Environmental Education (EE) Opportunities at Lewis Ginter Botanical

Garden EE Organization - National

North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) • Guidelines for Excellence Series - Best Practice in EE

Commonwealth of Virginia • Virginia Association for Environmental Education (VAEE) 2005 • MWEE participation at least once at the elementary, middle and high school level 2006 • No Child Left Inside (NCLI) environmental movement 2014 • VDOE Foundational Concepts for Environmental Literacy, Responsible Citizenship, and Career Readiness

Commonwealth of Virginia 2015 • Executive Order est. VA Environmental Literacy Challenge • VDOE Environmental Literacy Indicator Tool (ELIT) 2016 Elimination of Office of Environmental Education (DCR) 2017 Focus group Lewis Ginter Educational Programs

• Pre-K – grade 12 o VDOE Standards of Learning (SOL) o NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence Includes • Applied Ecology • Green Adventure Summer Camps • Service Learning • Vocational Training • Youth Internships • Professional Development

Riparian Programs

K-12 Discovery Programs • Inquiry into Nature (3-5) • Go with the Flow (2-3) • Watershed Wonders (4-5)

Riparian Programs

Applied Ecology • Citizen Science Water Quality Testing Program • Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and Lynnhaven Academy Future Riparian Programming

Learning Village • Expanded water access • Laboratory space • Long-term projects

Meadow and Woodland Our Meadow and Woodland Programs are Aligned Virginia’s Standard of Learning Objectives Current Programs that Use Meadow Spaces • Young Bud Programs pre K

• Small Sprouts to Garden Giants K - 2nd grade

• Growing a Garden 3rd - 4th grade

• Sustainable Gardening middle and high school

• Green Adventure Summer Camps ages 4 - 12

Content Currently Covered in Meadow Programs

• Plant Parts • Plant Life Cycles • Pollinators • Photosynthesis • Plant and Animal Adaptations • Ecosystems • Eco Services • Conservation Future Meadow Programs will Continue to Incorporate and Improve Use of 21st Century Skills

• Critical Thinking about the relevance of meadow sustainability

• Communication inspired through hands-on activities about the significance of the biodiversity of plants and pollinator populations living in meadow habitats

• Creative Problem Solving about ways to conserve meadow habitats in and around our communities

Current Woodland Programs

• Young Bud Programs pre K

• Tree Traits K-2nd grade

• Tallying Up Trees 3rd - 5th grades

• Forestry Fundamentals middle school – high school

• Green Adventure Summer Camps ages 4 - 12

Current Content of Woodland Programs

• Plant Parts • Forest Habitat • Plant Lifecycles • Layers of the Forest • Forest Soil/Decomposers • Photosynthesis • Plant and Animal Adaptations • Evergreen vs. Deciduous Trees • Eco Services of a Forest • Conservation

Future Woodland Programs will Continue to Incorporate and Improve Use of 21st Century Skills

• Emotional and Social Skill Development through experiential group programs

• Critical Thinking about the current and future management of the natural resources provided by woodlands

• Creative Problem Solving about ways we can sustain woodland health through collection of qualitative and quantitative data Professional Development in Connection with Meadows, Woodlands and Wetlands Branching out of the Children’s Garden In the future it is our goal to continue to add rigor and relevance to all programs and to utilize all areas of the Garden including the up- and-coming Learning Village.

Youth Programs Ages 13-18 Meeting the needs of the Community The evolution of the program Service Learning Program Youth Volunteer Program 2017 New Service Learning Program Vocational Groups Youth Intern Partnerships

VA Department for the Blind and Visually Impaired L.I.F.E (Learning Independence, Feeling Empowered) Program

Mayors Youth Academy

Partnership for the Future

Department of Labor and Industry Youth Apprenticeship Program

Creating work place readiness! Growing programs Continuing to Grow our Partnerships VA Department of Education new graduation requirements The Learning Village Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Contacts

Mitra Bryant, Children’s Education Program Developer [email protected]

Sarah Croscutt, Children’s Education Program Developer [email protected]

Heather Veneziano, Youth Programs Developer [email protected]