By PLT Staff

National Bird Day
January 5, 2010
(resource for PLT’s PreK-8 activities “Habitat Pen Pals,” “Charting Diversity,” “Web of Life,” “Schoolyard Safari,” and “Birds and Worms”)
January 5, 2010 marks the 8th annual National Bird Day celebration. Today nearly 12 percent of the world's 9,800 bird species may face extinction within the next century. Participate by hosting a bird-related event. A full suite of information and activities can be found on the National Bird Day Website. Free National Bird Day posters are available to educators! Contact Monica Engebretson to obtain a copy.

Toyota International Teacher Program
Application Deadline: January 6, 2010
The Toyota International Teacher Program offers fully-funded, international, professional development opportunities for U.S. educators. The program aims to advance environmental stewardship and global connectedness in U.S. schools and communities through creative, interdisciplinary, and solution-based teaching methods. The 2010 Toyota International Teacher Program will take place in Costa Rica, June 18 – July 3. Visit their website to review eligibility criteria and the full aplication.

NEA Foundation Green Grants
Application Deadline: February 1, 2010
Public school educators are eligible to apply for NEA Foundation Green Grants worth up to $5,000 for the development and implementation of ideas, techniques and approaches for teaching "green" concepts.  Big Green Help Grants target environmental education as an area of promise in helping students develop a sense of environmental stewardship. NEA’s Green Grants to Public School Educators support projects that integrate green-related topics with standards-based content areas to increase student engagement and improve academic achievement.

Plant Talking Points
(resource for PLT’s PreK-8 activities “Every Tree for Itself,” “How Plants Grow,” “To Be a Tree” and more)
The Botanical Society of American designed Plant Talking Points as a classroom tool for sharing ideas and concepts highlighting the role plants play in daily life.  Educators can use it to get students thinking about and exploring plant-related topics. 

Fuel Our Future
(resource for PLT’s PreK-8 activities “In the Driver’s Seat,” “Energy Sleuths,” PLT’s Energy & Society kit, and PLT’s GreenSchools! program)
Explore alternative fuels and the science of engineering using Fuel Our Future.  The website offers teacher resources, videos, and activity suggestions for K-12 educators as well as material for parents.  Topics covered include energy efficiency, alternative fuels, and advanced vehicle design.

Project Budburst
(resource for PLT’s PreK-8 activities “Bursting Buds,” “Signs of Fall,” “Looking at Leaves,” “Adopt a Tree,” “The Closer You Look,” “Have Seeds, Will Travel,” and more)
Join thousands of others in gathering valuable environmental and climate change information from across the country. Project BudBurst engages the public in making careful observations of the phenophases, such as first leafing, first flower, and first fruit ripening of a diversity of local trees, shrubs, flowers, and grasses. Get students outside and making seasonal observations with Project BudBurst.

One Million Acts of Green
(resource for PLT’s PreK-8 activities “The Global Climate,” “Energy Sleuths,” “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” “Plant a Tree” and more)
Cisco’s One Million Acts of Green website shows that individual, organizational, and community acts of green add up to something significant.  The website allows visitors to record acts of green and share ideas to encourage others.  An online calculator shows your positive impact.  The website offers educational resources on climate change, a green career guide, and more.

Nature’s Alphabet
(resource for PLT’s PreK-8 activity “The Shape of Things”)
Take a look at a beautiful photographic essay “Nature’s Alphabet” published by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.  Find links to teachers guides to this and other stories online at www.mndnr.gov/young_naturalists.

EE Online Courses
Spring 2010
The following online courses will be offered this spring through the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point.  Scholarships are available. 
Fundamentals of Environmental Education
A 12-week online course about the fundamentals of environmental education is appropriate for both classroom teachers and for non-formal educators who work with students and/or teachers
Making EE Relevant for Culturally Diverse Audiences
This 10-week on-line course is designed to provide participants with the basic knowledge and skills needed to make EE relevant to culturally diverse audiences.
Applied Environmental Education Program Evaluation
This 13-week on-line course is designed to assist environmental educators and natural resource professionals in evaluating their education programs.