Adult volunteers can be a great resource for collecting data and completing tasks at your site but they can come with their own challenges. During this session, we will talk about how we have been working with our enthusiastic volunteers to improve our Community Science projects by providing meaningful applications for their data collection efforts. The NC Arboretum hosts five Community Science projects completely run by dedicated volunteers and some of these volunteers have been working with these projects for over 10 years. We will detail the steps we have taken to get to know each individual better and learn how to work with each unique group and their team dynamics. We will talk through challenges we have come across and the ways we have navigated them over the last two years.
Don’t Waste It! is a Criteria I educator guide that includes lessons and activities for covering municipal solid waste, landfills, recycling, composting, waterways, economy, and waste reduction. The guide was recently updated to include many new lessons and activities! Come to this session to try out two new activities and learn about available workshops and resources.
Puppets, are you ready?! Discover how puppetry can spark curiosity and help young children understand difficult science concepts like animal adaptations and the water cycle. For PreK and elementary environmental educators, this interactive session features live puppet demonstrations, ideas for implementing puppetry in your programs, and a hands-on opportunity to create simple, low-cost puppets that blend science, creativity, and play.
