Kansas Association for Conservation & Environmental Education

06/04/2026

Join our Kansas eeCorps members from Milford Nature Center, Pittsburg State University Nature Reach Program, Great Plains Nature Center, Kansas Children's Discovery Center, and KACEE for this free 30 minute webinar: ‘Why I Serve’. You’ll come away from the session with a better understanding of the eeCorps program, why members serve, and how you can get involved! RSVP at https://www.kacee.org/event-details/june-2026-vme

Also, on the second Thursday of each month at noon, KACEE is hosting a virtual Host Site Informational Session for anyone interested in learning more about becoming an eeCorps host site in Kansas! RSVP for the June 11th session at https://www.kacee.org/event-details/kacee-americorps-eecorps-program-host-site-informational-session-2026-06-11-12-00

AmeriCorps Kansas Volunteer Commission

06/03/2026

Thank you to Kids Feeding Kids for becoming the first sponsor of the 2026 Kansas & Missouri Environmental Education Conference!

Kids Feeding Kids (kidsfeedingkids.org) is a classroom‑based, service‑learning program that partners with middle and high school FACS and CTE educators to teach their students about food waste and insecurity and prepare meals that are distributed free to families in their own communities.

⭐ From the Soil to the Stars: Systems Connect Us All ⭐

From the soil beneath our feet to the networks that sustain our field, this year's conference is built on a simple but profound truth: everything is connected.

The health of our land shapes the health of our communities; the strength of our schools and food systems determines how well our children and ecosystems thrive; and the relationships we build with each other as educators, leaders, and neighbors are what make lasting change possible.

This conference invites us to explore those connections from the ground up, from the personal to the communal, from the backyard to the watershed.

Join Kids Feeding Kids and become a sponsor! Sponsorships are a key part of making this conference happen. Each sponsorship level is an opportunity to support a specific aspect of the conference; whether you want to go big and become a Title Sponsor or support equity and access as a Conference Scholarship Sponsor, there's a sponsorship to suit your desired level of support.

Visit kacee.org/conference to learn more.

05/21/2026

Exciting news: We are now able to offer 2 graduate credits through MidAmerica Nazarene University when you complete our Teaching & Learning Outdoors eeDoubleCourse!

This eeDoubleCourse is designed to equip PreK-12 formal and non-formal educators with the knowledge, skills, tools and resources to take environmental education learning outdoors.

Registration for this eeCourse closes Wednesday, May 27th. 💚

https://www.kacee.org/event-details/6-1-6-19-teaching-and-learning-outdoors-eecourse

05/11/2026

Join KACEE and Tracey Pettijohn, Stafford Elementary School teacher, this Thursday, May 14th at 4 PM for a free 30 minute VME: Teaching & Learning Outdoors!

You’ll come away from the session with a better understanding of the Kansas WILD Outdoors program and how to implement it at your school or program!

RSVP at: https://www.kacee.org/event-details/may-2026-vme

05/05/2026

Let’s Get Outside for 5 Big Benefits — with Flint the therapy dog!

Julie Koenig, Speech Language Pathologist and Reading Specialist at Marlatt Elementary (Manhattan-Ogden USD 383) shared this story about the school’s therapy dog, Flint, and we want to share it with you!

Outside for 5 is a pledge campaign from North American Association for Environmental Education - NAAEE, encouraging educators and caregivers to take students outdoors for at least five minutes a day, five days a week. outsidefor5.org

Developed in 2022 to combat pandemic-related mental health declines, the initiative highlights five key benefits:

❤️ Enhanced learning
❤️ Mental health support
❤️ Physical health
❤️ Collaboration skills
❤️ A connection to nature

From Julie: "Outside for 5 really hit home for me. On Tuesday morning we took and paired it with — by including our Therapy Dog, Flint!

We talked about research and how it shows that spending time in nature is important to our physical and mental health, and how a Certified Therapy Dog in school can also positively impact our health!

Modeled after Outside for 5, allows each class to have five minutes with Flint while we reinforce the importance of nature, putting our devices down, and taking care of each other with kindness.

Kids take a leadership role by coming to pet Flint in groups and then signaling the next group.

Five minutes with little disruption, sense of joy, and IMPACT!"

Good boy, Flint 🐾

AmeriCorps

04/28/2026

Want to win a $50 Amazon gift card & a KACEE Community Membership? Here’s how!

Register for the ‘Engaging Teens in Exploring Environmental Careers’ eeCourse by 5/27: https://www.kacee.org/event-details/free-eecourse-exploring-green-careers-with-teens-6-1-6-19

(Thanks to support from an EPA grant, the cost of this course is FULLY COVERED for participants! This is a brand new course that you will be pilot testing.)

Through this course, you will:

- Explore the work-based learning continuum and identify where your current programs fit—and where they could grow

- Build strategies to help youth develop transferable workforce skills and navigate postsecondary pathways

- Engage with tools and frameworks that support equitable, inclusive career exploration

- Create a customized plan or project to integrate career-connected learning into your own programming

This is an ENTIRELY ONLINE course that will be held through an online classroom.

It’s a win-win-win:

* Be entered to win $$ and a KACEE Membership
* Help advance environmental education through pilot testing
* Get free, high quality EE professional learning!

Visit https://www.kacee.org/event-details/free-eecourse-exploring-green-careers-with-teens-6-1-6-19 to register!

04/22/2026

Last chance! Just 8 hours left to bid on some amazing items!

Bid on some great packages to explore Kansas and support environmental education in the process!

04/22/2026

🌍 Happy Earth Day!
This week, I had the privilege of honoring some truly extraordinary educators — the Biology Teachers at Manhattan High School. 👏

In partnership with Jill Haukos at the Konza Environmental Education Program these teachers built an incredible hands-on curriculum that takes students outside — into one of the world's most endangered ecosystems, the tallgrass prairie — to collect real data, make real observations, and do real science.

And the best part? They've made this unit available to anyone. Students all across Kansas — and beyond — can now have this rich, place-based learning experience.

These teachers inspire me every single day to work hard for learning like this for every student in Kansas. 💚

TODAY ONLY — Grow Green Match Day!
Donate today and your gift will be matched at 50% — making your impact even bigger. Join us in this vital work!
👇 https://www.kacee.org/grow-green-match-day

Thank you for all you do!
Laura Downey, Executive Director, KACEE

04/20/2026

Happy Earth Week, KACEE friends! Read the special Earth Week edition newsletter that went out to our email subscribers this morning: https://www.kacee.org/so/6ePrjTXTi?languageTag=en

Want emails like this sent directly to your inbox? You can subscribe to KACEE communications at https://www.kacee.org/subscribe

04/15/2026

KACEE's Director of Green Schools Rachel Wahle and eeCorps member Amanda Campanella had the opportunity to present at Manhattan-Ogden USD 383 professional development day last week, bringing environmental education directly to educators!

The day centered on one core message: Getting students outside doesn't have to be complicated, and it doesn't have to take long.

Read more about how the day went and how YOU can bring KACEE to your school or district:

AmeriCorps Kansas Volunteer Commission

KACEE offers tailored professional development for school districts across Kansas. Every experience is designed for the educators in the room, their students, and the outdoor spaces already available to them.