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Association for Environmental & Outdoor education


AEOE strengthens environmental education in California by connecting providers, building professional expertise, and championing environmental literacy and outdoor learning.

AEOE Programs & events

AEOE offers a range of opportunities for members of our community to connect, network, increase their skills, and grow professionally. Learn more or register for an upcoming event below. 

CONFERENCES

AEOE hosts three conferences each year, two fall regional conferences in northern and southern California, and the spring statewide. AEOE's conferences offer opportunities for networking, professional development, and connection. 

CONFERENCES

AWARDS

AEOE recognizes and celebrates the achievement of individuals and organizations across the state who work to advance the impact of environmental and outdoor education through our annual awards. 

AWARDS

CERTIFICATION

Want to increase your knowledge and skills, expand your professional network, enhance your resume, and make important connections across the state? Get certified through the Environmental Educator Certification Program (EECP)!

CERTIFICATION

WORKSHOPS

AEOE offers online workshops on a range of topics, from sustainable teaching tips to early childhood education, social & emotional learning to outdoor instruction. See what's available in the calendar below. 


Programs & Events calendar

    • September 26, 2023
    • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
    • Online

    Wild Learning: Practical Ideas to Bring Teaching Outdoors

    Tues, September 26 – 4pm Pacific

    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

    With Educator and Author Rachel Tidd

    Rachel Tidd has extensive teaching experience as an elementary and special education teacher and homeschool parent. She is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in Educational Sustainability. She has a BSc in Environmental Science and a Master’s degree in Elementary and Special Education.

    Passionate about integrating the outdoors and natural materials in core academic areas such as reading and math, Rachel has authored the Wild Math® and Wild Reading® Curricula and the book Wild Learning: Practical Ideas for Bringing Teaching Outdoors.

    Rachel will share tips, tricks, and strategies from Wild Learning: Practical Ideas for Bringing Teaching Outdoors. This book gives teachers practical activities they can immediately implement and helps educators overcome common barriers to outdoor instruction. These activities can be done in common outdoor spaces accessible to teachers in all school settings, and they are adaptable to their current curriculum—not an extra thing to try to fit into their day.

    All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! After registration you will receive a discount code to access the resources shared. Following the workshop you will receive the recording, and a link to access your Certificate of Attendance.

    You can access Rachel’s fantastic resource here:

    Offered in partnership with The Outdoor Learning Store:


    • October 03, 2023
    • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
    • Online

    Outdoor Learning through Patterns in Nature

    Tues, October 3 – 4pm Pacific

    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

    With Educators Janice Novakowski & Megan Zeni

    Join Janice and Megan to learn about some fantastic resources for educating, engaging, and empowering students around patterns in nature – connecting to math, numeracy and other curricula.

    Janice Novakowski is a district teacher consultant in the Richmond School District (BC) where she learns alongside preK-12 educators and students in the areas of mathematics and numeracy. She is also an Adjunct Professor at UBC where she teaches elementary mathematics education courses. Some of Janice’s fondest childhood experiences center on the outdoors, carefully turning over rocks on beaches to find little crabs, log jumping and hiking through moss and fern-filled forests.

    Megan Zeni is a mom of 3, an experienced elementary school teacher, and a master gardener. Megan successfully re-imagined the prep position in her public school and turned it into her dream job of spending her days with children in the garden classroom.

    Megan is an advocate for taking children outdoors at school in all kinds of weather to learn, play, and grow. Megan is also a PhD candidate at UBC in curriculum & pedagogy.

    All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! After registration you will receive a discount code to access the resources shared. Following the workshop you will receive the recording, and a link to access your Certificate of Attendance.

    You can access these empowering resources here:  

    1.     Messy Maths
    2.     Patterns in Nature Kit: Coming Soon!!!

    Offered in partnership with The Outdoor Learning Store:


    • October 15, 2023
    • 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • Multiple

    SAVE THE DATE! Join environmental and outdoor education professionals from across your region to explore a local site, meet colleagues working in a variety of settings, and deepen your practice through shared learning. The event includes lunch, a tour of the site, networking activities, professional development, and an online gathering of meet-up participants from sites across California for the annual fall awards ceremony celebrating the northern and southern environmental educators of the year.

    Registration to open soon!

    LOCATIONS:

    In-person meet-ups are offered in multiple locations!


    If you don't see your region listed and would like to host a meet-up, contact AEOE's Executive Director Estrella Risinger at director@aeoe.org

    • October 15, 2023
    • 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • Environmental Volunteers' EcoCenter, Palo Alto
    Register

    Fall Regional Meet-up! 

