Environmental literacy, community action
Our lesson series are designed to provide teachers with the confidence and resources to advance environmental literacy in their classrooms. This summer, we invite 3rd–5th grade teachers to pilot one or more of our lesson series.
The CAELI Community-Based Partner Hub is a portal that connects K–12 teachers and administrators to environmental education community-based partners and their programs. Find experiential learning opportunities for your students today!
| The vision of YES, Nature to Neighborhoods is for Richmond youth, adults and families to lead healthy, connected lives; motivate change in their neighborhoods; and inspire a safe, thriving community. YES Nature to Neighborhoods was founded on the belief that positive experiences in nature are a catalyst for individual and community transformation. Their work focuses on cultivating leadership, increasing access and breaking down barriers for those excluded from the outdoors, reclaiming a connection to the earth, and creating brave spaces that foster cross-cultural relationships. Their organization values inclusion, intentionality, effective communication, integrity, a holistic approach, equity, and diversity. |  |
 | YES Nature to Neighborhoods offers programs for youth from childhood through young adulthood. The Explorers Program for 8-10 year olds, offers new experiences that nurture children’s leadership skills through hands-on learning in the natural environment. Through after-school workshops and weekend outings, Explorers grow their social- emotional skills and engage in environmental education and critical thinking. Explorers participate in outdoor experiences like learning center visits and one overnight camping trip. They can also participate in YES’s Summer, Family, and Winter camps. |
| The Rangers Program for youth ages 11-13, continues to build social-emotional and outdoor skills while learning about the natural environment, environmental stewardship, and responsibility to the community. Rangers participate in biweekly workshops and continue to develop a sense of belonging in and connection to the outdoors through adventures like hiking, fishing, kayaking, and camping. |  |
 | The Adventure Crew for youth ages 11-13, is a 10-month environmental program co-led with the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). While exploring a variety of parks and outdoor landscapes across the region, the group emphasizes challenge-by-choice through a variety of outdoor experiences, culminating in a three-night, self-supported backpacking trip. The Adventure Crew meets every other Saturday, and members may also participate in the Rangers cohort. |
| The Youth Engagement Team (YET) is a program designed for youth ages 14-15. Teens grow from campers into community role models and advocates. YET members build leadership skills by mentoring younger participants, exploring health and wellness, and leading community improvement projects. YET leaders can also participate in outdoor excursions such as rock climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, and camping. Through these experiences, they develop and pursue personal goals, become more confident in their voice, learn about local issues, and gain skills to make community improvements. In the Coastal Conservation Corps, youth ages 16-18, continue to practice stewardship and civic action, learning about environmental justice, climate change, and conservation science, focusing on the health of local waterways. This is done through bi-weekly workshops, educational day and overnight trips, local advocacy, and access to recreation and leadership opportunities. Teens are supported to identify and pursue goals, graduate high school, and access scholarships, internships, and job opportunities to successfully navigate young adulthood and as empowered leaders. |
 |  |
| Additionally, YES Nature to Neighborhoods offers Family Camp which cultivates self-awareness, connection to nature, and strong bonds. At Family Camp, parents and caregivers and their children build cross-generational and peer-group relationships, become inspired to engage in their communities, and connect with the solace, joy, adventure, fun, and opportunities for growth that nature provides. Visit the YES Nature to Neighborhoods website to learn more about their amazing programs! |
 | Date: September 2, 20026 Location: Online Description: We invite you to our next virtual statewide gathering which is a great opportunity to connect, share updates, and collaborate with environmental education leaders across California. Visit the CAELI website for more information. Register HERE. |
 | Dates: September 5-13, 20026 Location: Statewide Description: You can take part in California Biodiversity Day no matter where you are! Simply join the Find 30 Species for California Biodiversity Day project in iNaturalist and record 30 wild species between September 5–13. Every observation adds to a statewide picture of California’s amazing biodiversity, and the information we gather together helps inform the California 30×30 Initiative. Thanks to the Climate Science Alliance, there are some prizes in store for top participants in the project this year! |
