Environmental Literacy Plan Listening Session

Environmental Literacy Plan Listening Session
The South Dakota Discovery Center invites all South Dakotans to offer their input on developing the environmental literacy of South Dakota’s students. Parents, teachers, administrators, natural resource professionals, industry leaders, and citizens interested in the environment are invited to participate in a listening session at one of the following locations.

Spearfish, Black Hills State University
Young Center, Room 206
Monday, Jan 30; 7:00PM

Rapid City, Outdoor Campus West
Tuesday, Jan 31; 9:00AM

Rosebud, Sinte Gleska University
Student Services Building, Room 103
Tuesday, Jan 31; 7:00PM

Pierre, SD Discovery Center
Wednesday, Feb. 1; 9:00AM

Huron Public Library
Thursday. Feb 2; 9:00AM

Huron, SD Math & Science Teacher Convention
Huron Convention Center, Dakota E
Feb 4 1:00PM



Environmental literacy is having the knowledge, understanding, skills and motivation to wisely and sustainably use, enjoy and protect the environment. The K-12 education system has a role to play in developing the environmental literacy of children in partnership with families, communities and government. At the listening session, we want to hear your ideas about what should be included in this plan.
In short, what do you think needs to happen in the K-12 schools in order for kids to become environmentally literate?  

For more information please contact Anne Lewis (annelewis@sd-discovery.com) at 605-224-8295 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            605-224-8295      end_of_the_skype_highlighting.      

Lake and Stream Ecology Training

Apologies for cross posting.  Please forward to your networks.
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Save the Dates!

A two day workshop on lake and stream ecology for watershed project technicians, partners, and residents is planned for Summer 2012.  The hands-on, interactive workshop will train participants in the following:

• Aquatic invertebrate identification and collecting techniques
• Basic limnology principles
• Lake and stream ecology
• Water quality testing procedures
• How to interpret water quality data

The workshop presents the fundamentals of understanding watersheds and water quality.  The workshop will benefit any person involved in 319 watershed restoration projects.

The dates are:
June 6-8, Custer @ Outlaw Ranch
July 18-20, Enemy Swim Lake @ NeSoDak

The cost of the workshop is free.

For more information or to sign-up for a workshop
Visit: http://www.neglwatersheds.org/waterquality.html
Call or E-mail:
Dennis Skadsen, Workshop Coordinator
605-345-4661 ext. 118
dennis.skadsen@sd.nacdnet.net

Sponsored by:
Northeast Glacial Lakes Watershed Project
South Dakota Water Resources Institute
South Dakota Discovery Center

Spring/Summer Professional Development Opportunities Announced

Get out in the field!  Go up to the stars!  Make this summer's professional development experiential and active.

The South Dakota Discovery Center offers a range of exciting professional development opportunities that will equip you with  21st Century teaching skills.  Our content from NASA, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, the EPA, Project WET and the Leopold Education Project uses the 4C's, the 3 R's, technology and media to foster life long learning in your students.  Whether you teach 1st grade or 12th grade, we have professional development for you!

Our commitment to you is that everything we offer will be standards compliant, classroom tested, and hands-on.

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EE for 4 - 8
DDN Class for Teachers of Grades 4-8
March and April 2011, Monday Evenings via DDN
5 to 8 PM Central, 4 to 7 PM Mountain


In the spirit of "No Child Left Inside," The Outdoor Campus is offering activities, materials and credits for teachers of Grades 4 through 8.  No workshop fee; tuition cost only

• Get free teaching materials with each of the topics you select
• Experience new ways to help young learners understand and find their place in the natural world
• High quality professional development without overnight travel
• Earn grad credits

Options
1. Select two of the topics (4 three-hour classes) and earn one college credit for $40

OR

2. Select all four topics (8 three-hour classes) and earn two college credits for $80


Call 605-362-2777 or email kay.gannon@state.sd.us for the course syllabus and/or to request a registration form.


Syllabus
Project WET Feb 6, Feb 13
Project Learning Tree Feb 27, March 5
Project WILD March 12, March 19
Leopold, Land and Literature March 26, April 2

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NASA in Your Classroom
Bring exciting, current science from NASA into your classroom! Explore free lessons and other resources to enhance many areas of your curriculum.

