Two New Learning Labs Launch

Two powerhouse websites, both called Learning Lab, recently launched to support pre-K-12 education with digital online resources.

• One Learning Lab provides digital resources for the Smithsonian Museums.
• The other Learning Lab is associated with the US Green Building Center and Center for Green Schools.
• Smithsonian’s Learning Lab is free, and USGBC’s Learning Lab is free until August 2016 and then by subscription.
• Add both these resources to your teaching toolkits.
• Check back as the resources grow.

Here’s my first exploration of both these new Learning Labs:

Smithsonian’s Learning Lab -  a Virtual Fieldtrip to Discover Create and Share

I view the video introduction, check out resources, and read threads related to Pandas, Hot Air Balloons and Robots.

• How to link these and other reading resources to my K-5 outdoor lessons?
• How can I share these resources with students, parents and teachers?
• How about using the Smithsonian's collections of museum objects?

I click to Exploring Essential Questions With A Group of Objects, and come across a beautiful collection of tools and innovation.

I bookmark this page for a teen after-school enrichment group that I will be working with on The Food Project. From a 5-minute browse on the Smithsonian’s Learning Lab, I now know where to come back for future links to millions of Smithsonian resources, and I can plan a virtual fieldtrip!

“Not everyone can come to the Smithsonian, but they can visit the Learning Lab to inspire and design their own digital learning experiences,” said Stephanie Norby, Director of the Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access.

US Green Building Center’s Learning Lab - Education for Sustainability (EfS)

After registering with USGBC’s Learning Lab, I easily access their resources.

I download a series of three lessons and films on soil science from Nature Works Everywhere designed for grades 6-8. This I can also use with my after-school enrichment groups including The Food Project. While on the Nature Works Everywhere site, I check out their resources and lesson plans on bees and pollination to add to my collection for my after-school and in-school programs!

I bookmark a module on the theme of “water” from other partners: the Sustainable Intelligence curriculum designed by EcoRise Youth Innovations and Representaciones e Inteligencia Sustentable. The curriculum is mapped to current standards, and available in Spanish and English. I download the water lesson plans include songs, images and sounds of rain and a waterfall, and add these to resources for my work with a Montessori school.

I will check back often as these resources from the Smithsonian and USGBC and their Learning Lab partners grow.

Learning Lab Resources

Smithsonian’s Learning Lab - https://learninglab.si.edu/

USGBC, US Green Building Center’s Learning Lab - https://learninglab.usgbc.org/

Bookmark both for your green STEM and 'education for sustainability' (EfS) toolkits!

Add a comment below on how you are using these resources.

Teaching Future Ranchers, Farmers and Decision Makers? Climate Change and the Water Cycle, USDA curriculum for 6th - 12th graders in the Southwest

Reposting from USDA Blog Posted by Albert Rango and Caiti Steele, Southwest Regional Climate Hub, on May 19, 2016 at 10:00 AM

Want to teach relevant, experiential projects on climate change and the water cycle to your teen future farmers, ranchers and decision makers?
Here is a new standards-aligned experiential learning curriculum for 10 hours of projects on climate change and the water cycle designed for 6th - 12th graders living in the Southwest.

"USDA has created a curriculum for teaching today’s students about climate change and educating tomorrow’s farmers, ranchers, and decision makers.  The Department’s Southwest Regional Climate Hub has partnered with the Asombro Institute for Science education to build “Climate Change and the Water Cycle,” a scientifically rigorous education unit for 6th -12th grade students.  Intended for both formal and informal educators, the unit includes 9 activities which can either stand alone or be taught over 10 instruction hours.  These hands-on activities are designed to help the students understand the scientific concepts behind different elements of the water cycle, climate change, and how to analyze data and communicate results. "

Ready, Set, Learn: USDA Lessons for Our Nation’s Next Generation

Ready, Set, Learn: USDA Lessons for Our Nation’s Next Generation

Photo Courtesy of Arlington Public Schools.

In honor of back to school week, USDA offers an array of youth-focused curriculum and learning resources.

It’s that time of year! Back to school season is upon us and agencies across the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are working to ensure a stronger and healthier future for our nation’s next generation of leaders. That means providing a happy and healthy learning environment for our kids, and helping them grow up with the tools they need to succeed. 

Here we’ve assembled a few youth-focused curriculum and learning resources from USDA to help teachers, administrators and parents give kids fun tools for the classroom and beyond. Be sure to check out our USDA for Kids page as well for more resources for the classroom on link below.

Read more » 

Reposted from the USDA blog 08/13/2013 12:15 PM EDT