VT Education and Environment Network upcoming events

Upper Valley Farm to School Gathering (9 May 2026)

Sat, 09 May 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Save the date for the Upper Valley Farm to School Gathering on Saturday, May 9th from 10:00am to 2:30pm at Thetford Elementary School and Thetford Academy.

Stay tuned for a link to register in mid-March.

This free, community gathering will bring together educators, school nutrition leaders, farmers, nonprofit partners, and anyone working with youth around food, food systems, agriculture, and gardens. Whether you are just getting started or have a thriving program, this day is designed to connect us, strengthen our work, and share practical tools.

You can expect:

Hands-on workshops
Networking and collaboration time
Capacity-building conversations
Campus tours
Delicious local food

We are grateful for support from the Wellborn Ecology Fund and excited to collaborate with regional partners to make this gathering meaningful and action-oriented.

If you care about helping young people understand where their food comes from, engage in hands-on learning, and build more resilient local food systems, we hope you will join us.

Please share widely with colleagues and community partners. The more voices at the table, the stronger our regional network will be.

Hope to see you there,

Em Shipman

Executive Director

KidsGardening

(802) 316-8516‬

Bear Dinner: 2026 VEEN Spring Gathering (12 May 2026)

Tue, 12 May 2026 21:30:00 GMT

WHEN: Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 5:30 – 8 P.M.

WHERE: Common Ground Center (473 Tatro Rd, Starksboro, VT 05487)

WHO: Environmental educators, naturalists, outdoor professionals, teachers, and anyone who can’t bear to miss the fun!

WHAT: An evening of wild cooking, feasting, learning, and networking! Join the Vermont Education & Environment Network (VEEN) for our 2026 Spring Gathering. Throughout the evening at Common Ground Center, you will:

Learn about human-wildlife relations in Vermont foodscapes
Discover FREE environmental education resources
Experience a place-based, standards-aligned K-12 activity from Project WILD
Learn how to sustainably process wild foods, from wild trout (optional) to foraged spring greens
Enjoy a yummy spring feast fit for a bear (Potluck dishes welcome if you feel inspired, but you only need to bring yourself)
Network with colleagues statewide and promote your own exciting work

$10 for Non-Members, FREE for VEEN Members. Explore membership benefits beginning at $15/year.

Register today!

To receive free registration, members should sign in to their account using the email originally used to purchase their membership. Questions? Please contact thenetworkVT@gmail.com

Please note that this event is geared towards adults as a biannual gathering of the Vermont Education & Environment Network. All are welcome, but activities are NOT designed to engage families and young children.

In Bloom in Vermont 2026:Promising Practices in Nature-based Early Childhood Education (16 May 2026)

Sat, 16 May 2026 12:15:00 GMT

Nature-based early childhood educators - please join us for the In Bloom in Vermont conference, held at Marion Cross School in Norwich on Saturday, May 16! We have a great selection of workshops from regional educators and keynotes from Antioch University Nature-based Early Childhood faculty. The workshops will take place in the forest where MCS teachers and students spend their Forest Fridays. At lunch, participants will have the opportunity to meet with Antioch University/Inside-Outside’s regional chapters. We will enjoy providing you with simple morning refreshments and a healthy lunch as part of your registration fee. Click here for a brochure.

Click here for more details and to register.

GENERATE! Solutions for curriculum, Climate & Community (VEEP/NHEEP Summer Institute for Teachers) (22 Jun 2026)

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

How will we integrate real-world problem solving and joy into learning so we can GENERATE climate solutions, engagement, and agency in our schools and communities? Can we use student-led and accessible, hands-on learning to define what needs doing in the local community, and then empower students to investigate, design and do the work to realize the changes they envision? Come work and play with us on Squam Lake at the beautiful Rockywold Deephaven Camps as we approach these questions together. Along with expertise from VEEP/NHEEP you will gain insights from several of our Youth Climate Leaders, as well as the fabulous cohort of skilled educators like yourself who choose to participate in the program. You will plan a curriculum that cultivates hope and brings students meaningful learning opportunities to tackle relevant climate solutions for their community. Open to all educators, any grade, any subject. Full scholarships available to VT and NH teachers.

Follow this link for more information and to register: https://veep.org/summerinstitute/

Bringing Learning to Life: Place-Based Learning in K-8 (24 Jun 2026)

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 13:00:00 GMT

This workshop is being offered by the Champlain Valley Educator Development Center.

Who Should Attend?

Teachers - K-8 Elementary & Middle School Classroom, Special Education and Specials (Art, Music, PE, Enrichment, Library)

Administrators & curriculum coaches looking to energize and engage learners and faculty
Teams - Grade Level, Co-planning, Interdisciplinary, Collaborative, Building, Buddy Classrooms etc.

Introduction:

This workshop encourages educators to harness not just their fellow learners’ curiosity, but their own. It focuses on strategies for making learning relevant in elementary and middle school classrooms through bringing local resources into school and bringing classes out to the world as a means of universal design to meet the diverse strengths and needs of the learners in front of them.

In 1899, in his book The School and Society, John Dewey summed up the a major problem facing the institution of education that still exists today, when he wrote “From the standpoint of the child, the great waste in school comes from the child’s inability to utilize the experiences he gets outside the school in any complete and freeway within the school itself; while at the other hand, he is unable to apply in daily life what he is learning at school.”

Deep understanding of the world around us is not built in silos. The skills we develop must be transferable to complex situations. Content instruction can be so isolated from its real world applications, that it becomes abstract and inaccessible to our young fellow learners. Knowledge and competencies can effectively be constructed when integrated and woven together in realistic, actionable and authentic ways. Common Core (CCSS), National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM), College, Career and Civic Life (C3) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) offer opportunities to overlap.