A NASA Educator will lead this exciting exploration!!
June 14 & 15, 18 & 19, 2012
8:00 AM-3:00 PM
Chester School, Chester, SD


Target Audience: All K-12 Educators!!
2 Graduate/undergraduate credit hours are pending
$100 stipends for all participants with a teaching degree


Fee: A $35 non-refundable registration fee. If you complete the 30 hour workshop, the $35 registration fee will be returned with the stipend.
Payment Methods:
1) Credit Card - Please call the SD Discovery Center 605-224-8295 ;
2) Check: Mail to SD Discovery Center, 505 West Sioux, Pierre SD 57501.


To Register:
Online Registration
Call 605-224-8295


This workshop qualifies for the SD NASA Stellar Educator program.

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Earth Systems K-5
June 4-6 2012
2 credits
Registration
- Online
- Call 605-224-8295 


 Spend one day in the classroom and two days in the field doing earth systems activities for the youngest learners using the Elementary GLOBE curriculum.


The field session consists of kayaking one of South Dakota's gorgeous rivers doing field studies along the way. No experience is necessary but a sense of adventure is as the campsites will be primitive. The trip is outfitted, no gear required beyond your personal effects.

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Advanced Environmental Education
June 11-14
2 credits
Grades 5-12
Registration
- Online Registration
- Call 605-224-8295


One of our popular workshops that gets you out into the field. This multi-disciplinary workshop utilizes 21st Century skills to integrate the 4 C's (critical thinking, collaboration, communication, creativity), the 3 R's, and media/technology use to promote life long learning skills. Spend one day in the classroom and two days in the field doing research that you can bring back to your classroom.


The field session consists of kayaking one of South Dakota's gorgeous rivers doing field studies along the way. No experience is necessary but a sense of adventure is as the campsites will be primitive. The trip is outfitted, no gear required beyond your personal effects.

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WET Roundup
June 19-20
1 credit
Grades 3-12
Registration
- Online Registration
- Call 605-224-8295


Get three of Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) curricula resources including the all new guide version 2.0. This two day session will provide you with the all new full color WET guide, Healthy Water, Healthy People and Discover A Watershed: Missouri River. We will be out in the field on day 2 but will not be overnight.

Lake and Stream Ecology Two Dates: June 6-8, Outlaw Ranch @ Custer                      July 18-20, NeSoDak@ Enemy Swim Lake Grades 6-12 2 credits Free! (includes lodging) Do you work with surface water resources? Do you teach middle or high school science classes? Do you own lake property? Do you care about South Dakota’s lakes, rivers, and streams? If yes, you need to attend one of these workshops!! Learn: Aquatic invertebrate identification and collecting techniques Basic limnology principles Lake and stream ecology Water quality testing procedures How to interpret water quality data Environmental curriculum and classroom activities To Register: Dennis Skadsen, Workshop Coordinator 605-345-4661 ext. 118 dennis.skadsen@sd.nacdnet.net

Family Fitness Festival

For Immediate Release
Contact: Anne Lewis 605-224-8295 annelewis@sd-discovery.com

Fun and Fitness at Discovery Center

A free family fitness festival will be held at the South Dakota Discovery Center on Monday, January 16 from 1-5PM.  The festival is the grand opening of the new traveling exhibit “Let’s Move South Dakota.”

Let’s Move South Dakota has hands-on activities to involve the family in being fit.  “This exhibit will help your children ‘do fitness’,” says special projects director Anne Lewis.  “It’s one thing to tell them they need to get active and eat healthy, it’s another to do it in a fun way together as a family. 

“This is for parents and kids to do together,” says Lewis.  Families can sign up for a cooking opportunity with a recipe from Food Revolution.  They can make a spinner of simple activities to do during commercials or get a sneak preview of Harvest of the Month produce. Best of all, it will be free admission thanks to our sponsor, Coordinated School Health.”

Lewis expects that the impact of the festival will go beyond the few hours families spend at the Festival.  “We are encouraging people to sign up for Presidential Active Lifestyle Award Plus as families.  To earn the award, get the whole family active at least five days a week for six weeks.  At the same time, make some simple eating changes such as choosing lower sodium versions of food and eating smaller portions.  Our goal is to get 50 families earning their award by spring.  We even pay for the award patch and certificate.”

Event specifics:

Family Fitness Festival
Monday January 16
1PM – 5PM
Free admission
224-8295
805 W Sioux Ave.

Local Residents Win Fitness Award

For Immediate Release
Contact: Anne Lewis, annelewis@sd-discovery.com, 605-224-8295

Local Residents Win Fitness Award

Allycen Herrman already has her topic for her “What I Did on My Summer Vacation” essay.  Allycen earned a Presidential Active Lifestyle Award this summer by swimming, taking walks, and jumping to 1000 with a jump rope.  Allycen was not the only member of her family to be an award winner.  Her mother Kim earned an award as well walking with Allycen and taking classes at the Y.