    Join environmental and outdoor education professionals from across the SF Bay Area to explore a local site, meet colleagues working in a variety of settings, and deepen your practice through shared learning. The event includes lunch, a tour of the site, networking activities, professional development, and an online gathering of meet-up participants from sites across California for the annual fall awards ceremony celebrating the northern and southern environmental educators of the year.

    BAY AREA LOCATION: Environmental Volunteers' EcoCenter

    Address2560 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, CA 94303

    The EcoCenter is a public nature center and headquarters for Environmental Volunteers, located across from the Duck Pond in the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve. 


    This event is offered in partnership with Environmental Volunteers and ChangeScale. 

     


    • October 15, 2023
    • 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • Back Bay Science Center, Newpart Beach
    Register

    Fall Regional Meet-up! 

    Join environmental and outdoor education professionals from across Orange County to explore a local site, meet colleagues working in a variety of settings, and deepen your practice through shared learning. The event includes lunch, a tour of the site, networking activities, professional development, and an online gathering of meet-up participants from sites across California for the annual fall awards ceremony celebrating the northern and southern environmental educators of the year.

    ORANGE COUNTY LOCATION: Back Bay Science Center

    Address600 Shellmaker RoadNewport Beach, CA 92660

    Back Bay Science Center provides year-round educational programs centered around watershed education and estuarine ecology. Their goal is to educate local students and citizens about the critical role each person plays in the conserving our local resources and supporting the health of their watershed. Through hands on education they hope to give people the tools to become responsible stewards of their local natural spaces, including the Newport Back Bay.



    • October 15, 2023
    • 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • Tecolote Canyon Nature Center, San Diego
    Register

    Fall Regional Meet-up! 

    Join environmental and outdoor education professionals from across San Diego County to explore a local site, meet colleagues working in a variety of settings, and deepen your practice through shared learning. The event includes lunch, a tour of the site, networking activities, professional development, and an online gathering of meet-up participants from sites across California for the annual fall awards ceremony celebrating the northern and southern environmental educators of the year.

    SAN DIEGO LOCATION: Tecolote Canyon Natural Park & Nature Center

    Address: 5180 Tecolote Road, San Diego, CA 92110

    Tecolote Canyon Natural Park & Nature Center offers its visitors a variety of educational and recreational opportunities. The Canyon has approximately 6.5 miles of trails that can be used for jogging walking and mountain biking. Also available to visitors is the Tecolote Nature Center which offers a host of exhibits on the animal and plant life of the Canyon. Bring water, sun protection, and wear good footwear.

    This event is offered in partnership with:

     


    • October 15, 2023
    • 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • San Joaquin River Parkway, Fresno
    Register

    Fall Regional Meet-up! 

    Join environmental and outdoor education professionals from across the central valley to explore a local site, meet colleagues working in a variety of settings, and deepen your practice through shared learning. The event includes lunch, a tour of the site, networking activities, professional development, and an online gathering of meet-up participants from sites across California for the annual fall awards ceremony celebrating the northern and southern environmental educators of the year.

    CENTRAL VALLEY LOCATION: San Joaquin River Parkway

    Address11605 Old Friant Road, Fresno, CA 93730

    The San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust's mission is to preserve and restore San Joaquin River lands of ecological, scenic or historic significance, to educate the public on the need for stewardship, to research issues affecting the river, and to promote educational, recreational and agricultural uses of the river bottom consistent with the protection of the river’s resources.


    • October 17, 2023
    • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
    • Online

    Connecting Children to Nature through Indigenous Teachings

    Tues, October 17 – 4pm Pacific

    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

    With Educator and Author Launa Purcell

    Join Author Launa as she shares about Heartbeat of the Earth – a Handbook on Connecting Children to Nature through Indigenous Teachings.

    Launa Purcell is a member of the Xa’xtsa First Nation and a mother of two. Launa works as an Indigenous Educator and teaches Indigenous outdoor camps.

    The activities inside instill traditional teachings of respect, honor, resourcefulness, and humility in children. This handbook is intended to inspire parents, caregivers, and educators to provide children with meaningful outdoor experiences interwoven with traditional Indigenous knowledge.

    This handbook isn’t a replacement for ensuring that local Indigenous knowledge and perspectives are central to your teaching. Rather, this is a starting point, and an encouragement to learn more, and use these activities as an inspiration to adapt them and adopt new ones in a culturally appropriate and responsive way.

    All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! After registration you will receive a discount code to access the resources shared. Following the workshop you will receive the recording, and a link to access your Certificate of Attendance.

