Project Learning Tree Activities Available as an NPLD Educational Resource
One of the most widely used environmental education programs in the U.S., Project Learning Tree® (PLT) teaches students in grades PreK-12 how to think, not what to think, about our environment.
Through fun and engaging hands-on activities, PLT enhances critical thinking, problem solving, and effective decision-making skills, and teaches individuals to weigh various sides of an environmental issue to make informed and responsible decisions. The award-winning, multidisciplinary PLT program produces high-quality, environmental education materials on a range of topics – from forests, wildlife, and water, to community planning, waste management, and energy. Over half the activities take students outdoors so they will better understand and appreciate the world they will one day inherit.
More than 25,000 educators a year receive PLT materials through professional development workshops held in communities across the country in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. PLT provides the tools, training, and resources that classroom teachers and non-formal educators need to get their students outdoors and learning about their local environment.
This year, in a special partnership with The National Environmental Education Foundation, PLT is making two activities from its PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide available as an educational resource for National Public Lands Day.
Activity 31: Plant a Tree
Never underestimate the power of a tree! Besides giving us an amazing array of paper and wood products, trees provide a host of other benefits – from shading our backyards to assisting in the maintenance of the global climate. Students can express their appreciation of trees by planning and carrying out their own tree-planting project.
Activity 32: A Forest of Many Uses
Privately and publicly owned forests are often managed to provide many different resources. In this activity, students will learn how forests are managed to meet a variety of human and environmental needs.
PLT’s “Connecting Kids to Nature” Activity Sheets
In addition, PLT is developing a series of activity ideas for parents and families to help children connect with nature. Blending a walk with one or more of these fun, easy-to-do activities turns each outdoor experience into a learning adventure.
Apply for a GreenWorks! grant
– Applications due Oct. 31, 2008 and April 30, 2009
PLT also provides GreenWorks! grants to schools and non-profit youth organizations for community service-learning projects to improve an aspect of their neighborhood’s environment. Projects range from planting trees, constructing hiking trails, investigating alternative fuels, to establishing schoolyard habitats or outdoor classrooms on school grounds and integrating their use into the curriculum.
Project Learning Tree is a program of the American Forest Foundation. At the state level, PLT is sponsored by a variety of state natural resource and education agencies, universities, and non-profit organizations. For more information, visit www.plt.org or contact your PLT State Coordinator.