Kane County Institute Day 2025

Biomimicry is the design and production of materials, structures, and systems that are modeled on biological entities and processes. In this workshop, educators will learn how to guide their students to draw inspiration from biomimicry and organic design to sketch and build architectural sculptures that reflect the forms and processes of organisms, ecosystems, and habitats found in the natural world. Educators will build their students’ research skills as they learn how processes and forms in nature can creatively be applied to design.  

This workshop introduces participants to K–12 Environmental Education: Guidelines for Excellence which provides students, parents, educators, home schoolers, administrators, policy makers, and the public a set of common, voluntary guidelines for environmental literacy.  

The guidelines support state and local environmental education efforts in this way:
✓ Set expectations for achievement in fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades
✓ Suggest a framework for effective and comprehensive environmental education
programs and curricula
✓ Demonstrate how environmental education can be used to meet standards set by
the traditional disciplines and give students opportunities to synthesize knowledge
and experience across disciplines
✓ Define the aims of environmental education

These guidelines set a standard for high-quality education, based on what an environmentally literate person should know and be able to do by the time they graduate from high school. They draw on the best thinking in the field to outline the core ingredients of environmental education. Workshop participants will walk away with a solid understanding of the learning framework provided in the Guidelines and will be able to correlate the guidelines to
their own curriculum materials.

*Participants will be given print curriculum in this session. 

This workshop explores the Community Engagement Guidelines for Excellence from NAAEE. Would you like to work with your community more to design and implement quality programs? This set of guidelines focuses on community wellness and is designed to help formal and nonformal environmental educators create inclusive environments that support effective partnerships and collaborations. Workshop participants will walk away with a solid understanding of the Community Engagement Guidelines and how they improve the quality of EE practice and will Identify tools for fostering community engagement strategies at your home schools/organizations/contexts.

*Participants will be given print curriculum in this session.

This workshop provides a hands-on opportunity for educators to analyze, compare, and create geometric designs inspired by the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Participants will use Pentominoes to create their own architectural floor plans. Educators will explore how to guide their students to identify and describe simple and complex geometric shapes found in art and architecture using Pentominoes. 

Join EEAI to dig into PLT’s flagship curriculum Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide. This curriculum includes 50 hands-on, multidisciplinary activities to connect children to nature and increase young people’s awareness and knowledge about their environment. Activities include detailed step-by-step instructions, academic correlations, time and material requirements, and corresponding student worksheets with green career connections. This supplementary curriculum is designed to develop students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The activities are practical, hands-on, and fun, and aligned with state and national academic standards, including the Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core State Standards. In addition, PLT connects with nonformal education programs. For example, PLT activities meet the requirements for Girl Scout Badges and Journeys.

*Participants will be given print curriculum in this session.

Explore the critical role of computer science in today’s classrooms during this professional development session. Participants will learn why embedding computer science into all subjects is vital for equipping students with future-ready skills. Guided by an instructional coach, attendees will engage in a mock SCRIPT workshop to understand the key components of a comprehensive K-12 computer science education plan and the steps schools can take to integrate computer science effectively.

This workshop trains educators to take on the role of Facilitator as students research and take action on environmental issues in their communities through a process called Environmental Action Civics. In Environmental Action Civics, students share power with adults, practice democratic decision making, and address local environmental problems using civics. And adults are right there beside them, igniting a new generation of decision makers. Targeting students in 5th-11th grade, Earth Force provides customizable tools and professional development to help adults create space for young people to form youth-adult partnerships, engage in environmental problem-finding, and take civic action. Educators trained on the Earth Force process may also choose to participate in the RISE challenge where students identify natural hazards to their community, research solutions, engage with stakeholders, and develop a plan to address that hazard. The RISE challenge includes implementation funding groups to conduct their projects, a presentation to a judging panel, and participation in a culminating event called the RISE Summit. Educators who join this workshop will walk away prepared to facilitate both the Earth Force process and the RISE challenge should they so choose.

*Participants will be given access to digital resources in this session.