in-person experience accessible to all, with financial aid and scholarships available. Check the conference website for information.

Youth Environmental Science (YES!) Summit (16 Oct 2026)

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:00:00 GMT

The much-loved Youth Environmental Science (YES) Summit is back at Vermont 4-H! The one-day youth-led event connects high schoolers with environmental topics, including hands-on workshops, discussions, networking, and action steps to carry forward beyond the summit. We are looking for engaging folks who would like to host an interactive 45-minute workshop related to environmental science, climate change, natural resources, and stewardship for a high school audience.

If you are interested, please fill out our workshop proposal form: https://na.eventscloud.com/ereg/index.php?eventid=879356&

Questions? Camille Kauffman, camille.kauffman@uvm.edu, 4-H UVM Extension

VT Education and Environment Network upcoming events

Community Science Teacher Workshop (7 Jul 2026)

Place-Based Geology & Earth Science with North Branch Nature Center (8 Jul 2026)

Place-Based Geology & Earth Science

At North Branch Nature Center

Powering Up with Mount Washington Observatory (8 Jul 2026)

YCI Food Waste Systems Professional Learning (14 Jul 2026)

Leveling Up Nature Based Learning Through Play with North Branch Nature Center (20 Jul 2026)

Leveling Up Nature Based Learning Through Play

At North Branch Nature Center

July 20 – 24, 2026

$1,300 ($1,750 with 3 graduate credits). Financial Support Available

12 – 20 students For PreK – 3rd grade educators

Instructors: Jenna Plouffe & Harriet Hart

Art, Engineering, Music and More for the Forest Classroom with North Branch Nature Center (27 Jul 2026)

ECO Institute — Nature Specials

At North Branch Nature Center

Insects in the Schoolyard, a teacher workshop (28 Jul 2026)

Starting the School Year with Nature as your Co-teacher (30 Jul 2026)

River and Watershed Science in the Wild At North Branch Nature Center (3 Aug 2026)

River and Watershed Science in the Wild

At North Branch Nature Center

LENE x HEAT Heliophysics Professional Development for Educators (10 Aug 2026)

NAAEE 2026 Conference & Research Symposium (6 Oct 2026)

Youth Environmental Science (YES!) Summit (16 Oct 2026)

12 – 20 students
For PreK – 3rd grade educators