Professional Development Outreach

 

From the School Programs and Partnership Team:

Enhance your Staff’s Skills with Science Notebooks!

The Missouri Botanical Garden's School Programs team offers specialized training in science notebooking for PreK–12 teachers. These sessions provide valuable strategies for incorporating science notebooks into your curriculum, fostering inquiry-based learning, and enhancing student engagement. Workshops can be tailored to fit into your existing professional development schedule, whether during the day, evening, or weekend.

Enhance Your Staff's Skills with Customizable Workshops!

The Missouri Botanical Garden offers specialized workshops focused on environmental education for K–12 teachers. Our expert-led sessions include hands-on activities and curriculum integration strategies. Workshops are adaptable to your schedule and can be incorporated into your professional development day or offered as standalone events.

Details:

Customized workshops can be designed to meet your specific needs, making them the main focus of your professional development.

Outreach costs for professional development programs are: $150 for the first hour and $50 for each additional hour (to take place the same day).

For more information and to schedule a workshop, please e-mail teachertraining@mobot.org.

 

 

Sustainability Workshops

 

Clean Water Educator Workshop

February 25, 2025 or July 24, 2025

Students with EnviroScapeGet started in building your knowledge and understanding of stormwater issues in the St. Louis area! This free workshop is designed to help facilitate your desire to learn more about stormwater management and water quality while discovering new ways to bring this topic back to the classroom.

During the workshop we will:

  • Discuss issues related to stormwater management and water quality such as non-point vs point source pollution, pollution impact, and best management practices for our community.
  • Review curriculum ideas that tie to state standards while still providing meaningful, engaging, and hands-on learning opportunities you can do with your students!
  • Train YOU on how to use the popular EnviroScape® watershed model; models are available for loan FREE from the MSD Clean Water Education program. Work with staff to learn how to present and use this model in your classroom.

Eligible Educators will receive a stipend for attending this workshop and participating in the program. Educators must teach at a school located in the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District's service area to be eligible for the stipend.

Learn more

Sustainability Institute for Educators

June 16–18, 2025
SIE logo

The Sustainability Institute for Educators is an event tailored for educators of all backgrounds. This year's focus is onthe significance of water; specifically, the critical relationship between water and environmental justice, conservation and sustainability.

Through hands-on activities and discussions, educators will gain tools to inspire students to protect and conserve this essential resource while fostering a deeper understanding of the intersection between environmental justice, water and climate resilience. Participants will explore how marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by water issues and investigate the importance of equitable access to clean water.

Educators will also explore literature connections to water and how to bring those connections back to their learning spaces. Participants will receive ready-to-use lessons on the global water cycle, watersheds and sustainable practices. You will also hear from local experts on water related issues, challenges and solutions happening right here in the St. Louis region.

Sessions will demonstrate how a range of disciplines, grade levels and learning environments can work together to understand and address water literacy issues, solutions oriented actions, resources and more to help learners build their knowledge and protect the future of water on this planet.

This workshop will include a certification and curriculum guide from Project WET.

Learning locations will include Missouri Botanical Garden's Shaw Nature Reserve, Saint Louis Zoo, and Webster University. The $125 registration fee includes participation in the three-day Institute and lunch. Graduate credit is available through Webster University for an additional cost. Scholarships are available.

Learn more and register

 

At Litzsinger Road Ecology Center

Teacher examining a dead tree

Take a summer workshop at the Garden's Litzsinger Road Ecology Center to improve your skills as an outdoor place-based educator.

2025 workshops include Effective Outdoor Learning and Sustainable Schoolyards. Learn more

Litzsinger Road Ecology Center helps teachers engage their students in place-based education: using local ecology as a framework for studying a variety of subjects while interacting with the community.

Located in the heart of the St. Louis metropolitan area, this unique 39-acre study center encompasses a rich variety of habitats including bottomland forest, restored prairie, and an urban creek.

 

 

Online Master's Degree

Advanced Inquiry Program
Ignite ecological and social change while earning your master’s degree! This program combines web-based courses through Miami University with experiential learning, internships, and field study in person at the Garden. Learn more

 

 

School Programs Catalog

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