Thursday, April 15, 2010

Thursday EE Week Update: Environmental Education-It Works.


EE Week is the perfect time to share the benefits of environmental education and outdoor activity with others.

An increasing body of research shows that EE can improve academic achievement across the curriculum and can have a positive effect on classroom and social behavior.

Outdoor activity is key as well, as it is essential in developing and strengthening the first component of EE--awareness and sensitivity to the environment. Similar to EE activities, time spent in the outdoors (both organized and free play) has been shown to be developmentally important for children and beneficial for adults, both mentally and physically.

Here are some items to share about the benefits of environmental education and the essential role of outdoor activity:

· National EE Week has a list of EE success stories (with photos!) from 2009.

· The Office’s EE Research Page has links to peer-reviewed research on EE and outdoor activity. Both it and the news feed below has resources you can use when writing articles, grant proposals etc.

· The EE Research News Feed has a list of news and journal articles on EE and the benefits of outdoor recreation, parks and other green spaces.

· This page has profiles of N.C. Certified Environmental Educators, showing how they share their EE training and expertise with others and use it to improve their communities.

· The EE Schools Directory shows how schools in N.C. are integrating EE, school gardens and other types of outdoor learning.

· Need some help on explaining what EE is? The EPA Office of Environmental Education has a good explanations, and for a little more depth and perspective, the online articles for the Basics of Environmental Education Independent Study are a must.

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