 | Dates: September 8 – October 4, 2026 Location: Asynchronous weekly modules + live webinars Description: This 4-week course offered by the Cornell University Civic Ecology Lab helps educators and community practitioners turn climate concern into clear communication, meaningful learning, and local action. Hundreds of educators, NGO staff, community leaders, and students from around the world typically join our courses, and we would be glad to learn with you. Register HERE. |
 | Date: September 15, 2026 Locations: Online Description: A free virtual workshop for an overview of how educators and healthcare practitioners can better understand and support kids’ mental health through outdoor activities and to learn practical, low-pressure ways to support both student and teacher wellbeing through simple outdoor routines and experiences. This workshop will cover nature as co-therapist, benefits of sensory awareness activities, and how risk and challenge can be leveraged to reduce anxiety. With increasing demands, diverse learning needs, anxious students, and constant curriculum pressures, many teachers are looking for approaches that calm the classroom without adding more to their plate. Register HERE. |
 | Date: September 15-16, 2026 Location: Pasadena Description: This year marks the 20-year anniversary of Green Technology, a momentous milestone that celebrates two decades of advancing sustainability, innovation, and collaboration across California’s public sector. Over the past twenty years, Green Technology has brought together educators, facilities leaders, policymakers, and solution providers to accelerate progress toward healthier environments and more resilient communities. The education sessions will explore how sustainability can be integrated into the curriculum, how environmental literacy can bridge the gap between facilities and the classroom, and how schools can implement best practices both operationally and academically. Participants will also discover funding and grant opportunities available to support sustainability planning and project implementation for schools and higher education institutions. Register HERE |
 | Date: September 19, 2026 Location: Statewide Description: Join your friends and neighbors at California’s largest annual volunteer event to remove trash from across the entire state. Help protect people and wildlife by eliminating plastic pollution before it can cause any more harm. Sponsored by the California Coastal Commission, this marks the 42nd year of the event. To learn more and to participate, visit the CA Coastal Cleanup Day website. |
| Date: September 24, 2026 Location: Online Description: The CAELI District Community of Practice (COP) invites district-focused staff from a variety of roles across California to join a statewide network of leaders, educators, and support staff working to advance environmental literacy and sustainability in schools. Register HERE to register for District Community of Practice meetings. |
 | Date: September 26, 2026 Location: Nationwide Description: Coordinated by the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF), National Public Lands Day is a collective act of care that strengthens our connection to the landscape and to each other. It is a day of service as well as an opportunity to give back, build community, and enjoy the public lands that support our health, environment, and well-being. Public lands include national parks, forests, monuments, wildlife refuges, grasslands, marine sanctuaries, lakes, and state, county, and city parks—spaces managed by public agencies or nonprofits and open to all. This years’ theme is Caring for Our Shared America. Visit the website to learn more. |
 | Description: The toolkit is designed with inclusive language to ensure clarity and accessibility for all and to support anyone advocating for educational policies that emphasize climate literacy and action; career readiness and STEM learning, skill development, and healthy and just learning environments. The toolkit objectives include ensuring equitable access and promoting justice; empower organizations and advocates; comprehensive database; and catalyzing impact. To view or download the toolkit, visit the NAAEE website at Climate Education Policy Toolkit. |
 | Description: This study aimed to clarify whether outdoor play in early childhood may offer “a low-cost, enjoyable, and developmentally appropriate strategy for reducing children’s risk of later mental health difficulties.” According to the researchers, this is the first study to demonstrate that outdoor play during the preschool years is related to how children’s mental health develops over time. Findings suggest that preschool children who play outdoors more frequently may have better mental health throughout middle childhood. Published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, June 2026. |
 | Description: Holly Steele, Director of Professional Learning and Community Building at Ten Strands, shares the experiences of 30 educators who participated in a 3-day summer institute immersed in the Seeds to Solutions 7th grade unit of groundwater. There were five key lessons that participants took away from their experience. Read the article HERE. |
 | Description: Secretary Wade Crowfoot’s Speaker Series recently featured panelists discussing extreme heat in California. Be sure to listen to Brad Rumble, Principal at Esperanza Elementary School in LAUSD, as he shares about the changes he helped make happen on school campuses near downtown Los Angeles. His segment airs beginning at minutes 23:00 to 34:00. View the webinar HERE on YouTube. |
