Saint Louis
Region
David Bruns, a Conservation Educator with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), will lead a hands-on professional development session at The Freedom School focused on making meaningful and effective use of outdoor educational landscaping. Participants will explore developmentally appropriate tools and practices, learn strategies for applying note‑booking, and discover MDC’s rich collection of curriculum resources.
Nature Unhooked is the middle school level aquatic unit of the Discover Nature Schools program and is aligned with the Missouri Learning Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. Emphasis of this unit is on student-centered and collaborative investigations of the properties of water, water cycle, biotic energy flow, biodiversity, and human impacts on aquatic ecosystems. A Project Based Learning component is also included in this unit. This workshop will cover lessons and activities from the unit as well as an outdoor, experiential approach to student learning.
***Hazelwood Opportunity Center Staff ONLY***
Discover Nature — Fishing (DNF) engages students in conservation and aquatic education through classroom instruction and hands-on fishing opportunities.
This program helps students gain the skills and confidence to go fishing on their own. Participants learn about aquatic ecology, fish habitat, and fish identification. They also learn about fishing equipment, casting, rigging a fishing rod, baiting a hook, and proper fish handling.
This Discover Nature School (DNS) program, Nature Revealed, is a curriculum designed for preschool students and includes engaging, hands-on outdoor learning divided into 4 seasonal units. This curriculum focuses on Missouri’s flora, fauna, and ecosystems, which can be separated by 20 different themes such as mammals, insects, trees and forests, birds, energy, and weather. It encourages discovery and a child’s natural sense of wonder.
Teacher Guide walk through, intro to teacher portal and digital teacher guide, DNS Grant administrative process and reporting requirements, MDC Video series on Benefits of Nature Education, Conducting Field Experiences, Science Notebooking and Macro Invertebrates. Tour of Field Experience site location and rotation activities was conducted on a different date.
This workshop for Science Methods students of Maryville University completing their elementary level teaching certification includes an introduction to the MDC Discover Nature Schools program and grade appropriate units, outdoor teaching techniques, use of science notebooks, and introduction to functions of the MDC Teacher Portal.
The Hybrid Basic Archery Instructor (BAI) training is for teachers who wish to teach Missouri's National Archery in the Schools Program (MoNASP). Participants must complete the online portion and pass the online exam prior to attending this in-person portion of training. Registration is limited to 10 people. Once registered an e-mail will be sent with the link to the online portion of the program. Volunteers other than teachers will need to gain approval for their attendance from their prospective school before registration.
Discover Nature — Fishing (DNF) engages students in conservation and aquatic education through classroom instruction and hands-on fishing opportunities.
This program helps students gain the skills and confidence to go fishing on their own. Participants learn about aquatic ecology, fish habitat, and fish identification. They also learn about fishing equipment, casting, rigging a fishing rod, baiting a hook, and proper fish handling.