A Note about 2020: While this is difficult time across the nation, teachers are dealing with a lot of shifting in their school year and teaching methods. We hope to be able to continue to work to provide the best programs and professional development we can as an education and sustainability organization. The Missouri Botanical Garden and EarthWays Center team is monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic daily and responding accordingly to protect the health of all. We are currently offering virtual Energy Efficiency Workshops in the summer of 2020.
Every summer the EarthWays Center holds Energy Efficiency teacher workshops across the state to help educators explore the science behind energy and sustainability through hands-on, interactive activities and classroom lessons. Although this workshop is virtual, participants will be asked to engage in discussion and hands-on activities using common household materials.
Topics and activities change every year so teachers can attend each summer, but all workshops include:
- Background information about energy topics including forms and sources
- Discussion of energy efficiency and conservation
- Connections between energy, electricity, and natural gas
- Renewable energy sources and solutions
Participants will receive:
- A stipend*
- Digital copies of all lesson activities and energy curriculum
- Energy science toolkit to get started bringing lessons to life in their classroom - these will be sent near the end of summer
*Participants must live or work in either Liberty Utilities or Spire territory to qualify for stipend and energy science toolkit.
Registration
The following workshops are sponsored by Spire.
- June 17–18; 9–11:30 a.m. daily
- August 4–5; 9–11:30 a.m. daily
Registration
The following workshops are sponsored by Liberty Utilities.
- June 24–25; 9–11:30 a.m. daily
- July 15–16; 9–11:30 a.m. daily
- August 11–12; 9–11:30 a.m. daily
Registration
FAQs
Who Should Attend? Educators from formal or informal setting with an interest in learning more about teaching energy topics including efficiency, renewable energy sources and sustainability. Activities covered throughout the two days are aligned to support meeting state standards and designed to be scaled to a variety of grade levels.
Is this workshop going to be one big lecture? Absolutely not! We've come up with several activities to get participants moving and interacting with each other and their environment. We'll showcase some creative ways you can engage with students either in the classroom or virtually with energy lessons.
Will I need anything to participate? Our activities are designed to be flexible and if supplies are needed they will be supplies found in most homes. We will send out a supply list before the workshop for you to gather materials. There will be no required supplies so if you don't have something—don't worry you can still participate!
I attended last year, should I attend again? YES! We would love to have you back—you can share your experiences teaching about energy with the lessons, help others learn more and more. We will also be introducing new lessons and discussion topics to help you continue to build your skills as an energy efficiency educator.