Community of Practice partners

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  The Children's Museum at Saratoga

  The Children’s Museum at Saratoga is dedicated to creating an interactive community that inspires curiosity, sparks imagination, and nurtures discovery. The Museum is also committed to fostering active parent involvement in children’s learning, serving as a resource for school districts in the area, and ensuring that its programs and services are accessible to all children. We are working to encourage other educators, both formal and informal, as well as community partners to join with us as we look to a future where everyone is doing their part to educate people about the role that Climate Change will play in our communities.

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  Cumming Nature Center

  Cumming Nature Center is a dynamic environmental education center that celebrates the unique landscape and culture of the Finger Lakes region through hands-on learning opportunities and thoughtful exhibits. The CNC supports the Finger Lakes Connected Learning Ecosystem, a motivated group of formal and informal educators working to evolve the practice of climate education in Rochester and the surrounding Finger Lakes region. We meet regularly to explore climate and data literacy resources, share and discuss member-developed activities, hear from expert guest speakers, and more.

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  Discovery Museum

  We believe in play as the way that children learn. In our case, it is play in both a STEM-rich environment and in a natural and inviting outdoor experience. Children are the most natural science learners. Given the slightest encouragement they will ask a myriad of questions. If you surround children with stimulating materials and resources, they will follow their natural instincts to observe, predict, and experiment — in other words, to be scientists. Real stuff and simple materials are our preferred tools for learning. Add curiosity, creativity, and working together, and you have a simple recipe for creating successful learners.

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  ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain

  ECHO inspires and engages families in the joy of scientific discovery, wonder of nature, and care of Lake Champlain. Through more than 100 interactive exhibits; 70 species of fish, reptiles, and amphibians; major changing exhibits; a 2,500-square foot early learning interactive space; ECHO encourages visitors to view the natural environment as part of their neighborhood and to explore, learn about, and consider opportunities for stewardship. As part of this work and in conversation with the Learning Ecosystems Northeast Community of Practice, we are collaborating with educators across Northern Vermont to build local knowledge about our changing climate.

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  Maine Discovery Museum

  The Maine Discovery Museum helps people of all ages to discover the world around them through creative exploration and science. We are a critical regional and state resource with a 20+ year history of serving our community, and we help Mainers from all over the state learn, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). We have three floors of interactive exhibits and robust science programming within and outside the museum, and both paths introduce Mainers to the value and importance of discovery and exploration.

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  Montshire Museum of Science

  The Montshire Museum of Science is a nationally recognized, hands-on museum in Norwich, Vermont. Sited on 110 acres near the Connecticut River, we offer over 150 exhibits on nature, technology, astronomy, and the physical sciences. Our exhibits and programming foster interactive discovery for people of all ages, and our unique riverfront setting encourages deep creative learning in the physical and natural world. Together with local high schools, farms, and food pantries, we are creating a CLE that focuses on the climate impact of the food system. During Alternative Spring Breaks, area teens create climate action projects that benefit their communities.

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  Mount Washington Observatory

  Mount Washington Observatory (MWOBS) is a private, nonprofit, member-supported institution with a mission to advance understanding of the natural systems that create Earth’s weather and climate. It serves this mission by maintaining a weather station on the summit of Mount Washington, performing weather and climate research, conducting innovative science education programs, and interpreting the heritage of the Mount Washington region. MWOBS is proud to aid the development of a White Mountains Connected Learning Ecosystem focused on bringing formal and informal educators in northern New Hampshire together in support of student learning in data literacy and climate change.

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  Sciencenter

  The Ithaca region is home to a collection of formal, informal, and community educators that are passionate about climate change. Our CLE brings together those individuals and organizations, facilitating new and continuing collaborations and conversations about how we can best engage with our community. While we’re still in early stages, the Ithaca CLE is drawing together K-12 teachers, the Tompkins County Public Library, Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology, local science museums, community educators, the Ithaca Public Education Initiative, and several community science organizations to connect and build experiences around locally relevant climate education and data literacy.

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  Seacoast Science Center

  SSC is proud to be growing a new CONNECTED LEARNING ECOSYSTEM around COMMUNITY SCIENCE (public participation in scientific research and environmental monitoring through observation, inquiry and investigation). Youth, educators, scientists, naturalists, visitors, libraries, and community partners; together we share resources, ideas, and INNOVATE the ways we engage youth and community in place-based environmental observation and monitoring. Better understanding our local ecosystems and documenting change over time will help build the climate and data literacy youth need to tackle the challenges ahead. SSC believes in the transformative power of personal experiences, place-based learning and local investigation.

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  Shelburne Farms

  Shelburne Farms is an education nonprofit on a mission to inspire and cultivate a sustainable future. We offer transformative learning experiences to help educators and students create a better world. We care about the sustainability and quality of life on earth. We care about young people having hope for the future. We believe that sustainability is grounded in individual awareness and action in our own communities. Our vision is for a just world rooted in stewardship and community.

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  Squam Lakes Natural Science Center

  Squam Lakes Natural Science Center has educated and enlightened visitors since 1966 about the importance of our natural world through spectacular live animal exhibits, natural science education programs, guided Squam Lake Cruises, an informal public garden, and Blue Heron School, a nature-based Montessori early learning center. Through the LENE project, the Science Center is forming a local CLE focused on youth-led climate action.

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  The Wild Center

  The Wild Center invites people to discover the story of the Adirondacks, and to explore new ways that people and nature can support and learn from each other. As a part of this collaborative project, our long term goal is to build capacity with our local school district, the community businesses and municipality; as well as local and regional audiences around food systems thinking. We are striving to engage the local community in conversations and action around composting, resource stewardship, and community sustainability while empowering individuals, businesses, and institutions to manage organic waste and retain it as a community resource on an appropriate scale.