Teachers ExPLORE NC 

The UNC Institute for the Environment is preparing elementary school teachers to develop creative and engaging methods of teaching children about science through an outreach program called ExPLORE NC (Experiencing Place-based Learning Outdoors in Rivers and Ecosystems of North Carolina). Following a rigorous selection process, fourth-and fifth-grade teachers participate in field retreats and webinars throughout the school year, all aimed at increasing teachers’ abilities and confidence in teaching science outdoors. This opportunity to apply knowledge and skills in new settings, with a supportive peer network, is a large part of what makes ExPLORE NC such a robust and helpful program. Experiential learning, for both the teachers and their students, is the most straightforward way to build relationships between people and nature.

This program is offered by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Institute for the Environment with funding provided by the Eddie and Jo Allison Smith Family Foundation and the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership.