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Pennsylvania State Parks

Educator E-Blast

⛄ January 2025 Edition ⛄

New Year, New You! Or not. 😎 Who says you have to make a resolution or radical changes just because its January? Instead, try to take some moments for quiet introspection, bundle up & spend some time in the woods, & celebrate World Introvert Day. While it was on January 2nd, we can (quietly) celebrate it all month long by honoring introvert's quiet strength & introspective nature. The observance highlights introverts often-overlooked traits, such as creativity, deep thinking, significant role introverts play in society, & the ability to work independently.


Check out all of the good, free stuff below - Winter ❄ activities! Winter Salt 🧂 Watch, Squirrel 🐿 Appreciation Day! Educator PD, MLK Day, & more!

Need Some HOPE? Last month, Katharine Hayhoe, Climate Scientist taught classes & spoke at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. Dickinson recorded & shared her presentation for free! Her talk was inspiring, informative, & hopeful about climate change.

Watch Katharine Hayhoe's “Building Hope in a Warming World Please share it.

PA Outdoor Corps logo

The Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps is a training program administered by the Student Conservation Association (SCA) in cooperation with DCNR. The Outdoor Corps offers paid work experience, technical skills training, professional development, & EE opportunities. Each crew consists of a maximum of 5 members under the supervision of a Project Leader. Crews meet each morning at a central location in their program city & then travel out to work locations to engage in conservation work projects.

  • Youth Summer Program (ages 15-18) $15.00/hr (daily lunch provided) - multiple cities in PA 2025 Application Deadline: 2/15/2025

The program is also currently hiring:

  • American Sign Language Inclusion Summer Crew (Pittsburgh, PA; housing provided)
  • Summer Program Field Leaders (ages 21+) 2025 Application Deadline: 2/1/2025

PA State Parks Educator E-Blast Contents -

  • Section 1: Winter Teaching Ideas! + FREE STUFF!
  • Section 2: In-Person Educator Professional Development Workshops
  • Section 3: PD Webinars
  • Section 4: Explore the Outdoors!
  • Section 5: Striving Towards Inclusion - MLK Jr. Day
  • Capstone: PA State Park Info. & Updates

Section 1: Winter & More Teaching Ideas!

30+ FREE Snow Activity Ideas for Kids! Make ice cube snow-people, look at snow under a microscope, make snow prints, & more! - from ChildsPlayABC


Activities to Explore Winter Ecology from PLT - Winter ecology studies the inter-relationships between animals, insects, & plants with their habitat in the winter. Use these activities curated by PLT to explore how trees 🌲 & animals 🐻 adapt to survive winter conditions.


10 winter outdoor activities for preschoolers - from PLT


Get some educator inspiration! Read Edutopia's 10 Most Significant Education Studies of 2024


DIY Natural Paint 🖌Brushes for Kids! Making your own DIY paint brush is easy, fun, & free! Get your students out in nature & have a blast collecting natural materials. Pine 🌲 needles make fantastic homemade paint brushes! - from AppleGreen Cottage


🌡️ Predict & Graph Average Winter Temperatures near your school in 5, 10, & 20 years. This lesson plan & interactive resource displays a graph (in English or Spanish) of the average winter temperature over time, offering US cities to choose from.  - from Climate Central

Celebrate Squirrel Appreciation Day! 🐿 January 21st!


🐿 10 Nutty Facts to Make You Appreciate Squirrels - from NWF

🐿 Celebrate & Learn About Squirrels - Squirrel Fun Facts, Fav squirrel kids books, and squirrel-themed games, crafts, & snacks - from Run Wild My Child

FREE! Solar ☀ For Schools Curriculum Now Available!

The Philadelphia Solar Energy Association (PSEA) has just published a free, PA STEELS Standards-aligned Solar curriculum for middle school students - "Harness the Power of the Sun" which includes "Bring Solar to School." 

"Harness the Power of the Sun" - a free 12-week curriculum diving into energy, electricity, circuits, solar photovoltaics, electric vehicles, & more. 

"Bring Solar to School" - 6 lessons designed to enable students to understand how solar electricity is generated & analyze generation data to understand how the system helps the school save $$, reduce pollution, & slow climate change.