 | Description: You are getting into your car for a drive and need something to listen to. Check out Justice Outside’s podcast series, Joy Outside, Season 2. These podcasts include special guests discussing a variety of topics. -January 2026: Sanjana Sekhar got us HEATED -February 2026: Noor Qwfan, This Muslim Girl Goes Outside -May 2026: Mary Pelagio and Nanci Torres, Immigrant Justice is Environmental Justice -May 2026: Sally Steele, Leave Anyway-Redefining Who Belongs on Public Lands Listen HERE. |
 | Description: Building on her commitment to ensuring California children have the best start in life, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom released a report, Planting the Seed: Farm to School Roadmap for Success, in February 2022. The report highlights policy goals to advance child well-being, economic growth, environmental resilience, and racial equity through farm to school systems that connect children to locally sourced, whole foods and produce in cafeterias, classrooms, and gardens. The report and its recommendations are the result of a collaboration — led by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross — among a number of state agency leaders, education professionals, and farm to school experts and practitioners. |
| Since 1989, Web of Life Field (WOLF) School has been dedicated to providing engaging and impactful educational outdoor experiences for California’s K-12th grade students and families. They believe in the transformative power of outdoor experiences, and are committed to designing immersive programs that connect youth with nature, empower individuals, and strengthen communities. Through lessons and activities that make learning fun, WOLF School gives teachers the opportunity to enhance classroom curriculum, and gives students the chance to gain knowledge, awareness, and respect of their environment, their community, and themselves. Education is one of their key values and they believe knowledge is power, and that by becoming a life-long learner and continuously educating oneself each individual can make a positive difference for the betterment of themselves and their world. At Web of Life Field (WOLF) School, they believe that youth thrive outdoors! Their K-12th grade residential outdoor education and team building programs inspire California’s students to explore, discover, and learn through exciting field study activities, group building initiatives, fun songs, active games, and living together in a community. Programs are led by professionally-trained naturalists at stunning camps throughout California, are California State Standards-based, and support Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), giving students the opportunity to make hands-on connections between classroom learning and the world around them in a safe and positive outdoor environment. WOLF School is unique in their ability to offer any of their educational outdoor programs at multiple professionally-maintained camps in beautiful locations throughout California. From the central coast’s soaring redwood forests to the majestic reaches of the Sierras, with campuses as far north as Sonoma County and south to the San Bernardino Mountains, educators can choose the site that best suits their group, and get ready for a remarkable experience! Their four campuses include Camp Monte Toyon in the Santa Cruz area, Camp Arroyo in the East Bay, Camp Sea Lab in the Santa Cruz and Monterey area, and Camp Loma Mar in the Bay Area. |
 |  |
| During WOLF School’s Outdoor Science School program, educated naturalists lead students in scientific field studies where students can explore, discover, and learn about the natural world through fun activities on the trail and in remarkable outdoor environments. Their naturalists are experts at taking material taught in the classroom and creating supplemental curriculum for the outdoors, and field studies can be tailored to teachers’ particular subject interests or state standards for a specific grade. Let them know what your interests are and they will create an unforgettable California science camp experience for you and your students! |  |
 | The Camp Sea Lab programs fosters lifelong excitement, scientific understanding, and stewardship of our coasts and ocean by providing quality marine-oriented programs that promote science, education, and adventure for youth. Located in Monterey Bay, Camp SEA Lab offers high-quality outdoor school and summer camp programs to educate and inspire the next generation of ocean stewards. Camp SEA Lab is dedicated to helping children explore the wonders of the marine environment from the top of the watershed to the bottom of the deep sea as they gain a greater appreciation for what science can teach them about our world and the importance of being good stewards for the ocean. |
| WOLF School offers wonderful programs with a very dedicated staff. Visit their website to learn more or to make your school’s reservations for the coming school year. |
 | Dates: August 5, 12, 19, 26, 2026 Location: Online Description: Join Sonya Rokosh and weekly special guests for four sessions to explore nature journaling outside! The first session will go over some quick and accessible journaling exercises – good warm ups for both adults and youth – and shift into season-focused exercises and activities in each session thereafter. For more information and to register, click HERE. |
