Resources

Relevant, place-based resources

We are continually working with educators to take learning outdoors. In addition to providing insightful articles from educators about this work, we also work with classroom teachers and partners develop more resources to support you. Here are some to get started.

Lesson Plans

Lessons on WISELearn

FIELD Edventures coaches work with educators across grade levels throughout Wisconsin to take an inquiry approach to place-based education. These lessons are available on the Department of Public Instruction's WISELearn portal.

Hands on, Earth Math

Hands On, Earth Math (2007) was developed to supplement mathematics instruction in a project-based environmental middle school. The nine units integrate mathematics instruction with science, social studies, and literacy, focused on environmental topics and application through real-world projects.

Project WET and Project WILD

Interested in teaching about wildlife and water conservation with your learners? Interested in teaching these concepts with an outdoor focus that puts the learning in the student’s control? If yes, we can help you find a workshop and become a trained Project WET and Project WILD educator.

Outdoor Science Instruction

Our partners at the BEETLES Project have excellent resources to support a three-dimensional approach to science instruction outdoors. They've created lesson plans, videos, and handouts to support each activity. Check out their outdoor lessons and their indoor pre/post activities.

T inkergarten

Teaching early childhood? We really like the activities for outdoor nature play found on the Tinkergarten website. These activities are child-led and use objects found in your near nature to explore the world. FIELD Edventures is not affiliated with Tinkergarten.

Professional Learning

No time to schedule PD? Take a look at these self-paced learning modules!

Connect, Explore, Engage with Systems Thinking

Working with the Department of Public Instruction, FIELD Edventures developed this 30-minute online course to learn about systems thinking—the foundation of the 2018 Wisconsin Standards for Environmental Literacy & Sustainability.

Family and Community Engagement

In this course, learners develop strategic plans for their schools to connect with parents and community members by: identifying school community partners, creating a school community map, crafting the “right” question to ask, adopting a listening stance, and committing to specific, time-bound, actionable steps to engage parents and community members as supporters and thought leaders.

This free course was developed in partnership with the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools. A free Buzz account will be needed to view the course.

Nurturing Hope through FIELD Corps

This free eCourse supports new and current schools in developing a coherence model of people, places, practices, programs, and policies that promote positive classroom climate in order to increase student engagement and hope. Participants will learn about the significant effect size of nurturing hope and then study the pedagogical philosophy of F.I.E.L.D. Corps (the FIELD Edventures approach) as a critical element in a coherence model supporting positive classroom culture, student engagement, and hope.

This course was developed in partnership with the Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools. A free Buzz account will be needed to view the course.

Websites

FIELD Edventures manages two websites educators use for instruction and planning: EEK! Environmental Education for Kids! and Environmental Education in Wisconsin.

EEK! Environmental Education for Kids

EEK! provides high-quality, locally-relevant information about Wisconsin’s ecology and natural resources. Designed for upper-elementary and middle school students, EEK! has over 1,000 pages of kid-friendly content, including 70 Spanish language resources.

EEinWisconsin.org

EEinWisconsin.org is a clearinghouse website managed by FIELD Edventures. On this website, you will find grants, jobs, events, and curriculum resources from state and national providers. You can also search for environmental education centers be desired programming and features.

Apps and Tools

Google Street View

Wondering how to support place-based learning virtually? Check out this tour of a neighborhood using Google Street View:

Siftr

Siftr is a free app developed by the Field Day Lab at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. We have found it to be a great tool to support field research and document and share phenomena. FIELD Edventures has offered several workshops on using Siftr.

Check out the slides below and contact us if you'd like help using Siftr in your teaching!

Agents of Discovery

Agents of Discovery is a mobile app educators can use to help students explore the outdoors in customized "missions" on your school yard or at your school forest, at your nature center, or in a neighborhood park. FIELD Edventures is a partner with Agents of Discovery and when educators subscribe through our website, a portion of the subscription fee comes back to support our work.

Watch this 10-minute introduction:

Want to look behind the scenes of the platform? Watch part two of this video!