2025 TEEA Pre-Conference Workshops

Thursday, September 25, at Ivy Academy in Soddy-Daisy, TN

Level Up Student Thinking: Integrating BEETLES Methodology into Any Learning Environment

Facilitator: Jennie McGuigan
Organization: Tennessee Environmental Education Association
Length: Whole Day (9 AM – 4 PM)
Credits: CEUs; Completion of 2 full BEETLES Professional Learning Sessions
Fee: $10 supply fee

Target Audience: k-12 educators; higher education faculty; outdoor/non-traditional practitioners; homeschool, family, and multi-generational educators; urban educators; EE providers; non-profit staff; youth leaders

Description:
Ignite curiosity, critical thinking, and environmental literacy with a full-day, hands-on BEETLES workshop! Led by a certified BEETLES Leadership Institute teacher trainer, you’ll explore research-based routines for observation, questioning, discussion, field journaling, and teaching science concepts. Practice adaptable strategies you can use immediately in classrooms, nature centers, or informal learning spaces. Walk away with ready-to-use tools and resources to create engaging, inquiry-driven learning experiences. Join us and leave inspired, confident, and ready to transform the way your students learn.

Play and Practice: An Introduction to Creating with Earth Pigments

Facilitator: Amanda Brazier
Organization: Amanda Brazier Studio
Length: Whole Day (9 AM – 4 PM)
Credits: 6 CEUs from TEEA
Fee: $25 supply fee (alternatives available if cost is a barrier)

Target Audience: Preschool–2nd grade, elementary, middle, and high school teachers; higher education faculty; outdoor/non-traditional practitioners; homeschool, family, and multi-generational educators

Description:Explore the creative possibilities of mineral pigments. Gather colors along North Chickamauga Creek, learn about the history of earth pigments, and transform them into crayons and watercolor paints. Participants will leave with resources, skills, and ideas to guide others in gathering and creating with earth pigments.

Project WET Workshop

Facilitators: George Bartnik & Peri Anne Edwards
Organization: Tennessee Aquarium (retired) & WaterWays
Length: Full Day (9:00 AM – 4:00 PM)
Credits: 6 CEUs from TEEA
Fee: Free
Target Audience: Elementary (grades 3–5) and middle school (grades 6–8) teachers; outdoor/non-traditional practitioners; urban educators.

Description: This nationally renowned environmental education program provides training in a range of engaging indoor and outdoor activities focused on water quality, particularly for students in grades 5–8. Participants will experience hands-on Project WET lessons, receive copies of all activities modeled, and explore strategies for integrating them into classroom lessons and outdoor learning spaces.

The morning session will feature interactive Project WET training led by George Bartnik, emphasizing practical, standards-aligned approaches to teaching about water. In the afternoon, WaterWays, a local water conservation organization, will lead a field-based session at North Chickamauga Creek. Participants will snorkel to explore freshwater ecosystems and practice using a macroinvertebrate index, a method that can be adapted for schoolyard or backyard streams to connect students directly with local water quality issues.

Teaching Outside the Lines: Integrating Arts and Outdoors for SEL

Facilitator: R. Scott Lee, PhD
Organization: Oncourse Education Solutions
Length: Half-Day, 9 AM to 12 PM.
Credits: 3 CEUs from TEEA
Fee: Free

Target Audience: Preschool–2nd grade, elementary, middle, and high school teachers; urban educators; non-profit staff

Description: Who becomes a teacher to help students simply pass tests? This hands-on workshop challenges the status quo by showing how integrating arts and outdoor learning can boost achievement and promote social-emotional learning (SEL). Explore the latest research connecting SEL, outdoor experiences, and the arts, then discover practical strategies to weave all three into your instruction. Learn how to create engaging, meaningful lessons that inspire curiosity, creativity, and connection while supporting students’ social-emotional development. Leave ready to transform your teaching and help students thrive both academically and emotionally.

