See the Project Learning Tree / Growing Up WILD Trainings page for even more trainings.

More Opportunities Near You


Monthly (Date Changes each month) 
NAAEE Monthly Webinar Series
Each month join members of the NAAEE eePro community to hear from educators, researchers and authors on a wide range of topics in environmental education. 
Available to EEAI members. Look for more information on your Member Login Page.
​Questions? Email EEAI Executive Director Abbie Enlund executivedirectoreeai@gmail.com

​May 1, 2019
Inspiring Nature Play
9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Cost: $59.00, parking and lunch included
Our sixth annual conference will highlight developmentally appropriate nature play experiences for early childhood (birth through age 8) and practical ideas for incorporating nature play into your early childhood program. Keynote speakers Marilyn Brink, M.Ed., manager of professional development and early childhood at Brookfield Zoo, and Jennifer Rosinia, PhD, OTR/L, president of Kid Links Unlimited, Inc., will address connections between nature play and brain development.
CPDUs: 6, Gateways: 6
Grade level: Birth - Grade 3

May 4, 2019
ENTICE: Meet the Mississippi
Mississippi River Visitors’ Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island Arsenal, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Come to this workshop to learn about the Mississippi River and some of the wildlife species that depend on it. We will talk about the traits needed to survive in a riverine environment and show you examples from native wildlife. We’ll discuss wildlife diversity in and around the river, too. Physical characteristics of the river and how they are important to wildlife and people will be explained. Although targeted to teachers of grades two through five, all educators are welcome to register for this workshop but may need to adapt the materials for their students, as appropriate. Supplemental resources will be provided. Professional Development Hours are available. To register visit https://www.enticeworkshops.com/.

May 11, 2019
Forest and Climate Change Workshop for Middle and High School Educators
Boone County Conservation District; 603 N Appleton Rd. Belvidere
9:00am to 3:30pm - Lunch is provided. 
Free for Boone County educators/$40 for out-of-county educators
14 engaging, hands-on climate change activities designed for easy integration into curriculum in life science, environmental science, social studies, and agriculture classes grades 9-12 with adaptations for middle school grades 6-8. This program will provide educators with the knowledge and resources needed to help students discover the impact of climate change. Using these activities students will understand carbon sequestration, strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and how to adapt to changing climatic conditions. 
Inlcudes the Southeastern Forests and Climate Change environmental education activity guide and Angelic Organics Farm and Learning Center site experience. 
5 professional development credit hours available. 

Registration Open! Or call 815-547-7935

May 18, 2019
STEAM: Connecting Art and Science
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
Cost: $72 member/$90 non-member
Dabble in the artsy side of science and discover how to integrate these two disciplines. Investigate how the processes of science and art are complementary and how NGSS cross-cutting concepts such as patterns, scale, and cause and effect can be supported through artwork. Create a pop-up book, experiment with mixing liquids and colors, make models, and more. While focused on preK through fifth grade, science content connections can be scaled up for older grades.
CPDUs: 6, Gateways: 6
Grade level: PreK - 5

May 20
2019 Regional Summit on Environmental Education in Higher Ed
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL.
The goal of this summit is to bring together educators from across northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin from all disciplines who are interested in enhancing environmental education opportunities across the curriculum.
The format of the Summit will include hands-on, interdisciplinary workshops for labs, assignment creation, and service learning projects. The goal is for participants to leave the Summit with tangible resources to incorporate into courses.
Cost: $25 will cover parking, food, and materials while at summit
Registration will open in early Spring. For more information email NIUESE.grad.assistant@gmail.com. 

June 1, 2019
Midwest Early Childhood Educator Symposium
Lessons from the Forest: How Great Programs Place Nature at the Heart of Their Curriculum
Saturday, June 1 - 8:30am - 3:00pm
Thornhill Educcation Center, The Morton Arboretum
The Northern Illinois Nature Preschool Association (NINPA), in conjunction with the Wisconsin Nature-based Early Childhood Association (WiNBECA) and The Morton Arboretum, is holding a symposium on June 1, 2019. This one-day event will bring together early childhood educators, administrators, and naturalists from across Midwest to share ideas to advance nature-based education in early childhood education. Join us to add new skills to your toolkit and learn about emerging ideas and trends in the field from experts and peers.
Register Online or by phone - 630-719-2468
​Cost: $55
EEAI will have an exhibit booth so stop by and say hi!

June 1, 2019
Nature Explore Workshop
Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, Mahomet, IL
Using Your Outdoor Classroom - 9:00am - 12:00pm - Experience interesting techniques for using outdoor classrooms as an integral part of children's daily learning. 
Lunch Break 12:00pm - 1:00pm Bring your own lunch
Moving to Learn - 1:00pm - 4:00pm - Discover effective techniques for providing indoor and outdoor movement activities that help children develop body control, gain knowledge about the world and enjoy an outlet for emotional expression. 
Registration Deadline - May 30th, 2019
Visit Nature Explore for more information and to register. 