 | Date: August 6, 2026 Location: Online Description: How can stronger connections to place help create healthier communities and a more sustainable future? Join Matt Biggar, Ph.D., for an eeWEBINAR exploring ideas from his new book, Connected to Place, and discover how place-based education and systems thinking can inspire meaningful environmental and social change. Biggar discusses place-based systems change as a real-world solution to our growing environmental and social challenges. At the core of our biggest problems lies a deeper crisis of disconnectedness. Dominant economic forces continually push us away from nature, community, and each other. Place-based systems offer an alternative model and are gaining traction in places around the world, both urban and rural. Register HERE. |
| Dates: August 11, 2026 Location: Online Description: Birds can be found in all learning environments, rural or urban. Join our panel of knowledgeable presenters who will share resources, both analogue and digital, for learning about birds in formal or informal education spaces. This workshop will also highlight the work of Joseph Pitawanakwat, Andrés Jiménez, and Junaid Khan to support the regathering and the education of Anishinaabe bird names and significant Indigenous bird knowledge. Included in this are their Anishinaabe Bird Names Nature Guide and Anishinaabe Winter Bird Names Nature Guide. While these resources are specific to Indigenous groups primarily located around the Great Lakes in Canada and the United States, there are valuable insights to be gleaned wherever you are joining from. Register HERE. |
 | Date: August 19, 2026 Locations: Online Description: School leaders are frequently asked to do more with less. What if one approach could help advance multiple district priorities at once? Join the Superintendents’ Environmental Education Collaborative and Project Learning Tree to explore how environmental education can be leveraged as a unifying strategy to help districts achieve strategic goals. No district succeeds alone. Join a growing network of education leaders committed to preparing future-ready students through innovative partnerships, shared learning, and practical strategies you can adapt in your own schools and communities. Register HERE. |
 | Date: August 27, 2026 Location: Online Description: Now in its sixth year and growing, this community of practice (COP) brings together staff from a variety of roles in County Offices of Education (COE) across the state. We meet every other month for networking, professional learning, and focused discussions on self-selected topics. Register HERE for one or more CoP meetings. |
| Date: September 2, 2026 Location: Online Description: We invite you to our next virtual statewide gathering which is a great opportunity to connect, share updates, and collaborate with environmental education leaders across California. Visit the CAELI website for more information. |
 | Date: September 2 to October 20, 2026 Location: Online Description: This course is designed to provide a strong foundation in Traditional Ecological Knowledge and ways of knowing. It is meant to be an introductory course and spark interest in further learning around how we can more intentionally and respectfully incorporate traditional Indigenous ways of knowing into our environmental and outdoor learning programming. This six-week course takes approximately 15 hours to complete. Register HERE. |
 | Date: September 29-30, 2026 Location: Cal Academy, San Francisco, CA Description: Energize bold action to accelerate progress. Empower partners to turn goals into results. Evolve strategies to meet the scale and urgency of 30×30. This year’s 30×30 Partnership Summit will spark engaging presentations, foster rich discussion, and create space to connect with colleagues working to bring 30×30 to life across California and beyond. Register HERE. |
| Date: October 25, 2026 Location: Throughout California Description: Join environmental and outdoor education professionals from across your region to explore a local site and meet colleagues working in a variety of settings. The event includes networking activities, snacks, and a tour of the site. Make new connections and learn more about a local program in your region! Meetups are held in multiple locations throughout the state. For more information, click HERE. |
| Description: The Coalition’s vision for Outdoor Learning is that every student in California has regular access to outdoor learning experiences that inspire curiosity, deepen connections to the natural world, and improve health, learning and personal growth. When outdoor learning is a regular part of the school day, students learn to solve real-world challenges, improve their lives and communities, and benefit from healthier, more equitable learning environments. The California Campaign for Outdoor Learning is currently supporting legislation to advance its goals. Read more about AB 2158, the Outdoor Learning and Environmental Literacy Act of 2026 and learn how you can sign on to support the legislation and become involved in the coalition. |
