Education Coordinators Matt Schnabel and Leslie Wilson collaborated with SC DNR Conservation Education Coordinator Beth Foley to host a joint Project Learning Tree (PLT) and Project WILD workshop at Nemours Wildlife Foundation in Yemassee, SC.
The six-hour workshop combined both PLT and WILD activities to demonstrate to in-service educators how they can bring outdoor education into the classroom.
The day started with some information about the programs and activity guides and was followed by the activity Web-of-Life, where participants took on the role of various plants and animals within the ecosystem to demonstrate diverse connections between organisms.
After another facilitator-led activity and lunch, the participants split up into groups to lead their own activities.
The groups demonstrated activities including Oh Deer!, Backyard Naturalist and Water Wonders.
The workshop was made possible by Heather Kraus, Education and Outreach Coordinator at Nemours Wildlife Foundation. Heather is both a PLT and WILD Facilitator and has just become the coordinator for the newest PLT Environmental Education Center in South Carolina.
These “EE Centers” are a one-stop shop for PLT educators to check out free PLT materials to use in their own education, and each center agrees to host PLT educator workshops for local schools and school districts.