Chicago Botanic Garden Spring 2019

To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/education or call (847) 835-6801. 75 Teacher & Student Teacher Professional Development The Chicago Botanic Garden’s teacher professional development programs feature best practices in STEM education (science, technology, engineering, and math) and support Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for grades preK – 12. Many courses incorporate reading, math, art, social studies, and engineering into the science lessons. CPDUs and graduate credits are available for most workshops. Visit chicagobotanic.org/ teacherprograms for more details. One-Day Workshops STEM Forensics, Earth and Life Science Solving mysteries using forensic science gets students excited about using NGSS practices and core ideas in earth and life sciences to figure out “whodunit.” Walk through two lab activities where you will analyze soil char- acteristics and botanical materials to solve the case. Leave with directions to replicate these labs at your school, and ideas for addi- tional forensic investigations. CPDUs: 6 Grade level: 3 – 12 $72/$90 | Learning Center Saturday, March 16 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Teaching with Pollinator Gardens Promote conservation and make NGSS con- nections by planting a pollinator container garden and receive additional native plants and seeds for your school garden. Meet a horticulturist and a scientist to learn about native plant care, companion planting, and the ecology of native pollinators. Gain ideas for using phenomena found in a pollinator garden in your science curriculum. CPDUs: 6, Gateways: 6 Grade level: preK – 12 $72/$90 | Learning Center Saturday, April 27 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. STEAM: Connecting Art and Science Dabble in the artsy side of science and dis- cover 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 grade 5, science content con- nections can be scaled up for older grades. CPDUs: 6, Gateways: 6 Grade level: preK – 5 $72/$90 | Learning Center Saturday, May 18 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Plant Therapy for Early Childhood Horticultural therapy provides opportunities to use plants and nature to help very young children build developmental skills, including visual, language, motor, and social/emotional skills. Experience the therapeutic benefits of nature play, sample a variety of nature-based activities, and learn about green corners and safe plants for young learners. This work- shop is for early intervention providers and anyone working with infants and toddlers, and is adaptable for preschool. CPDUs: 6, Gateways: 6, EI Credits: 6 Grade level: Birth – preK $72/$90 | Learning Center Saturday, June 15 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Gardening Courses Windy City Harvest holds a variety of garden- ing workshops at the Arturo Velasquez Insti- tute in Chicago. These classes cover growing plants indoors and outside using sustainable techniques, and can improve your home and school gardening skills. See p.? for garden- ing classes. Visit chicagobotanic.org/education/windy_ city_harvest for a complete list of topics and other information. Conference Inspiring Nature Play: Mindful Connections Our sixth annual conference will highlight developmentally appropriate nature play ex- periences for early childhood (birth through age 8) and practical ideas for incorporat- ing 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, Ph.D., OTR/L, president of Kid Links Unlimited, Inc., will address con- nections between nature play and brain de- velopment. Parking and lunch are included. CPDUs: 6, Gateways: 6 Grade level: Birth – Grade 3 $59 | Regenstein Center Wednesday, May 1 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Inspiring Nature Play is possible because of the collaborative effort among the Chica- go Botanic Garden, the Alliance for Early Childhood, BackYard Nature Center, Greeley Elementary School, the Forest Preserves of Cook County, Lincoln Park Zoo, Natural Start Alliance (a project of the North American Association for Environmental Education), and Northfield Community Nursery School. _______________________________________________________________________________ $ Educator members receive a 20 percent discount on most classes, listed in each class description before the full nonmember price. Financial aid may be available for teachers serving low-income populations; contact Rebecca Ammann at rammann@chicagobotanic.org or (847) 835-8235 for details.