What is the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center Teacher Partnership Program?

The mission of the Litzsinger Road Ecology Center (LREC) Teacher Partnership Program is to equip teachers to be effective outdoor place-based educators; using outdoor spaces to achieve curriculum goals, improve the environment and engage with their community.

The program consists of several year-long training courses in outdoor teaching strategies, each with a summer workshop and school year expectations.

Teachers who complete the program will:

• use outdoor teaching strategies to achieve curriculum goals
• make effective educational use of the schoolyard and surrounding community
• provide students with opportunities to engage with and improve the local environment

For Teachers NEW to LREC

Effective Outdoor Learning
2-day summer workshop and school year expectations
Teachers in grades K–12 will become familiar with their schoolyard and how to use it as a rich learning environment with their students. Teachers who complete this course will continue to have access to LREC resources.

Nature-Based Learning: Outdoor Explorations with PreK
1-day summer workshop and school year expectations
This program gives PreK teachers the tools to make the most of outdoor learning on their schoolyards. Teachers who complete this course will continue to have access to LREC resources.

For RETURNING Teachers

Sustainable Schoolyards
2-day summer workshop and school year expectations
Teachers (PreK–12) will learn how to nurture student involvement and voice as they implement a habitat improvement project on their campus. LREC will provide staff support, lesson plans and resources throughout the upcoming school year as teachers put this plan into action.

Participating teachers will receive native plants for their project from LREC.

Teacher Partners

Litzsinger Road Ecology Center partners with teachers at schools throughout the St. Louis region. Use the map below to locate the schools. Click on a marker for more information. The school links will be updated with images and information about schoolyard habitats, outdoor learning, and community partners.