    You can access Launa’s beautiful resource here:

    Offered in partnership with The Outdoor Learning Store:


    • November 01, 2023
    • December 13, 2023
    • Online - Moodle
    Register

    Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in Environmental Education 

    Description: UDL is an approach that improves and optimizes teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. UDL is a framework to guide the design of learning environments that are accessible and challenging for all and that gives all students equal opportunity to succeedUltimately, the goal of UDL is to support students and participants to become “expert learners” who are, each in their own way, purposeful and motivated, resourceful and knowledgeable, and strategic and goal-driven.

    This course is designed to encourage you to reflect deeply on your practice to focus on how you plan and teach to support all learners. The course content and associated assignments are geared towards practicing environmental and outdoor educators. We hope this course will inspire you to strengthen your pedagogical practices so they are more welcoming, inclusive, and accessible.

    Timing: This 6-week course takes approximately 12 hours to complete. The course runs from November 1st through December 13th, 2023. This course is offered on a quarterly basis. 

    Format: This is an asynchronous online course. 

    • All activities must be completed independently on your own time/schedule within the 6-week timeframe. 

    • We will provide a suggested timeline and periodic reminders to encourage the timely completion of assignments. While we want to be flexible, we also want these learning experiences to be meaningful and we think timely and periodic work in the course will benefit participants more than trying to complete coursework at the last minute.

    • Coursework includes watching videos, reading articles, posting on public forums and Padlet boards, and writing/recording personal reflections.

    • The course is managed through Moodle - participants will be sent an invitation to access the course on the start date. 

    The course will be moderated by Amy Williams, Ed.D.

    One graduate unit is available upon completion of the course (the unit costs $79 and is purchased separately from University of San Diego). Note that you must also submit a certificate of competition in order to receive your transcript.

    Course content was designed by Michelle Silvers of Silver’s Lining PLLC, Estrella Risinger with AEOE, Michelle Pearce and Lauren Pyle with the Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC), with contributions from Rebekah Jones and the Cooper Center for Environmental Learning.

    • November 14, 2023
    • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
    • Online

    Building Capacity for Outdoor Learning: Introducing a Digital Tool for Success

    Tues, November 14 – 4pm Pacific

    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

    With Outdoor Learning Experts Mariana Brussoni & Megan Zeni

    Join Mariana and Megan as they share the ‘BE OUT’ digital tool. BE OUT is a new tool for elementary (K-7) school teachers and includes exemplars of outdoor learning from a diversity of teachers organized in a digital format.

    The tool is designed with very short (90 second) modules and targets teachers new to teaching outdoors with support in four key areas: understanding risky play in the school context; getting started teaching outdoors; teaching with an emergent curriculum; and assessment of learning. 

    Dr. Mariana Brussoni is Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership and Professor at the University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Her research investigates child injury prevention and children’s outdoor risky play with the aim of creating environments where all children can play outside every day.

    Megan Zeni is a mom of 3, an experienced elementary school teacher, and a master gardener. Megan successfully re-imagined the prep position in her public school and turned it into her dream job of spending her days with children in the garden classroom. Megan is an advocate for taking children outdoors at school in all kinds of weather to learn, play, and grow. Megan is also a PhD candidate at UBC in curriculum & pedagogy.

    All registrants will be entered to win some great draw prizes! After registering you will receive a discount code to access the resources shared, and following the workshop you can access the recording, and a link to access your Certificate of Attendance.

    Grow your outdoor educator skills with:

    Offered in partnership with The Outdoor Learning Store:


