Join other K-8 classroom and nonformal educators as we explore activities in the newly released Project Learning Tree Explore Your Environment K-8 Activity Guide. Every participant will leave the workshop with a copy of this guide that includes 50 hands-on, multidisciplinary activities to connect children to nature and increase young people’s awareness and knowledge about their environment.  The activities in this resource are supported by a robust Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) correlation guide. 

This workshop counts toward NC Environmental Education Certification (Criteria I) and consists of six contact hours that may count toward CEUs for teachers.

The PLT activity guides are provided free of charge to participants through support from the NC Forestry.

Cost: $25For additional workshop information, call 910-772-0546. For assistance with registration, call 910-772-0542.

The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher presents Sea Turtle Exploration: a curriculum to help educators engage students in the fundamentals of STEAM through ready-to-use, standards based lesson plans and sea turtles. Join us for a hands-on teacher workshop guiding you through our new curriculum and website. 

Aligned with the new Common Core standards, your class will be able to “adopt” a turtle and learn about its care and growth. By adopting our sea turtle you will receive updates with information including the turtle’s current weight and length. Each class will also receive a certificate of participation.

By the end of the workshop, you will be familiar with the website and curriculum and how to implement the lessons in your own classroom. The workshop will include a behind the scenes tour to meet one of our sea turtles. Please bring a reusable water bottle and you may choose to also pack a waste-free lunch.  This workshop will count towards NC Environmental Education Certification (Criteria I) and consists of 6 contact hours that may count toward CEUs for teachers.

Cost:$25
This fee includes a Behind the Scenes Tour and access to curriculum. 

For additional workshop information, call 910-772-0546. For assistance with registration, call 910-772-0542.

Explore the habitats that sea turtles use on the North Carolina coast. This course will offer opportunities for participants to learn about sea turtles while being immersed in a coastal ecosystem. Join beach patrols to monitor turtle nests, participate in community science data collection, and help monitor coastal habitats. Explore sea turtle anatomy through a necropsy demonstration. Learn about Aquarium conservation projects with sea turtles and participate in hands-on activities. Return home with new experiences and field research skills to share with your classroom or organization. Earn continuing education credits while renewing your own love of learning! 

The daily schedule includes talks with local experts, field experiences, and activities designed to facilitate making connections to sea turtles and the coastal habitat they need to survive.  

Who is Eligible: This course is open to formal and nonformal educators, including pre-service teachers and administrators. 

Activity Level: Moderate to rigorous. Activities include, but are not limited to hiking on uneven terrain and in the sand, walking through behind-the-scenes areas in the Aquarium, and helping excavate sea turtle nests. This course includes late nights and early mornings. 

Cost: $250  
Cost of course includes lodging, meals, entrance fees, activities and equipment, instruction and related materials, and transportation. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the Fort Fisher Recreation Area.

Location: Participants meet for start of course at Fort Fisher Recreation Area at 2:00 p.m. on July 31. The course will take place in various locations in and around the Aquarium and Fort Fisher Recreation Area. Lodging for participants will be single rooms with shared bathrooms in the National Guard lodgings at the Fort Fisher Training Center. Breakfasts and lunches will be provided by Shark Bites and dinners will be out at various locations on the island.

For additional workshop information contact Gail Lemiec at gail.lemiec@ncaquariums.com. For assistance with registration please contact the registrar at 910-772-0542.

Saturday, August 12, 2023
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Aquatic Wild is a program offered through the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. The North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher and NC Sea Grant are facilitating this workshop. NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher is located at 900 Loggerhead Road, Kure Beach, NC 28449. Phone number is (910) 772-0500.

The Aquatic WILD workshop is for formal and non-formal educators interested in teaching people about aquatic wildlife and ecology. Aquatic WILD materials build upon developments in wildlife conservation needs as well as advances in instructional methodology in Pre-K through 12th grade education.  

Participants in this 6-hour workshop receive the Aquatic WILD K-12 Curriculum & Activity Guide. The guide contains field investigations, In Step With STEM activity extensions, connections to wildlife careers, new activities on fish conservation and angling, and an increased focus on outdoor activities. Project Wild materials are provided free of charge by the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. 

The workshop at NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher will have a marine focus. Participants are eligible for Criteria I credit of NC OEE Environmental Education Certification and school teachers receive CEU credit. Homework option available.  

Cost: $25 (fee covers Aquarium admission, Behind-the-Scenes access, and instruction)

Are you a: Classroom teacher looking to incorporate more Environmental Education into your lessons? Non-formal educator hoping to incorporate more grade level standards into your programs? K-5 pre-service teacher looking for more resources to implement Science Methods?

If you said “Yes!” to any of these questions, then an OWL Workshop is the place for you. OWL (Outdoor Wonders and Learning) is an Environmental Education-based curriculum guide written and designed to match North Carolina Essential Standards for elementary grades. It focuses on Science, but also meets Math, Social Studies, and English-Language Arts when applicable. During the workshop, participants will experience OWL activities and learn more about how they work on their own, or as part of a larger lesson.  Educators gain skills and resources to facilitate engaging, inquiry-based lessons that meet NC Essential Standards and develop comfort with science and nature.

OWL (Outdoor Wonders and Learning) is a NC Arboretum initiative.

Cost: $25.

Location: NC Aquarium Fort Fisher

For additional workshop information, call 910-772-0546. For assistance with registration, call 910-772-0542.