 | Description: This report released by Ten Strands as a part of their Data Initiative, analyzed data across three critical areas – facilities planning, staffing, and Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) funding — to reveal where our state is making progress and where gaps remain. Read the report to see what the data show. This report also includes recommendations for state and local leaders to support districts to develop planning systems, build staff capacity, secure funding, and establish coordination structures to bring their environmental commitments to life — and help build a sustainable, climate-resilient future for California. Read the full report HERE. |
 | Description: Championed by Governor Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, California created the Outdoors for All initiative to expand access to the outdoors. In partnership with a broad array of governments, community organizations and tribes, California is expanding parks and outdoor spaces in communities that need them the most, supporting programs to connect with people who lack access, fostering a sense of belonging for all Californians outdoors, and much more. We invite you to join the movement of an Outdoors for All. On their website, you’ll find links to public outdoor spaces at state parks and beyond, safety tips, grant programs, resources, a partner kit, and much more. If you’d like to stay connected and hear more about the work, success stories, and ways to get involved, sign up for The Trailblazer, the new Outdoors for All Newsletter. |
 | Description: Sentinel Sites for Nature (SSN) is a multi-jurisdictional and collaborative initiative built on partnerships, and supported by the broader conservation community through the California Biodiversity Network and the Sentinel Site Network Roundtable. There are currently over 100 Sentinel Sites in California either already established or in the planning stages. SSN is a long-term monitoring collaborative established to create biodiversity baselines and to assess change over time. Sentinel Sites are managed by a network of partners committed to biodiversity exploration and conservation under the increasing pressures of climate and land-use change. The power of the SSN is grounded in a shared set of monitoring protocols and an emphasis on widespread data sharing and availability. Dr. Roni Jones, Ten Strands Director of Curriculum, is one of the featured panelists. |
 | Description: You are getting into your car for a drive and need something to listen to. Check out Justice Outside’s podcast series, Joy Outside, Season 2. These podcasts include special guests discussing a variety of topics. -January 2026: Sanjana Sekhar got us HEATED -February 2026: Noor Qwfan, This Muslim Girl Goes Outside -May 2026: Mary Pelagio and Nanci Torres, Immigrant Justice is Environmental Justice -May 2026: Sally Steele, Leave Anyway-Redefining Who Belongs on Public Lands Listen HERE. |
 | Description: Building on her commitment to ensuring California children have the best start in life, First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom released a report, Planting the Seed: Farm to School Roadmap for Success, in February 2022. The report highlights policy goals to advance child well-being, economic growth, environmental resilience, and racial equity through farm to school systems that connect children to locally sourced, whole foods and produce in cafeterias, classrooms, and gardens. The report and its recommendations are the result of a collaboration — led by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross — among a number of state agency leaders, education professionals, and farm to school experts and practitioners. |
| The Wildlands Conservancy Wind Wolves Preserve is in an ecologically unique region where the Transverse Ranges, Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, western Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Valley influences converge. For more than 30 years, the Wildlands Conservancy has worked to preserve the beauty and biodiversity of the earth and to provide programs so that children may know the wonder and joy of nature. |  |
| Due to elevation ranges from 640 to 6,005 feet, the Wind Wolves Preserve has an impressive array of landforms and habitats that serve as a critical landscape linkage and wildlife corridor between the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada. The 93,000 acre preserve offers more than just breathtaking views – it’s a sanctuary for wildlife, a place for refuge for the spirit, and most importantly, a classroom under the sky. On the San Joaquin Valley floor, the Preserve is a 30-square-mile veritable sea of grasslands with remnant stands of saltbush. These grasslands are home to the endangered San Joaquin kit fox and blunt-nosed leopard lizard as well as one of the largest stands of the endangered Bakersfield cactus. The Preserve’s main wetland is home to the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew—one of the most endangered mammals in the United States. Rolling grasslands rise from the valley floor, transitioning into classic California blue oak and valley oak savanna with extensive riparian wetlands. The oak savanna ascends into juniper and pinyon forests that vault into stands of ponderosa pine and big cone spruce. Volunteers have played a major role in working with staff to restore this heroic landscape. Fourteen years of monthly work parties have removed invasive tamarisk from 30 miles of stream channels. Volunteers have made miles of boundary fencing antelope friendly, as well as make kit fox dens for the recruitment of kit foxes. And volunteers through school, family work parties, and collaborating organizations have planted tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs. The preserve includes the entire San Emidio Land Grant, once owned by John C. Fremont. Wind Wolves’ rich cultural history includes some of the most noteworthy Native American rock art in North America. |
