Calendar of Events// Education Opportunities in the Smokies // Lessons and Instruction Materials
2025 Calendar of Events
Save the Date because we will once again have the chance to explore a local schoolyard with some brand new activities at Schoolyard Escape on April 12th, 2025! Registration goes live January 1st and your $35 workshop fee includes breakfast, lunch, and all workshop materials.
Learn more at gsmit.org/educators/schoolyard-network/
Education Opportunities in the Smokies
In Your Own Schoolyard
Learn from Smokies Rangers
Virtual – Pre-K-Grade 12 – Free
Join a Smokies Ranger for a hands-on, virtual learning experience designed to introduce your students to the wonders of the Smokies! Connect directly to the park through real-time distance learning programs. Programming takes place from December through February. To request a virtual program, please email Jessie Snow. Learn more.
In the National Park
Experience Weekly Wonder
Virtual – All Ages – Free
Weekly Wonder is a video series designed to be accessible for learners of all ages. These short guided explorations will ignite your students’ curiosity and help them connect with the natural world – no expensive gear or previous experience necessary! We suggest watching one per week, but all videos and teacher guides are available for your use at any time. Get started.
Live and Learn in the Smokies
In-Person – Grades 4 Through College – Scholarships & Financial Aid Available
At Tremont, education takes on an immersive form, stepping beyond conventional boundaries of the classroom to ignite a cascade of inquiries. This distinctive approach involves residential trips spanning 3 to 5 days, during which students become inhabitants and explorers of the national park. Students not only gain a deeper understanding of standards-aligned academic concepts, but also develop critical thinking skills, personal resilience, and a sense of stewardship for the environment. Learn more.
Become Community Scientists with iScience
In-Person – Grades 5-8 – Free Give your students first-hand experience as community scientists as they learn about biodiversity. Sponsored by Discover Life in America and TVA, participating students and teachers create All Taxa Biodiversity Inventories in their own schoolyards, using iNaturalist to collect real scientific data about local plants, animals, and other forms of life. Participating teachers receive material support and are expected to meet minimal program requirements. Learn more.
Lessons and Instruction Materials
| Activity | Age Level | File | Source |
| Turn Your Schoolyard into a Biodiversity Study Plot Guide | All ages | Turn Your Schoolyard into a Biodiversity Study Plot PDF File | Discover Life in America |
| iScience Video Playlist | Middle School and up | YouTube Playlist | Discover Life in America |
| Tips for Teaching and Managing Students Outside | All ages | Tips For Teaching and Managing Students Outside File | City Nature Challenge |
| Tips for using iNaturalist With Students | All ages | iNaturalist With Students File | City Nature Challenge |
| Nature journaling curriculum | All ages | Nature journaling curriculum from the | California Native Plant Society |