June 5, 2019
Northwest Region Share-A-Thon  - Pollinators and Native Plants
Peoria Park District's Tawny Oaks Field Station
The steward from Tawny Oaks Field Station will do a prairie restoration tour with us (about half an hour, no more than half-mile walk on a flat, gravel path. This path is accessible both for wheelchairs and strollers.) We can then head back inside the visitor center for treats and sharing – since this is such a good site for pollinators, including some rare ones, we will focus our sharing on activities, success stories and/or resources that have to do with pollinators and native plant education. 

Stay tuned for more information on registration coming soon! 
For questions please contact Northwest Regional Director Susie Ingram - NorthWestRegionEEAI@gmail.com

June 8, 2019
ENTICE: Introducing Early Childhood Students to the Nature of Summer
Chicago Botanic Garden, Glencoe, 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Summer is a great season for young children to explore nature! There is so much to see and learn. Join us to discover what nature can tell us in summer. We’ll take a hike to put our knowledge to work and will feature the Field Trip Pack from the IDNR. Although targeted to grades prekindergarten through three, all educators are welcome to register for the workshop, but the information may need to be adapted, as appropriate. You’ll take away numerous resources to use with young children when learning about summer nature. Professional Development Hours are available. To register visit https://www.enticeworkshops.com/.
 
June 18, 2019
ENTICE: Wetland Wonders Exploring the Organisms of Illinois’ Wetland Ecosystems
Cache River Visitors’ Center, Cypress, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
We’ll make a splash as we explore the fascinating organisms that live in Illinois’ wetlands. We’ll learn about their life history and identification and will put the skills to practice as we visit a wetland. Hands-on activities will be conducted, and you’ll receive supplemental educational resources. Although targeted to teachers of grades four through eight, other educators are welcome to register and attend the workshop but may need to adapt the materials as appropriate. Professional Development Hours are available. To register visit https://www.enticeworkshops.com/.
 
June 12-13, 2019
Social Interpretation Course
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Ohio
This workshop is designed for interpreters who have little or no training in graphic design or social media, but find themselves responsible for creating nonpersonal media.
Interpreters use media from Facebook pages and Twitter accounts to printed brochures and exhibits to tell their stories. Social Interpretation focuses on using basic principles of interpretation as a guide to creating effective nonpersonal media. By the end of the workshop, you should have a good understanding of how to make decisions about using social media and creating visual communications-and why an interpretive approach is an effective way to communicate with your audience through these media.
Day one focuses on developing social media skills-understanding the technical and cultural differences among popular platforms, with specific emphasis (in descending order) on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others. Participants will understand how to cater their message to a desired audience, enhancing social media effectiveness by building the appropriate audience for their social media outlets. Day two focuses on visual communication, with specific emphasis on typography, color usage, image usage, layout, visual hierarchy, and catering messages to the appropriate medium.
For more information visit https://bit.ly/2BRPggc. 

June 17-21, 2019
Where is Away Course
Our experiences and activities will help your students develop their science and engineering practices like asking questions, developing models, analyzing data and arguing from evidence. They offer many connections to various cross-cutting concepts like patterns , cause and effect, systems and system models, energy and matter, structure and function, and stability and change .
Investigate the life-cycle of the stuff we make, use, buy and toss out each day. We'll visit a landfill, recycling center, wastewater facility and more to discover the answer to "where is away?".
This course is appropriate for K-12 teachers. Priority is given to DuPage County teachers, limited seats are available for non-DuPage County teachers. Each offers 3 hours graduate credit or 40 PDs. An additional half day is required for graduate credit on July 1st.
https://www.scarce.org/where-is-away/
 
June 24-28, 2019
Living Waters
Our experiences and activities will help your students develop their science and engineering practices like asking questions, developing models, analyzing data and arguing from evidence. They offer many connections to various cross-cutting concepts like patterns , cause and effect, systems and system models, energy and matter, structure and function, and stability and change.
 
Here's your chance to dive into water! Led by experts in the field, you'll get a behind-the-scenes picture of the water infrastructure and ecosystem services we benefit from every day.
 
This course is appropriate for K-12 teachers. Priority is given to DuPage County teachers, limited seats are available for non-DuPage County teachers. Each offers 3 hours graduate credit or 40 PDs. An additional half day is required for graduate credit on July 1st.
https://www.scarce.org/water/

July 1-11, 2019
2019 Educator Academy in the Amazon Professional Development
Scholarships available!
Join Al Stenstrup, Project Learning Tree; Dr. Nancy Trautmann, Cornell Lab of Ornithology;  Kristie Reddick, The Bug Chicks; along with scientists Dr. Steve Madigosky, Widener University; and Randy Morgan, Curator/Entomologist, Cincinnati Zoo as you explore:  

  • 21st Century Instruction:  5E Lesson Design ~ Inquiry-Based Exploration ~ STEM 
  • Inquiry Protocols & Resources:  Vernier  Software & Technology ~ Celestron Digital Microscopes
  • Global and Cultural Perspectives:  Service Learning ~ Sustainability ~ Global Education
  • NEW!  A specialized track for HS bio and environmental science educators with a focus on sustainability, conservation, and field work with the Maijuna indigenous community
  • Work side-by-side with scientists and researchers on citizen science projects and field studies.
  •  Explore the ¼ mile long ACTSPeru Rainforest Canopy Walkway in one of the world’s most biologically diverse environments.
  • Work with fellow educators to explore strategies for using the Amazon as a vehicle for incorporating STEM education, inquiry-based learning, and sustainability science education into your classroom.
 