Botanical Drawing and Eco-Printing

Facilitator: Angela Dittmar
Organization: Arts-Based Collaborative at UT Chattanooga
Length: Whole Day (9 AM – 4 PM)
Credits: 6 CEUs from TEEA
Fee: $20 supply fee

Target Audience: Preschool–2nd grade, elementary, middle, and high school teachers; higher education faculty; outdoor/non-traditional practitioners; homeschool, family, and multi-generational educators; urban educators; EE providers; non-profit staff; general public; youth leaders

Description: Immerse yourself in a full-day exploration of botanical drawing and eco-printing! Spend the morning observing and drawing floral and botanical specimens to build confidence and skill in visual documentation. In the afternoon, transform your drawings into stunning floral prints using minerals and natural dyes, transferring tannins to watercolor paper. This hands-on experience equips educators with creative techniques that can be integrated into environmental lessons, ELA, science, social studies, and beyond. Discover how art can deepen observation, connect students to nature, and enrich learning across subjects, while gaining practical strategies to bring these practices into your own classroom or program.

Forest School: Reclaiming the Roots of Education

Facilitators: Dr. Jean Lamino (Founder and Director, Forest School Teacher Institute) with Amanda Martin (Head of School, Wauhatchie Forest School) and Lauren Lytle (Preschool Manager, Wauhatchie School)
Organization: Forest School Teacher Institute & Wauhatchie Forest School
Length: half-day workshop | 9 AM to 12 PM
Credits: Certificate of Completion for 3  hours towards Introduction to Forest School
Fee: $25

Target Audience: Preschool–2nd grade, elementary, middle, and high school teachers; higher education faculty; outdoor/non-traditional practitioners; homeschool, family, and multi-generational educators; urban educators; EE providers; non-profit staff; youth leaders

Description: Experience the transformative philosophy of Forest School and explore its global impact on education. This hands-on workshop begins with a condensed introduction to Forest School principles, including key features, benefits, and the worldwide movement, led by Dr. Jean Lomino. Participants will then observe children in action at Wauthchie’s School’s Ivy Academy campus, followed by a guided debrief to reflect on teaching practices and learning outcomes. The session concludes with a reflective nature journaling activity and discussion, led by both facilitators. Participants receive a folder with handouts, a Forest School Teacher Institute journal, other utensils, and branded workshop materials. Walk away with practical strategies, insights, and inspiration to integrate Forest School practices into your own classroom or educational program.

Project Learning Tree (PLT) Workshop

Facilitators: Dr. Cindi Smith-Walters, Dave Walters, Dr. Andrea Henrie

Organizations: MTSU Biology,  TN Forestry, Vanderbilt University

Length: Half Day (1 PM – 4 PM)

Credits: PLT Certificate 

Fee: $5 (covers facilitator mileage; books are free)

Target Audience: Preschool–2nd grade teachers, elementary (grades 3–5), middle school (grades 6–8), non-traditional/outdoor practitioners, homeschool, family, and multi-generational educators, urban educators, EE providers, non-profit staff, youth leaders

Description: Dive into a fast-paced, hands-on, minds-on workshop where nature is the lens for learning. Participants will receive the award-winning PLT K–8 Activity Guide, which includes more than 50 engaging activities that use forests and trees as powerful tools for teaching across subject areas. This half-day experience blends indoor and outdoor learning, with a brief time devoted to planning how to integrate these materials back into the classroom, nature center, or other educational setting. Expect to be actively engaged through multisensory, student-driven activities, and leave ready to spark curiosity and critical thinking in your learners.

Questions about workshops? Reach out to Ansley Eichhorn, [email protected]

🍴 Lunch Information

Please note that lunch is not included with Pre-Conference Workshops. A boxed lunch option will be available for purchase—simply select the “Extra Thursday Lunch Ticket” when registering if you’d like to reserve one.

Because Ivy Academy is located in a natural area with limited nearby dining options and short breaks between sessions, we strongly recommend either purchasing a boxed lunch in advance or bringing your own.