Canyon Country Discovery Center

Located in Monticello, UT, Canyon Country Discovery Center offers experiential, place-based programs that engage students (K-12) and teachers with the local Colorado Plateau environment, community, and resources. The Canyon Country Discover Center’s website provides a great resource for activities and in-class instruction on a variety of topics.

The Canyon Country Discovery Center also provides training for teachers in K-8th grade schools across the Colorado Plateau (parts of UT, NM, CO, AZ), which includes school-year mentoring, a Science resource Center, a five-day Summer or Fall Institute, a three-day San Juan river trip, and an annual teachers’ conference in March. A fee of $5,000 per school per year is requested, but not required.  They also offer a two-hour, interactive workshop for teachers in Colorado Plateau schools and on our campus, and can be customized to teachers’ classroom needs.

https://ccdiscovery.org/index.php

Project Wild

Bring the classroom outside!

Project WILD is a wildlife-focused conservation education program for K-12 educators and their students.

They are one of the most widely-used conservation and environmental education programs among educators of students in kindergarten through high school. There are many resources and activities that are offered through this organization!

“Fostering responsible action towards wildlife and natural resources.”

— Project Wild

https://www.nps.gov/kids/jrRangers.cfm

Project Learning Tree

PLT provides a wealth of up-to-date resources, support, and ideas for teachers and other educators. They also offer grants to schools and youth organizations for service-learning projects. Plus,their extraordinary network of State Coordinators and certified workshop facilitators provide local assistance and community connections. 
 

“MAKE LEARNING FUN!
Use the environment to engage children in learning – both outside and indoors. Engage students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) as they learn about the impact invasive species have on ecosystems and biodiversity.”

— PLT

https://www.plt.org/

Canyonlands Field Institute Fundraising Tips for Teachers

Based out of Moab, UT the Canyonlands Field Institute hosts hundreds of school groups around the country. Their multi-day excursions are geared toward junior high through college aged students, while there day trips are appropriate for any age. These hands-on excursions occur on land and water!

Check out there programs and funding tips! The website has more information below. 

Field Trip Grants

Do you need some funds to get out and go on field trips? Grants can make that educational travel accessible and possible. Several foundations recognize the importance school trips through field trip grants such as Target, ING Unsung Heroes, SYTA Youth Foundation Road Scholarship, Big Yellow School Bus, Kohl’s Cares Field Trip Program.

Think outside of the classroom and apply for a grant!

Utah Geological Survey (UGS): Earth Science Resources

The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) provides many resources for teacher and students. The agencies and organizations within the UGS provides these things for teachers:

• Workshops

• Teaching kits

• Activities for grades 4th, 5th and 8th

• Slide sets

• PowerPoints for grades 4th-8th

• Maps, materials and other information for K-12

• Field trips (for teachers and children of all ages)

• In class speakers

There's a lot of cool resources on this page, navigate, explore and find out for yourself! Bring to light Utah's unique geology with interesting ways to teach it and have fun hands on activities that your students will not forget. 

Utah State University (USU) Physics Day

USU Physics Day at Lagoon is a an educational activity that gives High School and Middle School students the chance to explore the reality of physics in a fun way! What a way to excite your students about physics! This unique opportunity provides students with the chance to take concepts outside the classroom and into their memories forever.

This website is designed for teachers and students. It contains all the information they need to attend and enjoy the many activities and contests sponsored by Utah State University, Idaho National Laboratory, and others.

This year's Physics Day at Lagoon is on Friday May 12, 2017.

The Living Planet Aquarium

Do your kids love animals, water and hands on activities? Then the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is the perfect fit for you. They offer three awesome, free, outreach programs that correlates with the Utah State Core Curriculum by grade level. 

The Rainforest Van Program is available for 2nd grade, the Utah Waters Van Programs is available for 4th grade, and the ecosystems van is available to 6th grade public/charter Utah Students. This is a great and purposeful program to help enrich your students! Take advantage of it! 

The Living Planet Aquarium also offers free professional development workshops throughout the year.

To inquire about an outreach program, please contact their education department at (801)-355-FISH (3474) or email outreach@thelivingplanet.com.

Red Butte Gardens

This eight-lesson curriculum is designed to teach segments of Utah’s new integrated core curriculum in science, language art, math, and visual arts. Activities are for inquiry based, hands-on teaching and learning.

The curriculum is given to the teachers at the teacher workshop. Every teacher who attends the workshop and arranges for a classroom visit will receive all the supplies and materials needed to teach the lessons the first year. Most of the original materials can be used year after year. A Red Butte Garden staff member comes to your classroom, teaches the first lesson on seed structure and germination, and plants the Wisconsin Fast Plant seeds with the students. The lesson is 90 minutes long.