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, probably 2022 after Covid). This training counts toward the Michigan specific part of Strand 2 of the MAEOE EEC (Michigan Alliance for Environmental and Outdoor Education's Environmental Certification Program)
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: 2022 TBD
Times: 12:30 pm Day 1 – 12:00 pm Day 3, 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: ?
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: Will be in Sign Up Genius once scheduled.
Finally, to hold your place, mail a check for $50, payable to MAEOE, or ask me to send you a PayPal link for a CC payment to:Natalie Elkins
MI Dept. of Natural Resources
525 W. Allegan,
Lansing, MI 48933