An important indicator of school health & success is how seamlessly it is integrated with the greater community around it. As we move farther away from COVID we find ourselves rebuilding our schools’ infrastructure for learning in the field, with local experts. While we focus a lot on social emotional learning and advocate for flexible pathways to show understanding, we must provide opportunities for learners to practice skills out in the world. This workshop aligns with the Vermont Educational Quality Standards pertaining to Curriculum and Instruction.

Goal of the Workshop:

Examples will be provided for participants to learn about different ways teachers have directly connected their curriculum to the world outside the classroom. They will also have time to share their own experiences. Through this workshop, they will design a learning experience that brings their already existing curriculum and the concepts/skills they are teaching to life, in authentic and relevant ways. It could be a one time field expert visit, field trip or a year long integrated project. Dedicated time is provided to building connections and partnerships with community resources. Educators will leave the workshop having designed a ready-to-go, accessible and engaging lesson plan or unit that enhances and deepens learners’ understanding and provides flexible pathways for demonstrating knowledge. Focus will be placed on stepping outside of siloed content areas, utilizing place-based and project based learning strategies to weave and integrate content areas naturally together and meet multiple overlapping CCSS, NCTM, NGSS & C3 standards.

Individual follow up sessions to touch base, troubleshoot and share progress will be provided. Upon completion of the workshop, participants will receive a certificate with professional development hours and a blurb to use for the recertification process.

Objectives

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

✅ Design and plan an experiential lesson or unit to facilitate learning experiences that enhance and deepen already existing curriculum

✅ Investigate the history of experiential learning and contemporary exemplars

✅ Examine the benefits and challenges of experiential learning & connecting curriculum to the context they would encounter and use the skills or knowledge in life beyond the classroom.

✅ Explore ways to reach multiple ways of knowing and doing (UDL) and play to learners’ strengths

✅ Create community beyond the school walls

✅ Build your educator network

✅ Utilize field experts in instruction

✅ Fan teacher and learner curiosity

✅ Create sustainable systems/infrastructure to regularly include field work or experts in lesson planning.

Helpful things to bring with you:

Curriculum maps for the specific literacy, social studies, science, math, music, art, STEM, library etc. program you work with, the PBGRs you teach and or your year outline to identify a place or places you can build out an experience or experiences from.
A list of the standards related to the area you teach in, ie. Common Core (CCSS), National Council of Teachers of Math (NCTM), College, Career and Civic Life (C3) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

Date and Time: June 24, 2026 9am-3:30pm

Location: CVEDC Classroom (150 Kennedy Drive, South Burlington) includes a light breakfast and lunch.

Cost: includes the book Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond

CVEDC Member: $250 Non-Member: $300

Follow this link to register: https://cvedcvt.corsizio.com/register/691dde708ff18fc37868d5a6

About the Presenter:

Harmony Lanen Roll, M.Ed. holds a bachelor's degree in art history from the University of Maine, a master’s of education in curriculum and instruction from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and is a doctoral student in the Education Leadership & Policy program at UVM. She is currently the Enrichment Program teacher at Richmond Elementary and an occasional adjunct lecturer/clinical supervisor at UVM. Her work focuses on ways of knowing, universal design, accessibility, learners' view of self, metacognition, learning differences, as well as outdoor, multicultural, place-based and aesthetic education. Over her 25 year career, she has served as an elementary and middle school classroom teacher, specialist, founded and ran outdoor family networks across Alaska, taught at the university level and consulted. She lives with her family in Huntington and enjoys photography, painting, hiking with her dog and hockey.

Natural History Fundamentals for Educators with North Branch Nature Center (29 Jun 2026)

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT

Natural History Fundamentals for Educators

At Vermont Commons School in Charlotte, VT

June 29 – July 3, 2026

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

12 – 20 students

For Elementary and Middle School Educators

Instructors: Ken Benton & Dave Muska

This course is about developing a foundation of natural history knowledge through immersive study of bird language, tree and plant identification, wild edible safety, geology, and stream ecology. We will practice techniques for achieving a deeper level of inquiry and observation in nature while learning hands-on methods for embedding this knowledge into outdoor lessons and making classroom connections. The routines that we build throughout the week are designed to deepen your class’s sense of place within the outdoor learning environment.

In this week-long practice of place-based curriculum we will use a daily rhythm of core routines and deep observation practices to build a deeper relationship with nature. This daily rhythm mirrors the experience of elementary students during a typical day of ECO (Educating Children Outdoors). Participants will close the week envisioning integration of these methods and practices into their student’s experience. All lessons given to participants for use in their classroom will be aligned to Vermont State Standards, Common Core and NGSS when applicable. Curriculum meets elementary standards-based objectives when lessons and units are practiced outdoors.

Click here for more details and to register.

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.

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.

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.

VT Education and Environment Network upcoming events

Upper Valley Farm to School Gathering (9 May 2026)

Bear Dinner: 2026 VEEN Spring Gathering (12 May 2026)

In Bloom in Vermont 2026:Promising Practices in Nature-based Early Childhood Education (16 May 2026)

GENERATE! Solutions for curriculum, Climate & Community (VEEP/NHEEP Summer Institute for Teachers) (22 Jun 2026)

Bringing Learning to Life: Place-Based Learning in K-8 (24 Jun 2026)

Natural History Fundamentals for Educators with North Branch Nature Center (29 Jun 2026)

Natural History Fundamentals for Educators

At Vermont Commons School in Charlotte, VT

June 29 – July 3, 2026

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

12 – 20 students

For Elementary and Middle School Educators

Instructors: Ken Benton & Dave Muska

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

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

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

12 – 20 students
For PreK – 3rd grade educators