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Improving Schoolyards for Outdoor Environmental Education and Stewardship

800 450 Stroud Water Research Center

With funding from the Department of Environmental Protection’s Environmental Education Grants, Stroud Water Research Center, in collaboration with regional partner school districts, sparked an initiative to create outdoor learning spaces on school campuses. These areas provide benefits to water quality and wildlife habitat as well as meaningful outdoor learning opportunities for teachers and their students. This project also allows communities to engage with the school to learn about the local watershed.

In this virtual workshop recorded on January 25, 2023, you will hear directly from participating teachers (elementary to high school level) and Stroud Center education staff on this collaborative approach at all phases, from design and building to lesson creation.

Presenters shared tips on how to get started, funding outlets, design tools, and successful ways of communicating with key staff in the district, as well as examples of their learning spaces to be completed by the end of the 2023 school year. In addition, you will hear from a landscape professional on plant suggestions and more in the outdoor learning landscape!

This virtual educator workshop was presented in partnership with National Park Trust, National Parks Service, White Clay Creek Wild & Scenic River, and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.