The instructors were not only very knowledgeable naturalists and scientists, but highly-skilled educators as well. This course was inquiry-based learning at its best, which definitely helped build a deeper understanding of HOW to learn.
— ECO Institute Participant, 2023
Our institutes for teachers, assistants, and administrators feature inquiry-based, outdoor learning through intensive experiential lessons, activities, and discussions. Our courses move teachers beyond the classroom to engage with nature as a learning partner. Participants grow their naturalist skillset, strengthen their nature-based pedagogy, and learn to use nature-based curriculum to approach VELS, NGSS, PBL, and Common Core standards. We offer courses for educators PreK through 12th grade.
Nature-based art, music, storytelling, games, and cooking
All courses qualify for graduate credits through Vermont State University Center for Schools. All students will receive a certificate awarding CEUs and acknowledging professional development hours.
Vermont residents are encouraged to apply for a VSAC Advancement Grant. NBNC also has financial aid available for those without access to professional development funds. Please contact us to inquire about financial support.
While we realize that unexpected circumstances arise that are out of our control, NBNC cannot guarantee refunds for registrations cancelled within 30 days of the course. If a cancellation occurs within this window, NBNC will, if possible, attempt to fill the space from our wait list and provide a full refund.
It is the participant’s responsibility to submit a purchase order request to their school immediately upon registration, and to provide a purchase order number to NBNC within 14 days of registration.
NBNC has been facilitating outdoor professional development courses for teachers and educators through its ECO Institute since 2013. We have trained and worked alongside hundreds of teachers who strongly believe that nature has a place in the heart of education. Our work is inspired by the nature kindergartens found in Scandinavia, Forest Schools in the UK, the nature-based mentoring movement, and the teachers and children we work with. In the past decade, we have seen an incredible increase in the desire to move beyond the classroom walls into natural spaces to help students develop independence, learn social and emotional skills, and cultivate caring for others and the natural world. At the middle and high school level, we have seen a rising tide of teachers looking to build their own natural science skillset, and gain new inspiration for how to bring students into nature in powerful and relevant ways.
"Mother Earth needs us to keep our covenant. We will do this in courts, we will do this on our radio station, and we will commit to our descendants to work hard to protect this land and water for them. Whether you have feet, wings, fins, or roots, we are all in it together."
— Winona LaDuke