Education Program

Lifelong learning at CFPA ... naturally

CFPA empowers students of all ages to become caring, informed, responsible citizens.  The Association's programs teach citizens to weigh information in order to make environmentally sound decisions. The out-of-doors is the tool to engage lifelong learners in discovering more about the natural world and the place they have in it.

CFPA embodies:

Conservation of the land and its natural resources;
Future of Connecticut's citizens, communities, wildlife, working farms, natural areas,   water and air quality and our environmental health;
Partnerships and collaborative efforts; and an
Awareness to action approach.

Programs

Teaching Educators
Project Learning Tree (PLT), the cornerstone of environmental education, helps teach students how to think rather than what to think about the environment.  PLT supports Connecticut's Curriculum Framework for science, math, language arts, social studies and the arts and national education standards.  As the Connecticut affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation, CFPA helps educators connect wildlife and wild places with Access Nature, an inclusive curriculum. Topics range from forests, wildlife and water, to community planning and energy.  Or, choose CFPA's unique "Children's Literature and Nature" workshop. Workshops can be held at your school, on CFPA properties, or in nearby forests and parks.

WalkCT Family Hikes
Fun and engaging, trained Family Hike Leaders connect families to the outdoors by exploring Connecticut's trails.  These adventures are offered all around the state on the last weekend of each month, January through December.  Because they are geared specifically for families, kids and their caregivers will delight in this outdoor quest for fun together.

Gardens, Frogs, and Schoolyards
For Students and for Youth Groups
CFPA is the Connecticut affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), the nation's largest member-supported conservation organization. As such, CFPA makes available NWF materials and activities, including the Backyard Wildlife Habitat ^TM, Schoolyard Habitat ^TM, and FrogWatch USA ^TM programs. Exciting and hands-on programs for youth groups round out our programs that connect children to the great outdoors.

Special Places

Outdoor Classroom & Demonstration Forest 
At the John R. Camp Outdoor Classroom and Demonstration Forest, the forest paths are the corridors and the shaded alcoves and productive wetlands are the classrooms.  Teachers, students, scouts and families are invited to learn in our open and accessible outside "school". Recent studies of schools across the nation found that using the environment as an integrating context in school curricula results in wide-ranging, positive effects on student learning and the teaching of educators.  Benefits of environmental education include:

• Improvements in student achievement in science, language arts, social studies and math;
• Development of problem-solving, critical thinking and decision-making skills;
• Increased enthusiasm and engagement in learning;
• Gains in standardized test scores and grade point averages and
• Revitalized and energized teachers.

The educational experience at the John R. Camp Outdoor Classroom and Demonstration Forest is designed to provide visitors the opportunities to:

• Tap into their inquisitive nature and discover the land around them;
• Experience a rich environment for scientific explorations, creativity, and problem-solving; and
• Utilize inquiry skills in order to gain a greater understanding of the world.

This special place is adjacent to CFPA Headquarters in Middlefield, on the land of the late John R. Camp. Mr. Camp left the use of this forested property to the Association for education and research.  It accommodates CFPA members and their families, school groups, educators, resource professionals, scouts and others. Workshops and activities take place on the PLT Loop Trail, part of the Outdoor Classroom & Demonstration Forest.