“The Presidential Active Lifestyle Award motivates you to get active and fit,” said Anne Lewis award coordinator at the South Dakota Discovery Center.   “Kids earn Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards by being active 60 minutes a day, five days a week for six weeks out of eight.  The  minimum for adults is 30 minutes a day but it’s easy to do more.”

Judy Rieger is an adult who has done more, a lot more.  Rieger regularly walks an hour to an hour and a half a day on a treadmill, logging more than 138 hours of walking since she signed up for the President’s Challenge in late April.  Rieger, a self-described senior citizen, walks to help manage her diabetes.  “Walking helps keep my diabetes under control,” she said.  “But I’ve always been a walker. I just feel better when I walk.”

The next achievement for this group of award winners is to participate in the President’s Challenge earning medals for points earned for exercise.  Allycen hopes to be a gold medal winner by next summer  just in time for the 2012 summer Olympics.

Finding ways to add activity to your life is not that difficult said Lewis,  “You can log housework, gardening, walking.  Even sandbagging could have been logged as lifting and hauling.” 

Lewis said that the most challenging part of earning the award is remember to enter the workouts on the President’s Challenge website.  Kim Herrman said writing down the workouts and entering them twice a week was her secret to staying current.  Judy Rieger entered hers more frequently.

The award is administered by the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and is part of a national initiative to address America’s increasing rates of obesity.  The South Dakota Discovery Center is sponsoring the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award locally as an outreach of the Body Carnival exhibit they are hosting this summer.

Lewis said exhibit co-sponsors Coordinated School Health, St. Mary’s Foundation and Healthy Communities/Healthy Youth were looking for a fun way to promote family fitness.  “The Discovery Center will continue sponsoring the awards as part of our Let’s Move traveling exhibit for as long as we can.  We would love to see more kids, families, singles and seniors earn their awards.”

You can sign up for either the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award or the President’s Challenge online through the SD Discovery Center’s website.  Lewis said that in order to receive the awards, you have to join the Let’s Move SD Discovery Center group.

Award winners: Anne Lewis, Allycen Herrman, Kim Herrman, Judy Rieger

Award winner Thomas Kropp

Dirt the Movie

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Anne Lewis. annelewis@sd-discovery.com 224-8295

Dirt the Movie Showing

Dirt the Movie will be shown Monday, April 11 at 7:00PM at the CUC auditorium. Sponsored by the South Dakota Discovery Center and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, this free screening of the award winning movie is a fun, thought provoking look at soil, the substance that literally supports us all. You are invited to make this part of your Earth Day observance or as the kickoff to gardening season. To learn more about Dirt the Movie, go to www.dirtthemovie.org.

Family Event - Sunday at Discovery Center

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 2, 2011

Contact:  Kristie Maher – 224-8295, kristiemaher@sd-discovery.com

 

Pierre, SD –  Parents have a great opportunity to log in some quality time with the kids before the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 6.  Visiting scientist, Ed Sobey, will be at the SD Discovery Center from 1pm to 3pm to lead families in creating and testing cars, rockets and other things that move.

 

Ed Sobey, a self-dubbed global evangelist for creative thinking, is a scientist, inventor, and educator.  He has authored numerous books for kids including “The Way Toys Works” and “Fantastic Flying Fun” and teachers guides including “Inventing to Learn.”  He is a founder of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the National Toy Hall of Fame and co-creator of Camp Invention and Kids Invent! Workshops.  Sobey developed and hosted a kids television series on inventing called , “The Idea Factory.”

 

This is the third time Sobey has visited the SD Discovery Center.  “He’s one of our favorites, “ notes Kristie Maher, director of the SD Discovery Center.  “He’s gets you working the second you walk in the door, he has you build things you never thought you could and you have a ton of fun the entire time.”   It is often that kids go home from Sobey’s workshops and continue to make things.  His materials are basics like cardboard, old toys, glue, straws, and plastic bottles so kids can come by an endless supply of building materials for nothing.

 

The event  is free to SD Discovery Center members.  Non-members must pay admission of $3 for children and $4 for adults or purchase a $40 membership.  No registration is required.

 

The Center is taking donations of empty cereal boxes for this event and a subsequent teacher workshop.  If you can bring your empty boxes to the SD Discovery Center by Sunday at 1pm.