Project WILD is an interdisciplinary conservation and environmental education program for K-12 educators. Project WILD provides professional development opportunities for teachers emphasizing awareness, appreciation and understanding of wildlife and natural resources through hands-on activities. These activities are interwoven with English language arts, math, science, and social studies.
A perfect addition to classroom units or nature center programming, WILD can give your students the tools to become citizens that make better informed natural resource decisions.
- Activities, Lessons, Fact Sheets
Educator Workshops
These workshops give teachers, naturalists, scout leaders and other environmental educators tools to apply within their own classroom or program, and a copy of a guide. To plan a workshop, please contact Natalie Elkins at miprojectwild@gmail.com or 517-284-6041. A workshop needs a minimum of 10 people. The cost is $35 per person for one guide covered in a workshop. Training for an additional guide may be added for $15.
Below is more information about what you can expect out of these different workshops (these can be combined to create your own custom workshop too):
Growing Up WILD For 3-7 year olds
Project WILD K-12 wildlife and habitat
Aquatic WILD K-12 aquatic wildlife and habitat
Flying WILD Middle school: building toward a bird festival
- Facilitator (Train-the-Trainer) Professional Development
Educators can go on to attend a facilitator professional development workshop that enables them to host and facilitate their own workshops for new educators. Facilitators must hold at least one workshop every two years to maintain certification. Project Learning Tree and Project WILD partner for Michigan's facilitator workshops every odd year (2015, 2017, 2019).
Facilitator training offers a brief review of many activities and the highlights of the guides, and focuses mainly on planning for a high-quality, professional development experience for adult learners. Professional speaking tips, dealing with difficult participants, adapting on the fly, agenda building, marketing, local resources, and knowing the audience are all discussed.
Event: Project WILD and Project Learning Tree Facilitator Level Professional Development Training (Train the Trainer)
Dates: May 14-May 16, 2019
Times: 12:30 pm May 14 – 12:00 pm May 16, presence in the evenings for group work is required
Prerequisite: At least one educator level Project WILD or Project Learning Tree Certification including: PLT K-8, PLT Early Childhood, Growing Up WILD, Aquatic WILD, K-12 WILD or Flying WILD (any combo class with more that one is also valid).
Where: Camp Hawthorn Hollow, 1046 Mayer Rd, Columbus, MI 48063
Fee: $50 to hold your spot, PLT and WILD will cover all meals and lodging.
SCECH: 10 State Continuing Education Clock Hours will be offered at no charge
Details: This training will prepare educators (naturalists, curriculum coordinators, camp leaders, scout leaders etc.) to train other adults to run Project WILD and Project Learning Tree activities. It will focus on the best practices of environmental AND adult education, modeling activities, tying activities to grade levels and the NGSS/Michigan Science Standards, statewide and local resources, marketing ideas, field investigations, inquiry-based and place-based learning. Group projects and attendance for the entire session is required for certification—but it will be fun and engaging! This training counts for the Michigan-based half of Strand 2 of the Environmental Educator Certification Program (www.maeoe.com).
Registration: Email miprojectwild@gmail.com with:
Your full name,
The previous WILD or PLT educator level class(es) you have taken and the dates (a prerequisite),
Your email address,
Your job title
How you would use your facilitator training to build environmental educators in MI
Finally, to hold your place, mail a check for $50, payable to MAEOE, to:Natalie Elkins
MI Dept. of Natural Resources
525 W. Allegan,
Lansing, MI 48933Check in: The camp office, you will be directed to Trillium lodge to unload your bags. There will be wagons to transport your luggage to avoid driving all around camp.
More info: Camp Hawthorn Hollow is 300+ acres in Columbus, Michigan. They have full-service dining hall with the latest and greatest technology- drop down screen, sound system... It just reopened from a remodel in November 2018.
Check out the Girl Scouts of Southeast Michigan Guide to Get Outdoors pdf to see some images of the lodging available, and to learn more about Camp and Outdoor Education.
The Lodge Trillium sleeps 32 people. 8 rooms with four bunkbeds each.