 | Wind Wolves Preserve offers students and families opportunities to hike, bike, picnic, view wildlife and wildflowers, go birdwatching, and camp. Free School Programs and public programs are available. They promote a Leave No Trace philosophy asking visitors to pack out what they pack in. They encourage respect for all wildlife and to learn through observation. They also ask for everyone to be courteous to others so everyone enjoys their outdoor experience |
| For many children, the first time they spot a majestic hawk soaring above or uncover the delicate pattern of animal tracks along a trail, something awakens. These moments of wonder spark not just curiosity but a profound connection — one that The Wildlands Conservancy believes can grow into a lifelong passion for conservation. Each year, Wildlands naturalists and docents lead free outdoor education programs at Wind Wolves Preserve for thousands of school children from across Kern County. Targeted to public schools in underserved and under-resourced communities, this is more than just a field trip — it’s a rite of passage, a transformative experience that fosters a connection to nature and inspires a love for the Earth. |  |
| “The Preserve is a place for learning, but also a place to feel peace, it’s a refuge.” |
| For Sherryl Clendenen, biologist and outdoor educator who worked for Wildlands from 1998 to 2015, Wind Wolves Preserve was the perfect venue to integrate science and history into the lives of local students in a way that made learning come alive. As a child, Sherryl had struggled with traditional forms of learning—textbooks and classroom lectures left her feeling disconnected from the material. Fortunately for Sherryl, her father understood the real world was the best teacher and he took her outdoors, where nature became her classroom. This hands-on learning shaped her philosophy and later guided her work at Wind Wolves Preserve, where she built the outdoor education program from the ground up. |  |
| Sherryl’s early experiences taught her something profound: humans are not separate from nature, but part of it. She remembers learning in school that human activity caused many environmental issues, leading her to believe the only way to save the wilderness was to keep humans away. But when she was outside with her father, she saw things differently. Being immersed in the wild didn’t lead her to fear human impact; instead, it taught her to love and respect nature. Sherryl sought to pass on these same lessons through the outdoor education program at Wind Wolves Preserve, which has welcomed over 210,000 local students since it originated in 1998. Today, Wildlands has expanded its Outdoor Discovery Program to serve students throughout the state of California across its Preserve system, offering schoolchildren and families the chance to build that deep, personal relationship with nature. Our naturalists, rangers and docents understand that education isn’t just about facts and figures; it’s about fostering relationships —with the land, with the plants and animals, and with each other. To save the environment, “Sherryl believes, “we must have a connection to it, a love for it.” This belief is woven into the fibers of Wildlands Outdoor Discovery Program, which aims to inspire not just knowledgeable individuals, but future stewards of the Earth. |
| Dates: July 10-August 26, 2026 Location: Online Description: This eeCourse equips educators with the knowledge, skills, tools, and resources to take environmental education learning outdoors. Participants will learn strategies such as managing students outdoors, adapting for the weather, and using technology outdoors. This eeCourse provides an introduction to environmental education; strategies to support outdoor learning like managing students, adapting for weather, and using technology outdoors; and ideas on how to integrate teaching and learning outdoors into your classrooms, homeschool classrooms, and programs. This roughly 6-week course takes approximately 15 hours to complete. Register HERE. |
| Date: July 14, 2026 Location: Online Description: Offered in partnership with Take Me Outside. Registration is free for all of the monthly virtual workshops. Each workshop lasts 60 minutes. The July workshop is on Activities and Resources for Nature-Based Learning. Spending time in nature, year round helps develop a sense of belonging. When we belong we feel connected, nourished, and alive. In this workshop our expert presenters will share ideas, activities and inspiration from their water, nature, Land and camp curriculums. Educators presenting include Jacob Rodenburg, Maxine Koskie, and Court Rustemeyer. Register HERE. |