NEW & FREE! eBird Explorers: Youth Action for Birds: an Out-of-School Time Leader's Guide 🐦

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology's new Leader's Guide uses birds & eBird as the spark to get youth ages 8-15 excited about nature & science.



The guide Includes 11 hands-on activities to:

  • Help youth explore what it means to be a scientist
  • Learn to identify birds
  • Contribute to real scientific projects
  • Design an action project to help birds in their own communities. 

Winter Salt 🧂 Awareness Week - January 27 - 31, 2025 is a collaboration of organizations. Winter salt use damages infrastructure and threatens the health of lakes, streams, & drinking water 💦.

FREE! Winter Salt Webinars from 1/27 - 1/31/2025

Check out the WinterSalt🧂Watch Program from the Izaak Walton League! 

Science is much more relevant when it is local. When winter weather hits, we need our roads to be safe, but many of PA's 86,000 miles of streams 💦 are suffering from excessive road salt application. Thanks to the ❄ Winter Salt Watch, you can quickly perform STEM-based community science with your students or volunteers this winter by monitoring road salt in streams via testing Chloride levels. 🧂

The Izaak Walton League will even send you the materials for free! Check out the FAQ & the Winter Salt Watch StoryMap. A great way to study winter-based Phenomena! 🌨

Section 2:

In-Person Educator Professional Development Workshops

See ALL of the Upcoming Educator Workshops on the DCNR Calendar

January 2025 Educator Workshops

GO Teach Snowshoeing⛄Educator Workshop

Saturday, January 25, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

In-Person at Raccoon Creek State Park, Wildflower Preserve Interp. Center3000 State Route 18, Hookstown, PA 15050-1605

Act 48: 5.5 hrs.

Fee: FREE! pre-registration required

Winter is a great time to get outdoors and explore the natural world on snowshoes. Learn how to motivate your students to get active during the winter through an interdisciplinary set of lessons created by PA State Parks. Lessons focus on health; fitness & preparedness; snow; weather; climate; & history. This workshop addresses Physical Education, Health, History, & STEELS Standards. Ideal for PE teachers, it is also open to anyone teaching or interested in snowshoeing. Register NOW! Questions? Contact Pat Adams, EES at paadams@pa.gov or 724-899-2200.

February 2025 Educator Workshops

Project WILD🦊Educator Workshop

Wednesday, February 5, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm

In-Person at Kinzua Bridge State Park296 Viaduct Road, Kane, PA 16735

Act 48: 5.5 hrs.

Fee: $15; pre-registration & prepayment required.

Join us for a national, award-winning wildlife focused conservation education K – 12 curriculum featuring hands-on activities – Project WILD! Participants will receive the updated Project WILD K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide which offers STEM activity extensions, field investigations, a WILD WORK career section, & more. To register, contact the park office at (814) 778-5467 or kinzuabridgesp@pa.gov.


Winter MWEE💧Educator Workshop

Friday, February 14, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

In-Person at Greenwood Furnace State Park15795 Greenwood Rd., Huntington, PA 16652

Act 48: 5.5 hrs.

Fee: FREE! pre-registration required

Join educators from PA State Parks & Penn State Extension for a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE) to learn how to integrate hands-on, real-world water science, & stewardship activities into your curriculum this winter. Field experiences include Winter Salt Watch & Leaf Packs. Participants will receive the MWEE Educational Guide + supplemental materials. Registration required: 2/7/2025. To register, contact Jen Moore, jennmoore@pa.gov or 814-667-1800.


Project WET💧Educator Workshop

Saturday, February 22, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

In-Person at Lackawanna State Park1839 Abington Rd., North Abington Twp., PA 18414

Act 48: 5.5 hrs.

Fee: $15; pre-registration required

Project WET - Water Education Today - is a national curriculum that strives to educate, empower, & activate students in grades K-12. This professional development workshop, designed for classroom teachers & non-formal educators alike, will help you teach about water resources through hands-on, investigative, & easy-to-use activities. All participants will receive the Project WET 2.0 Educator Guide & access to Project WET's online resources. Registration required by 2/15/2025. Register NOW! Questions? Contact Tony DeSantis, EES at antdesanti@pa.gov or 570-945-7110.

