September Teacher Workshops Enhance Eco-Knowledge and Provide Hands-on Activities

Several times a year, SCARCE runs small-scale workshops that offer local teachers a chance to learn how to supplement their curriculum with hands-on activities that connect classroom learning with the environment.

On September 15th, SCARCE held an Enviroscape Watershed Model workshop. SCARCE has long been using watershed models to teach students about flooding and water quality issues in a fun way.  We hosted five teachers that learned how to use a watershed model, along with additional tools that SCARCE has created along the way and unique ways to utilize each tool in the classroom. Each teacher is now certified to borrow from SCARCE’s supply of Enviroscape watershed models to use in their classroom.

Teachers “make it rain” during the Enviroscape Watershed model workshop.

Playing Natural Resource Bingo during the Natural Resource Globe workshop.

On September 28th, SCARCE hosted four teachers for the Make ‘n Take Natural Resource Globe workshop. Teachers assembled their own Natural Resource Globes and learned all about the variety of resources we get from the earth and how they can adjust the resources they use in presentations based on grade level. They also learned about supplemental teaching tools available for loan from SCARCE.

Assembling the globes.

Each workshop was two hours long and was $25 to participate (free for DuPage County teachers). In addition, teachers earned 2 hours of professional development credit. These are just a few of many classes that SCARCE offers each year for teachers looking to expand upon their environmental knowledge and classroom lessons.