Contact program director, Christa Dillabaugh at christa@amazonworkshops.com or 1-800-431-2624 for more information.
 
Scholarships and grants are available:
Grant: $1500 Vernier Software & Technology Grant for a HS/AP Science Educator
Scholarships: $1250 Amazon Workshops Scholarships for K-12 Educators
Application Deadline:  February 1, 2019 
For more information visit http://amazonworkshops.com/educator-academy/

July 19, 2019
Asian Carps: Activities for Middle School and High School Students to Support the Teaching of Next Generation Science Standards                                  
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Dickson Mounds Museum, Lewistown, IL
Asian carps are nonnative fishes that have invaded the waterways of Illinois and many other states. These species are responsible for enormous economic, recreational and environmental impacts. At this workshop, we'll discuss their life history and provide data to quantify their effects. Containment methods being used in Illinois to keep Asian carps out of Lake Michigan will be examined. Student lessons relevant to Next Generation Science Standards MS-LS2-4 and HS-LS2-7 will be incorporated. Although targeted to middle school and high school educators, teachers of other grade levels are welcome to attend but may need to adapt the information as appropriate. Professional Development Hours are available.


August 2, 2019
Illinois Bats
5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Barkhausen Cache River Visitors' Center, Cypress, IL
The only true flying mammals will be examined at this workshop for educators of grades one through four. Work with resource professionals as you learn about the life history of bats and their relationships to other species in the environment. Experience hands-on activities that can be instantly implemented into your curriculum. We'll take a short drive to watch bats emerge from their roosts at dusk, too. Take home many Illinois-specific supplemental materials. Professional Development Hours are available. Educators of other grade levels are welcome to attend the workshop, but they will need to adapt the materials to the grade levels taught, as appropriate.
 
August 5-6, 2019 
STEAM and Plants for Diverse Learners
9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL
$132 members/$165 non-members
Learn how to use horticultural therapy techniques, plants, natural materials, and gardens to promote social/emotional learning and to provide learning accommodations for diverse learners. Teaching methods modeled in this two-day workshop will enable you to connect science, engineering, and art for all learners, while addressing the NGSS and other standards. Gain tips for growing plants in your classroom and garden.
CPDUs: 13, Gateways:13, Graduate credit: 1 (optional; additional fee) Grade level: PreK - 12
​
August 13-14, 2019
Reflecting on Practice Workshop 
Severson Dells Nature Center
A Program of the Chicago Zoological Society
A professional learning program for informal STEM educators. Transform your practice by learning about learning and enhance your visitors' experience by applying the science of learning. 
Workshop fee: $100 ($200 stipend provided to participants) 
Food provided for participants.
Team of 2 from the same facility recommended. 
More details and registration can be found at www.czs.org/rop

August 16-18, 2019
NatureStart Professional Development
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
A Program of the Chicago Zoological Society
Kenosha, WI - Hawthorn Hollow Nature Sanctuary and Arboretum
The Chicago Zoological Society is offering a regional model of its NatureStart professional development course. This competency-based training is for teachers and staff from Head Start programs and for informal educators from zoos, museums, and nature centers who provide programs for young children and families. Together, educators will build skills for developing and facilitating nature play experiences for young children in all settings. 
Cost: $550 includes NatureStart Toolkit, 18 hours of interactive training, and continental breakfast and lunch each day. 
For more information visit Chicago Zoological Society. Registration can found here. 

September 13
Swarovski Waterschool Educator Workshop
Burpee Museum of Natural History, Rockford, IL
Approximately 9:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Who: Formal and non-formal 4th - 8th grade educators
Cost: FREE
This program joins the team of global programs along major rivers of the world in Austria, Brazil, China, India, Thailand, and Uganda as the first of its kind in North America. We are looking for 4th-8th grade educators who want to incorporate topics of water and river systems and engage students in community engagement projects. 
Register online. 
Program being conducted by EEAI Organizational Member - The National Great Rivers Research and Education Center. 

September 21-22, 2019
EdVentures for Educators
Touch of Nature Environmental Center
Two-day professional development workshop providing training in Project Learning Tree e-units, hands-on field experiences with Shawnee National Forest scientists, leadership training and skill building with Touch of Nature education staff.
All training, take-home resources, lodging and meals provided free of charge. 
Workshop provided through grant funds from Sustainable Forestry Initiative. 
Registration is open! Space is very limited so sign up soon. 
Check back here for the most up-to-date information. 

October 25th, 2019
Nonformal Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence Workshop
A program of the North American Association for Environmental Education
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center; Springfield, IL
Facilitator - Dr. Bob Carter
More information coming soon! 

October 26th, 2019
K-12 Environmental Education: Guidelines for Excellence Workshop
A program of the North American Association for Environmental Education
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center; Springfield, IL
More information coming soon! 
Facilitator - Dr. Bob Carter
​More information coming soon!