March 2025 Educator Workshops

Project WILD🐻Educator Workshop

Saturday, March 22, 8:30 am - 2:30 pm

In-person at Moraine State Park, State Parks Region 2 Conference Room, 

195 Park Road, Prospect PA 16052

Act 48: 5.5 hrs.

Fee: $20; pre-registration required

Project Wild is a hands-on, wildlife-focused conservation education curriculum designed for educators working with students from kindergarten through 12th grade. This workshop is open to all educators, from formal teachers to naturalists, scout leaders, & homeschoolers. Earn 5.5 Act 48 hours while experiencing hands-on activities near the shores of Lake Arthur. Participants will explore & receive the updated Project WILD K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide which offers STEM activity extensions, field investigation activities, a WILD WORK career section, & more! Register NOW! For more information contact Natalie Simon, EES at morainesp@pa.gov or 724-368-8811.

More Educator Professional Development Trainings are scheduled.

Visit the DCNR Events Calendar- Teacher Workshops to find additional training opportunities!

Section 3:

Conferences & Trainings for Educators

Great Backyard Bird Count

Free Webinar! Great Backyard Bird 🐦Count

Wednesday, January 15, 7:00 pm EST

Bring the joy of science into your classroom by learning how to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count February 14-17, 2025 —a fun, hands-on way for students to observe birds, collect data, & contribute to real-world scientific research. Discover free resources, activities, & apps that make bird ID simple & engaging. Plus, you'll learn how to successfully lead bird walks. Register NOW!

Amphibian Week Webinar 🐸

Thursday, January 30, 3:00 pm ET

FREE! REGISTER NOW!

Learn about & start preparing for Amphibian Week May 4-10, 2025, Discover the significance of Amphibian Week, its history, & the urgent need to protect these fascinating creatures. Get a first look at the 2025 theme, "Masters of Two Worlds," along with exciting activities & success stories. Learn how to get involved, access resources, & collaborate to make Amphibian Week unFROGettable! Webinar hosted by the Partners in Amphibian & Reptile Conservation.

NOAA's 2025 MWEE Practitioner Community of Practice Webinar Series for Educators - FREE! 💦


Stories from 3 Division Environmental Literacy Plans (ELPs) Webinar

Thursday, January 23, 2025; 2:30-3:30 PM EST Register NOW

Get a sneak peak of 3 brand-new division ELPs that have been developed in Maryland Public Schools. Learn the process, lessons learned, & specific resources. 

Linking the Past, Present, and Future: Integrating Social Studies into Meaningful Watershed Educational Experiences (MWEEs) Webinar 

Monday, February 24, 2025; 2:30-3:30 PM EST Register NOW! 

Learn about 2 multidisciplinary MWEE programs that Pickering Creek Audubon Center leads - a MS science/social studies program linking climate throughout time & a HS program where students explore local government, decision-making, & community environmental action. Discover how their educators are collaborating with local teachers, historic sites, & public institutions to expand students’ experiences of a MWEE in the field, classroom, & throughout their action project process.

High-Quality EE Programming: A Self-Assessment Rubric for District Success Webinar

Thursday, March 27, 2025; 2:30-3:30 PM EST Register NOW!

Learn about a brand new resource developed through the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Education Workgroup by university researchers. This self-assessment rubric will help non-formal educational orgs & educators demonstrate the alignment of their EE programs with K-12 school district priorities.

NOAA Data Online Courses Webinar

Thursday, April 10, 2025; 2:30-3:30 PM EST Register NOW!

This webinar will focus on 2 self-paced online learning courses that will help educators to up their climate education game. Specifically, NOAA’s Teaching Climate Change course & Data Tutorials course.


** All webinars will be recorded & posted on the Bay Program's YouTube MWEE Playlist. **

Checkout NOAA's other FREE online courses such as MWEE 101, MWEE 201, NGSS & Environmental Literacy, & more through Chesapeake Exploration. Questions? Contact, Elise Trelegan (she/her), elise.trelegan@noaa.gov Chesapeake B-WET Program Coordinator, NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office

Section 4:

Explore the Outdoors!