 | Dates:September 8 – December 15, 2026 Location: Virtual Description: Looking to start or enhance a garden education program, or bring more hands-on learning into your teaching? Bring learning to life through the garden – transform your teaching practice through garden-based learning. The 16-week virtual course offers a Life Lab Garden Education Certification Designed for classroom teachers, informal educators, afterschool staff, and school garden coordinators alike. This program helps educators of all kinds bring hands-on, meaningful learning outdoors. Gain practical tools, confidence in garden-based learning, and connection to a respected national network of educators. Sign up HERE. |
  | Date: September 15-16, 2026 Locations: Pasadena, CA Description: This year marks the 20-year anniversary of Green Technology, a momentous milestone that celebrates two decades of advancing sustainability, innovation, and collaboration across California’s public sector. Over the past twenty years, Green Technology has brought together educators, facilities leaders, policymakers, and solution providers to accelerate progress toward healthier environments and more resilient communities. We are bringing together our two flagship events (Sustainable Facilities Forum and the Green California Schools & Higher Education Summit) for ONE unforgettable 20-year celebration for the Public Sector we serve; State, Local Government, Schools, and Higher Education all in one place at one time! Register HERE. |
 | Date: October 6-9, 2026 Location: Portland, Oregon Description: Registration is now open for NAAEE’s Annual Conference and Research Symposium. Join more than 1,000 attendees as they imagine and advance solutions grounded in research and practice, inspired by place, and strengthened through collaboration. With themes from connecting with nature to advancing sustainable communities, this event invites everyone to consider what becomes possible when education drives connection, action, and positive change. For more information and registration, click HERE. |
  | Date: November 6-8, 2026 Location: Sacramento, CA Description: Registration is now open for the annual California Science Education Conference, the premier event for science educators across California! Hear motivational speakers and gain practical knowledge to be the best science educator, attend high–quality workshops and courses led by educators and experts, network with friends, educators, and supporters throughout California. There will be unique and engaging opportunities to share with and learn from other educators, get timely updates to help with curriculum materials, assessment, and testing, and have fun with the science community during socials and more! For more information and registration, click HERE. |
 | Date: November 10-13, 2026 Location: Oakland, CA Description: This year’s theme, “Creating Community Rooted in Interpretation,” celebrates how we grow together through shared stories, inclusive practices, and connections that sustain both people and the planet. From inspiring keynotes and engaging hands-on experiences and sessions, to local field trip exploration highlighting the Bay Area’s cultural and natural heritage, this conference invites you to dig in, branch out, and flourish together. Check out the all new conference agenda to see how we are mixing it up this year with more interaction, more engagement and more opportunities for you to meet new people and create community! Come ready to be inspired, challenged, and connected! Because when interpreters put down roots, communities thrive! For more information and registration, click HERE. |
 | Description: The internationally bestselling author of Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv returns with his most personal book yet. Noticing is about discovering who you are by exploring the natural world. Louv shows how, by tapping into the thirty or more human senses we have, readers can develop skills—sensory, scientific, artistic, and spiritual—to see and experience the otherworlds of nature. Through personal essays, rich with descriptions of the California wilderness around his home in the most biodiverse county in the nation, Louv draws on wisdom from influences as far-reaching as neuroscience, nature photography, Indigenous traditions, and mindfulness to foster what he calls “bioenchantment.” He offers a new, deeper understanding of what it means to see a tree, know a fox, and to become fully human. |
 | Description: School, work and busy schedules can make it hard to find time for nature. The Vitamin N Challenge can help — connecting you to ideas, inspiration and a community of people who are committed to spending quality time outdoors with the kids they care about. Setting and committing to a goal will help you get more Vitamin N (for “Nature”), whether you are working toward a day, a week or months of more time outdoors. The challenge was inspired by Richard Louv’s book, “Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life.” In it, you’ll find 500 fun, practical ideas to help you design a challenge that fits your lifestyle and schedule — or you can share your own ideas to inspire others. |
 | Description: Kids have always known how to play, and for most of history, they didn’t need playgrounds to do it. Today, we have prescribed them to parks that exclude most of their senses and mostly serve physical gross motor play. This modern approach is a mismatch to the way kids have always connected to nature, found objects, and played across larger areas — and with each other. The goal is to return to free play through a nature-based approach: to un-structure play environments and return to sensory-rich settings without continuing to spend on multi-million dollar structures that do not consider the many other types of play. Authored by Mark Davidson, Shihomi Kuriyagawa, and Emily Urquhart. |
