Birding Institute spring 2021 flyer

NEW! Jeffers Workshops Institutes

Teachers, naturalists, and environmental educators!

Engage students in science content using 3-dimensional teaching as suggested by state and national standards throughout the year to develop students’ ability to observe, investigate, and make claims from evidence, while learning outdoors!

Register Now
Click here to learn more about Content Institutes

Jeffers offers several different workshops

New Covid-19 sensitive Online options!

 

All of our workshops are tailored to the specific school or venue,
All workshop participants receive great ideas and useful tools,

&

All of our workshops are FREE of charge

Click here to schedule a Jeffers Workshop
outside calendar workshop

Team Teaching with Mother Nature

For In-Service & Pre-Service Teachers*

*Make TTw/MN part of your Teaching Methods courses. Click here to check out lessons inspired by participation in this Jeffers Pre-Service Workshop!

Resources: Participating teachers receive a Jeffers Journal, Teacher LooKit, current Freshwater Minnesota Weatherguide Environment™ Calendar to use during the workshop. Classroom teachers also receive a class set of journals for their students upon completion of the workshop. School will also receive a set of 30 student LooKits.

Optional resources include: set of EcoTime cards, Nature Detective bandanna, and a Good Sense booklet.

Cost: No charge, however, a deposit is required.

Length: 4 hours

Team Teaching with Mother Nature workshop objectives:
  • Increase observational skills – Using all your senses
  • Learn skills, strategies & tools for successful outdoor learning
  • Use multidisciplinary journaling activities that encourage “focus” for outdoor learning
  • Recognize your schoolyard (and school garden) as a learning resource
  • Identify lessons in your classroom curriculum that are easily taught outdoors
  • Identify state academic standards that can be attained by outdoor instruction
  • Feel confident about outdoor instruction as a way to spark a student’s sense of wonder while increasing academic knowledge and achievement
  • Incorporate phenology in daily lessons or morning meetings
  • Have fun learning outdoors!
*In-Service workshop: Host a workshop for your entire teaching staff or host a regional workshop at your school. In-Service workshop are available for all grade levels, elementary, middle school, or high school.
*Pre-Service workshops are available for Methods/Pedagogy courses for elementary licensure and 5-12/9-12 licensure.

Why Outdoors? Why Not?

Why Outdoors? Why Not?
This workshop is designed to introduce the concept of teaching outdoors for an entire teaching staff. It can serve as a stand-alone workshop or precede a more in-depth follow-up workshop (Team Teaching with Mother Nature) that expands the scope of outdoor teaching and learning.
Workshop objectives:
  • Build teacher enthusiasm for outdoor learning
  • Help teachers recognize their schoolyard as a learning resource
  • Participate in sensory-rich observation activities aimed to enhance student learning outdoors
  • Introduce teaching staff to Jeffers resources

Resources:  Participating teachers receive a Jeffers Journal, a teacher LooKit, and a current Freshwater Minnesota Weatherguide Environment™ Calendar.

Cost: No charge, however, a deposit is required.

Length: 2 hours

Early Childhood

Resources: Participating teachers receive a set of GO Cards and a copy of A Parents’ Guide to Nature Play

Cost: No charge, however, a deposit is required.

Length: 4 hours

Early Childhood (Pre-K) workshop objectives:
  • Increase observational skills using all your senses
  • Learn skills, strategies, & tools for successful outdoor learning
  • Recognize your school ground as a teaching resource
  • Identify activities that can be taught outdoors
  • Identify Early Childhood Indicators of Progress that can be observed outdoors
  • Gain confidence about outdoor learning as a way to spark a child’s sense of wonder
  • Incorporate phenology into classroom activities
  • Have fun learning outdoors!

 

Click here to go to our Early Childhood page

Calendar in the Classroom

Calendar in the Classroom

The Calendar in the Classroom (CIC) workshop introduces elementary teachers to the Freshwater Minnesota Weatherguide Environment™ Calendar and grade-level lessons designed by Minnesota teachers. The CIC lessons fit within five themes: Astronomy, Gardening, Phenology, Water, and Weather. Participants will experience CIC lessons while incorporating data and resources found within the calendar.

The Calendar in the Classroom lessons promote daily use of the Freshwater Calendar, including:
Daily weather data
  • Sunrise/sunset
  • Normal temps
  • Record temps
  • Cloud types
  • Beaufort Scale (wind speed)
  • Wind Chill/Heat Index Charts
Weekly Phenology Notes
Monthly Astronomy Phenomena
  • Morning Sky
  • Evening Sky
  • Astronomical Highlights
Featured Species of the month
Fabulous Nature Photography (from all around our beautiful state)
Click here to go to our Calendar in the Classroom page

Resources: Participating teachers receive a Jeffers Journal  and a Freshwater Minnesota Weatherguide Environment™ Calendar

Cost: No charge, however, a deposit is required.

Length: 2 hours

Click here to schedule a Jeffers Workshop
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"I have participated in the Team Teaching with Mother Nature workshop and partnered with the presenters on several other teacher workshops. The teachers develop a joy of learning in the outdoors which can inspire their students. They learn how to craft the student experiences toward skills and attitudes that will enrich the lives of the children and make their school learning more relevant."
John Olson Science Content Specialist - Minnesota Department of Education
"My colleagues and I were part of a very fun PD last night. We learned ways to incorporate our outdoor classroom in our daily routines and curriculum. The staff is passionate and knowledgeable. Jeffers Foundation not only provides all of us with ideas, but tools and connections to successfully implement these ideas. They took into consideration multiple grade levels and multiple positions in the staff. I feel everyone walked out excited and curious to try these in their learning space.  ps- dinner was delicious as well. They are the best!!"
Maria Villavicencio Elementary Classroom Teacher - Eden Lake Elementary School, Eden Prairie, MN
"Thank you for your wonderful presentation on team teaching with Mother Nature. There has been a lot of conversation centered around the information you presented and there have already been classes out in the courtyard."
Laurie Sherman Principal St. Jerome School
Dear Tom, Holle, & David, Thank you for an incredible morning of outdoor learning! The elementary EL teachers were impressed and invigorated by the workshop you facilitated. I received a lot of positive feedback about the learning and one veteran teacher emailed me to let me know it was one of the best PD sessions she’s ever attended! We were able to see a lot of ways to integrate the morning's environmental learning into both our summer program and the Units of Study curriculum of each grade level. The resources you provided are incredible and will be very useful to teachers. Despite a windy, cold day we thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience and will definitely use our learning this summer and throughout the school year. I greatly appreciate the organization and skill it takes to make professional development opportunities meaningful and enjoyable for teachers. You definitely accomplished this! I will
Jenny Leroux EL Lead Teacher Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools Independent School District #196
Sil, David, & the Jeffers Foundation, Thank you so much for providing a great learning experience for the new teachers of Prior Lake-Savage Area Schools. Thank you for the financial donation to the lunch and for being a great collaborative partner! We hope to keep this great tradition going!
Ben Tressel PLSAS Prof. Dev.