Schoolyard Ecology Summer Institute for Educators: August 12th-13th

Have you been looking for ways to engage your students in authentic science practices that also brings them outside and engages them with climate science? Come join us this summer to train on a Harvard Forest Schoolyard project. Our Schoolyard Ecology program is currently in its 20th year of helping teachers get their students outside and seeing how climate change is affecting their schoolyards.

Through our citizen science projects, we empower students and the adults who support them to use science as a tool for building a relationship with the natural world, and to ultimately join the community of climate change problem solvers.

We support educators in building their student’s data literacy skills through free year-round professional development and coaching support.

--- Register here ---

Cost: Free!

If you are considering becoming a new educator collaborator sign up here and contact Katharine Hinkle to set up a time to talk about what is involved in being a Schoolyard Collaborator (katharinehinkle@fas.harvard.edu)

Monday, August 12th: Project Training Deep Dives (Choose 1)

• Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Invasive Species Monitoring Study
• Our Changing Forests Study
• Buds, Leaves, and Global Warming Phenology Study

Tuesday, August 13th: Dendrochronology! 

• Come learn from two educators in our Schoolyard Community what they learned this summer embedded in the Tree Ring Lab at Harvard Forest and get trained on their tool kit that they created to tell the stories of climate that our Northeast trees tell.

After our Research Experience for Teachers workshop on Tuesday, August 13th, please stay (or come join us) for 20 Years of Schoolyard Celebration! From 4-6 we'll celebrate all of our educators and all of the amazing research that Schoolyard educators and students have done throughout the two decades of our program. All Schoolyard educators, past and present, are most welcome for snacks, swag, trivia, and cake!

Important details:

• Both workshop days are 9 am-3:30 pm 
• All workshops at the Fisher Museum, 324 N. Main Street, Petersham, MA
• Bring your own bagged lunch
• Optional additional trail walks each day
• Dress for spending time outside
• Overnight accommodations available for folks traveling long distances
• Reach out with questions to Katharine Hinkle (katharinehinkle@fas.harvard.edu)