Project Learning Tree®

What is Project Learning Tree®?

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Project Learning Tree® (PLT) is a collection of award winning, multi-disciplinary environmental education activity guides for educators and students in Pre K-grade 12. It is a program of the Sustainable Forest Initiative.

Educator Training Opportunities
As state PLT sponsor, EEAI hosts lively, hands-on educator trainings which assist the teacher in using the guide to bring environmental education into the classroom immediately upon return. The trainings are instructed by certified PLT facilitators and include science content-based background, guides and activity alignment to Illinois Learning Goals and Standards (Pre K-8 guide), and NAEYC/ Head Start Domains (Early Childhood Guide).

Register for a training in your region or contact a local facilitator to host a training at your facility today!

PLT also makes a great concurrent session, in-service training or exhibit booth attraction; contact the EEAI PLT Coordinator for options.

Standard Correlations

Curriculum Guides

Several curriculum guides full of interdisciplinary activities are offered by PLT, including:
Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood:
  • Over 130 activity experiences on topics exploring nature with the five senses, meeting neighborhood trees, and experiencing trees through the seasons.
  • Developed by early learning specialists and educators to target the 3-6 year old student.
  • Music-infused guide includes accompanying CD from children's musician Billy B. Brennan that encourages children to sing, dance, and move with each activity.
  • Activities correlated to NAEYC and Head Start Domains.
  • Activities include “Family and Friends” handouts to connect home caregivers with classroom curriculum their child is learning.
  • Trainings average 3 hours; adaptable to presentation/in-service needs
  • Trained facilitators ensure science-content based experience

Explore this Family and Friends Extension:Bursting Buds
PreK - 8 Environmental Education Activity Guide:
  • Includes 96 interdisciplinary activities
  • Activities highlight Differentiated Instruction applications
  • User-friendly guide provides updated scientific background for educators and reproducible student pages
  • Trainings average 6 hours; can be adapted for in-service/conference presentation needs
  • Trained facilitators ensure science-content based experience
  • Activities correlated to Illinois Learning Goals and Standards

Explore this Sample Activity: Environmental Exchange Box
Secondary Education Module: Exploring Environmental Issues - Focus on Forests:
  • Activity guide designed to foster high school/ college student understanding of- and appreciation for- the forested lands throughout North America.
  • Activities provide an opportunity for hands-on study of forest resources through field investigations and data collection to examine ecological systems and analyze interdependencies within a forest.
  • User-friendly guide provides updated scientific background for educators and reproducible student data collection pages
  • Social issue and current concepts covered include biology, civics, ecology, economics, forest management, and other subject areas. 
  • Activities cultivate critical thinking skills and discover the importance of scientific analysis when making decisions about forest issues.
Secondary Education Module: Southeastern Forests and Climate Change
  • Secondary module to help educators teach about climate change impacts on forest ecosystems, the role of forests in sequestering carbon, and strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to changing climatic conditions.
  • Module explores these concepts in 14 experiential activities by using research related to the goals of PINEMAP—a regional research, education, and extension program focused on southern pine management and climate change.
  • Climate Change Professional Development for your school is available upon request, module is also available for free download

Upcoming Trainings

  • Engage your students in learning about the environment—both outside and indoors
  • Make learning and teaching fun with hands-on activities
  • Teach core subjects (especially STEM, reading, writing, and social studies)
  • Meet academic standards (including Common Core and the Next Generation Science Standards)
  • Easily incorporate lessons into your existing curriculum or non-formal education programs
  • Allow participants to apply for PLT GreenWorks! grant to fund a service-learning project for your students

Now Available: Online Project Learning Tree® Workshops

K-8 Project Learning Tree®

What's Included:
  • Electronic copy of PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide (print version available for an additional fee)
    • 96 activities that are correlated to State Standards, Common Core State Standards, and support the Next Generation Science Standards' three dimensional approach
    • Topics include forests, wildlife, water, air, energy, waste, climate change, invasive species, community planning, and more
    • Preview an activity from the K-8 PLT Guide
  • Self-paced online workshop (approximately 4 hours)
    • Introduces you to PLT by highlighting our supplemental curriculum materials, extensive network, and student-led service-learning programs like GreenSchools!
    • Engaging and interactive learning experiences demonstrate select PLT activities and help you plan how best to facilitate them with your students
    • Course can be completed in your own time, wherever you are
    • Become eligible to receive a PLT GreenWorks! grant to fund a service-learning project for your students
Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood

What’s Included:
1. Self-paced online workshop (approximately 3 hours)
  • 5 courses (each a 20–30-minute learning experience) include simulations and videos that model PLT’s Early Childhood Activities
  • Exercises and worksheets help you plan and facilitate Group Experiences with your early learners
  • Tips maximize young children’s use of 6 types of Learning Centers found in your Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood activity guide. 
 
2. PLT’s Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood e-Guide
  • Over 130 experiences that engage children in outdoor play and exploration
  • Downloadable music files encourage children to sing, dance, and move
  • The fun and hands-on activities meet learning standards (including National Association for the Education of Young Children Standards and the Head Start Child Outcomes Framework.
 
Print version and Music CD available for an additional fee.
After completing this online workshop, you will be able to easily incorporate PLT activities into your existing lessons. You’ll be connected with a diverse and supportive professional network. And you will be eligible to apply for a PLT GreenWorks! grant to green your school or neighborhood with your students.
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Preview an activity from PLT’s Environmental Experiences for Early Childhood guide

Host a Training/Find a Facilitator

Photos from Trainings:

 Illinois State PLT Coordinator Consultant

Meghan Bowe
815.670.8497
meghanlbowe@gmail.com​

Advisory Committee

In addition to the State PLT Coordinator and the EEAI Board of Directors, a PLT Advisory Committee assists in the management of the Illinois program.

Committee Members:
  • Dr. Robert Carter, Northern Illinois University
  • Stacey Clementz, Immediate Past President of EEAI
  • Jennifer Tariq, President of EEAI
  • Linda Hauser, U.S. Forest Service, Shawnee National Forest
Project Learning Tree® is the environmental education program of the American Forest Foundation and is sponsored in Illinois by the Environmental Education Association of Illinois