Past events

September 19, 2023 Naturally Inclusive: Engaging Children of All Abilities Outdoors
July 05, 2023 eeCourse: Universal Design for Learning in Environmental Education
July 01, 2023 EECP 2023-2024 Enrollment
June 30, 2023 Best Practices for Climate Change Education Webinar
June 13, 2023 Animating Outdoor Learning Using Finger Puppets
June 06, 2023 Walking Together: Two-Eyed Seeing
June 01, 2023 EECP Info Session #2
May 30, 2023 How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention
May 25, 2023 A Discussion on Equitable Approaches to Quality Jobs & Living Wages in EE
May 23, 2023 Race and Nature for Educators
May 23, 2023 EECP Info Session #1
May 16, 2023 Resources for World Oceans Day
May 06, 2023 Resource Fair @ Statewide Conference 2023
May 06, 2023 Statewide Conference 2023 - Saturday only
May 05, 2023 Statewide Conference 2023 - Full weekend with lodging
May 05, 2023 Statewide Conference 2023 - Full weekend w/out lodging
May 03, 2023 EECP 2023-2024 Application
April 27, 2023 EE & Community Engagement
April 25, 2023 Nature Activities for Year-round Learning
April 18, 2023 Taking a Closer Look: Investigations in Nature
April 11, 2023 Resources for Earth Month
March 07, 2023 School Gardening: Teaching Tools & Resources
February 28, 2023 A People’s Curriculum for the Earth
February 21, 2023 Green Ummah & The Great Outdoors
February 17, 2023 Announcing the Next Great Workshop - YOURS!
February 13, 2023 Supporting LGBTQIA2S+ Students in EE
February 08, 2023 Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults
February 07, 2023 Taking Math Outdoors: Practical Ideas & Examples
January 31, 2023 Climate Change & Sustainability Education Resources
January 25, 2023 Environmental Justice and the Future of EE
January 24, 2023 Dirty Teaching: A Beginners Guide to Learning Outdoors
November 29, 2022 Accessibility in Outdoor Learning
November 15, 2022 Teaching Green in the Elementary Years
November 12, 2022 Program Leaders Annual Retreat
November 06, 2022 Fall Virtual Celebration
November 06, 2022 Fall 2022 Regional Meet-up: Inland Empire
November 06, 2022 Fall 2022 Regional Meet-up: Central Coast
November 06, 2022 Fall 2022 Regional Meet-up: Sierra Foothills
November 06, 2022 Fall 2022 Regional Meet-up: San Diego County
November 06, 2022 Fall 2022 Regional Meet-up: Bay Area
November 06, 2022 Fall 2022 Regional Meet-up: Los Angeles
October 04, 2022 2022 Environmental & Outdoor Education Virtual Job Fair
October 04, 2022 Nature Connection: Sensory Activities for All Ages
September 27, 2022 Animals Care for Mother Earth: An Indigenous Teaching Resource for Personal Development
September 20, 2022 Life Underground: Student Soil Exploration Resources & Activities
September 13, 2022 Classrooms to Communities: The Best Resources for Outdoor Learning
July 01, 2022 EECP 2022-2023 Enrollment
June 07, 2022 EECP Info Session
May 26, 2022 EECP Info Session
May 15, 2022 EECP 2022-2023 Application
May 14, 2022 Networking/Career Fair @ Spring Statewide Conference
May 13, 2022 Spring Statewide Conference 2022
April 19, 2022 Supporting LGBTQ2S+ Students in EE
March 21, 2022 UDL in EE Pilot
February 08, 2022 Program Leaders Open Space
January 31, 2022 EECP Extension 2021-2022
November 21, 2021 Fall Statewide Virtual Celebration
November 21, 2021 Fall Regional Meet-up: Newport Beach (Orange County)
November 21, 2021 Fall Regional Meet-up: Oakland
November 21, 2021 Fall Regional Meet-up: San Diego County
November 21, 2021 Fall Regional Meet-up: Dobbins (Tahoe)
November 13, 2021 Program Leaders Retreat
September 30, 2021 Environmental & Outdoor Education Virtual Job Fair
September 14, 2021 Program Leaders Open Space
July 01, 2021 EECP 2021-2022 Enrollment
May 27, 2021 EECP Info Session
May 20, 2021 EECP Info Session
May 17, 2021 Statewide Spring Conference 2021 - Recordings Only
May 15, 2021 EECP 2021-2022 Application
May 14, 2021 Statewide Spring Conference 2021
April 29, 2021 Assessing Connecting to Nature
April 01, 2021 EECP Extension
March 30, 2021 Outdoor Learning Panel
March 16, 2021 Teaching to Outcomes
February 25, 2021 Open Space Conversations
December 12, 2020 Open Space Community Chat & Virtual Happy Hour Campfire
December 05, 2020 Inspiring Green Behavior Change with Remote Learning Activities
November 21, 2020 Early Childhood Education in the Outdoors
October 24, 2020 Mental Health - Pandemic Trauma Training for Educators
September 26, 2020 SEL Training for Practitioners
September 26, 2020 Fall Workshop Series
August 26, 2020 EECP 2020-2021 Enrollment
July 16, 2020 EECP 2020-2021 Application
May 29, 2020 AEOE Statewide Virtual Conference 2020
February 23, 2020 Thriving in the Outdoors: Social and Emotional Learning in Nature
January 20, 2020 EOSM Spring 2020 Southern Meeting
January 13, 2020 EOSM Spring 2020 Northern Meeting
November 15, 2019 AEOE Southern Section Fall Conference 2019
November 01, 2019 AEOE Northern Section Fall Conference 2019

CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL & OUTDOOR EDUCATION

Mailing Address: 2930 Domingo Ave., Suite 3028Berkeley, CA 94705

info@aeoe.org

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