Pennsylvania's First Day Hikes 🥾🎉❄🌲

 

On Wednesday, January 1, 2025, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation & Natural Resource hosted 74 hikes at 48 locations (47 parks & 1 forest district); welcoming 2,488 participants, who collectively hiked 6,487 miles. Thank you for joining us! Were you there? If not, join us next year!

Great News! Outdoor recreation continues to be a major driver of the U.S. economy, jobs, & local communities. In 2023, recreation generated $1.2 trillion in economic output, comprised 2.3% of U.S. GDP, & supported 5 million jobs 3.1% of all employees in the country. 🥾🎿🏂


This is the largest recorded measure since the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) started calculating the size of the outdoor recreation economy. According to the 2023 data, the outdoor recreation economy has grown 36% since 2012. These new figures reveal that the outdoor rec economy contributes more to the U.S. economy than farming, mining, & utilities! - from Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce

Section 5: Striving for Inclusion

- Learn more about DCNR's DEIB efforts-

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (MLK) - January 20, 2025


"On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law, designating the 3rd Monday in January a federal holiday in observance of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The legislation to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first introduced just 4 days after his assassination on April 4, 1968. Still, it would take 15 years of persistence by civil rights activists for the holiday to be approved by the federal government & an additional 17 years for it to be recognized in all 50 states! Today, it is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer & improve their communities."

Learn more - The 15 Year Battle for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - from the National Museum of African American History & Culture


Want to be of service on January 20, 2025? Here's a list events around the state:

Holocaust

International Holocaust Remembrance Day - January 27, 2025

January 27th marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau by Soviet troops in 1945. This commemoration not only marks when prisoners who survived Auschwitz were freed, but also stands as an essential reminder to the world that such cruelty and suffering must never be forgotten. 

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PA State Parks are YOURS!

Know Before You Go! Check State Parks' Winter ❄ Report

Learn snow ❄ & ice ⛸ conditions in state parks via the Pennsylvania State Parks Winter Report. The Report is updated at least weekly. It lists lake ice/trail snow thickness & what ice/snow activities are available at parks. It is searchable by park & winter recreation activity.

Book your virtual, in-person programs, and field experiences with PA State Park Educators! Find a PA State Park. Need help connecting to a PA State Park with an Educator on staff? Reach out to Carissa Longo acalongo@pa.gov.


DCNR facilities and Programs are OPEN to ALL👐

  • Many Environmental Education programs require pre-registration. Explore the DCNR events calendar for details & to register.
  • Plan your outing before you leave. Learn about facilities, download a park map on your phone or print it, & review regulations here: Find A Park
  • Take care of & respect the resource. Park, hike, hunt, explore, & more only in designated areas.
  • Check the weather & the State Parks Winter Report before you depart, dress in layers, wear proper footwear, and bring water/hot beverages. Wear orange if hiking in designated hunting areas. Please clean up after pets 🐕.
  • Do not litter 🚮.
  • Alcohol is not allowed in PA State Parks.
  • Make a Reservation (up to 11-months in advance) at a PA State Park Campground, Camping Cottage, Cabin, Yurt, or Pavilion.

 

You can help keep state parks safe for all by following these practices:

  • Use the restroom before you leave your house 🏡
  • Bring a bag and either carry out your trash or dispose of it properly
  • Continue to practice social distancing, take hand sanitizer with you & use it
  • If you are sick or have been exposed to someone who is sick, stay home

🎉 Happy New Year! 🎉



Carissa Longo, Natural Resource Program Specialist

(Coordinating Project WILD & Pennsylvania Songbirds Curricula for all of PA)

&

Christine Ticehurst, Natural Resource Program Specialist

(Coordinating PLT & DCNR's GO Teach Curricula for PA State Parks)

&

Kim Lott, Natural Resource Program Specialist

(Coordinating DCNR's Watershed Education, PA Land Choices, and Project WET Curricula for PA State Parks)

Visit the DCNR Events Calendar- Teacher Workshops to find additional training opportunities! Click the arrows to see upcoming months.

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