 | Description: How can we best equip the next generation with an understanding of climate science and the motivation and practical skills needed to create healthy, thriving communities? K–12 climate education is essential to providing students with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills they need to address the impacts of climate change, now and in the future. Featuring success stories and lessons learned in state-level climate education policy efforts, this panel highlighted three different approaches to promote climate literacy: weaving climate education curriculum across standards and subject matter, providing professional development in climate education to teachers, and establishing Offices of Climate Education in state agencies and/or hiring dedicated personnel to address implementation. Dr. Roni Jones, Ten Strands Director of Curriculum, is one of the featured panelists. |
 | Description: Poet and nature writer Aimee Nezhukumatathil joins The World We Want host Gerry Ellis to talk about curiosity, observation, poetry, and the quiet heart of environmental education. This conversation explores how noticing the natural world—naming birds, listening at night, and staying curious—can shape how we learn, teach, and care for the environment. Aimee’s work explores the connections between poetry, science, nature, and memory, and how naming plants, animals, and landscapes helps us build a deeper connection to the places where we live. |
  | Description: ROOT Hub works to establish movement infrastructure to accelerate and expand movement-wide federal advocacy to secure the benefits of environmental learning and equitable access to the outdoors as a human right for all young people — especially for youth and children of color. Root Hub strengthens the field through coordinated action and alignment at the national level. By fostering connectivity, coordination, field engagement, and shared advocacy, Root Hub seeks to strengthen infrastructure and build on existing efforts to advance federal-level advocacy and strengthen and grow the movement across the field. Justice Outside was selected as the interim host organization for Root Hub for an 18-month transition period. |
| Inside the Outdoors is a unique and hands-on environmental education program serving over 120,000 participants per school year. Its mission is to empower students, teachers, parents and the community to explore natural areas and expand their knowledge, understanding, and stewardship of the environment through their Field Trips, Traveling Scientist, and Community programs. |  |
| The curriculum created for their programs supports current California academic standards and allows students to interact with these concepts in a real world setting. Inside the Outdoors has been a leader in hands-on science and social science programs since 1974, is administered by the Orange County Department of Education, and is a self-supporting program. |
| Inside the Outdoors offers programs for students of all ages that Nurture a Natural Curiosity. Their Preschool/TK programs provide a hands-on opportunity for students in preschool to develop an awareness and appreciation of the sciences through the exploration of the animal kingdom. In addition, the program fosters a commitment to the protection and understanding of the environment and community. |  |
 | The Traveling Scientist programs are designed for each grade level, Kindergarten through high school. For example, students in the 2nd grade study habitats while students in the 5th grade study food webs. Middle school students may study sensory structures in animals, investigate microorganisms in wastewater, or the impacts of human land uses on watersheds. High school students may study renewable energy or sea level rise |
| Inside the Outdoors also offers Traveling Scientist programs for the Expanded Learning Opportunity Program such as Amazing Animals, Renewable Energy, and Rethink Resources. In addition to the Traveling Scientist Program, students may also participate in Field Trips at various locations around Orange County including Shipley Nature Center, Wild Wetlands, Crystal Cove, or Irvine Regional Park. All of their programs are designed to be hands-on and provide an opportunity to engage with the natural world. |
| With the school year coming to a close, Inside the Outdoors is preparing for Summer Day Camp 2026 at Shipley Nature Center. Children experience unique activities that incorporate science, fun, learning, and being outdoors. Summer Day Camp is geared toward campers age 6 to 12 years old, with leadership and camp opportunities for campers age 13-17. Each week of summer camp will have themed daily activities that are science/nature based that also include a daily nature journal prompt and a take-home craft. |  |
 | Inside the Outdoors also designed some Community Programs and Virtual Programs to meet the wide range of needs of the community. For more information about Inside the Outdoors programs, call 714-708-3885 or email insidetheoutdoors@ocde.us. |
