SEEK is excited to announce a new section of our website: Integrating Environmental and Outdoor Education into Your Classroom

This new section grew out of a two-year program that concluded in June to promote Environmental and Outdoor Education (EOE) in schools.

Recognizing that students are increasingly disconnected from nature, the 2010 Minnesota Legislature appropriated $300,000 from the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) to coordinate a project to train and support the efforts of schools and teachers to integrate environmental and outdoor education into the instruction of academic standards. Professional development and grants of up to $8,500 were provided to six pilot schools to support 50 teachers and administrators in their use of the environment and outdoors as a context for student learning, which resulted in engaging over 1,000 additional students in EOE on a regular basis during the 2011-2013 school years.

Integrating Environmental and Outdoor Education into Your Classroom includes model lessons, research on the benefits of environmental and outdoor education (EOE), specifics about the Minnesota Department of Education project, information about participating pilot schools, the Green Ribbon Schools program, and additional resources on how you can integrate environmental and outdoor education into your classroom.