Educator Resources
Educators wanting to become involved with MVLNCI can represent their school as a partner agency, attend meetings, participate in workshops offered by the collaborative and partners, and work toward a Connect to Nature Award.
Educator Resources
Resources to Get Students Engaged Outdoors
Curriculum Guides and Trainings
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Includes in-person and virtual training resources and curriculum guides for preK-12th grade on a variety of environmental topics. Guides are designed to meet state education standards.
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Project WILD is coordinated by the Division of Wildlife. Trainings are offered by local facilitators for free or at a low cost.
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Ohio Naturally Educator Workshops
Local Dayton Trainer leads engaging Ohio Approved workshops for events, conferences, and at your site. Also check out their events for upcoming workshops available to the public.
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Are you an educator? Do you want to connect with other educators who have a passion for their work? Join formal and non-formal educators in their quest for new knowledge and teaching techniques during Educators’ Week in beautiful Scioto County, Ohio. Educators’ Week provides opportunities to gain an understanding of topics related to state academic standards by being immersive in a natural setting and creating a supportive learning environment.
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Samara Early Learning
On demand professional development to increase your knowledge about nature-based education from a national expert.
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The Natural Start Alliance Training Schedule
Do you want professional training in nature-based early childhood education, early childhood environmental education, forest school teaching, or related disciplines? There are a variety of opportunities, from bachelors degrees to university certificate programs, certifications offered by organizations, and shorter-term workshops, institutes, and courses.
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Education Kits
(Items to be checked out and returned)
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PAST Foundation STEM Kits available at Dayton Regional Stem School​
Various kits are available to local educators to check out for free! Items in the kits include robots, books, microscopes, and drones. Lesson plans are included. More kits are being added so check their webpage frequently.
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Five Rivers MetroParks Education Kit Rentals
Families, local educators and youth group leaders can borrow a variety of hands-on education kits for use with children in grades K-12. These kits provide teaching tools to help kids explore history, nature and conservation subjects through hands-on experiments and activities. Kits include activities, equipment, a list of supplies needed (where applicable) and a resource list. (FREE)
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Centerville-Washington Park District Nature on the Go Bins!
Centerville-Washington Park District Nature on the Go (NOG) Bins are intended to be easy-to-use, high-quality resources for local educators. All units are hands-on and aim to inspire nature inquiry. The units are aligned with the Ohio learning standards. Each box includes 1 unit for each grade band: K-1,
2-3, 4-5. These units come with digital and physical materials to be checked out. Additional activities and games for informal education sessions with Scouts or after-school programming are included. All lesson plans are suggestions! You are welcome to use the materials in other ways, as well. (FREE) Contact klucas@cwpd.org to reserve.
School Resources for Creating Outdoor Play and Learning Spaces
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Ohio Nature-Based Early Childhood Educators Collaborative
​Ohio Nature-Based Early Childhood Education is a group of like-minded educators who have either founded, are working at, or aspire to begin or work in a nature- based setting with children ages birth-8. We have come together in 2018-2019 to enjoy collegial friendships as well as learning and growing as professionals. We also come together to share and gather resources. Educators & Stakeholders are welcome to join, come to a meeting, and join us in networking, learning, and advocacy.
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Provides support and research for youth, families, schools, and cities to provide spaces to get children outside and creating a connection to Nature.
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Works toward providing equity and access to the outdoors to all children.
Educator Trainings and Workshops
Check below for trainings and workshops specifically for educators! This includes PreK-12, infant, and non-traditional educators.
Teacher's Night Out: Amphibian Week, Masters of Two Worlds!
Educators Only
Friday, May 9, 2025
7:30- 9:30 p.m., Cox Arboretum MetroPark
Free
Join us for a Teachers' Late Night Out Amphibian Week celebration! Amphibian Week was started in 2020 by the Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) to raise awareness about the importance of amphibians in ecosystems and the threats they face. Our special guest speakers are University of Dayton's Dr. Daniel Paluh and Dr. Maggie Hantak who oversee research programs investigating the ecology and evolution of frogs and salamanders. They will introduce us to this fascinating group of animals and highlight some of their unusual life cycles and adaptations. You will learn how amphibians serve as bioindicators and hear about research underway to understand how their environment may trigger trait diversity. Following the presentation, we will undertake a frog expedition of our own at Cox Arboretum as the sun sets and the frog chorus begins. Registration is free!
Five Rivers MetroParks Birding Challenge
All Ages
March 1 - November 9 , 2025
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Various Locations ​
The Five Rivers MetroParks Birding Challenge is underway! Get Out & Bird for chances to win fun, bird-themed prizes and contribute to important citizen science projects. Over 450 species of birds can be found in Ohio, and they need our support so they can thrive.
A version of the Birding Challenge has been specially designed with teachers and classrooms in mind. Teachers will select various tasks for their classrooms to complete, such as updating habitat around their school or assigning a project to help students learn about birds. Teachers can even design their own challenge tasks and are encouraged to use the Birding Challenge to support their curriculum. Participating classrooms will be eligible for a special classroom prize raffle, and all students will receive a sticker for participating.
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