Five Concepts, Five Years of Programming

ELF encompasses five ecological concepts:
Habitats, Cycles, Adaptations, Designs of Nature, and Earth and Sky. ELF schools focus on one concept each year, and each of the monthly workshops teaches one topic within that concept. Because ELF reaches students in grades K-6, each monthly ELF unit becomes a school-wide theme; children in the sixth grade are exploring the same topic as children in kindergarten, with ELF volunteers adapting the activities to meet the needs of their students. This provides a cycle of five years of environmental learning, which can be repeated indefinitely. Some schools have taught ELF for nearly 30 years; when they complete the five-year cycle, they begin again.

"I continue to be amazed at how much I learn from doing ELF."
- LynnAnn Prom, Volunteer ELF Coordinator, Shelburne Community School

A sampling of ELF workshops per concept:

Habitats
Forest Floor; Snug in the Snow; Stream Studies

Cycles
Insect Lives; Inside a Flower; Bird Songs

Adaptations
Thorns and Threats; Frogs and Polliwogs; Teeth and Skulls

Designs of Nature
Spiders and Webs; Bird Nests; Tracks and Traces

Earth and Sky
Wind and Clouds; Water, Water Everywhere; Breath of Life

Although kids love ELF because it's fun, they are also gaining knowledge and skills to help them meet the Vermont and New Hampshire state education standards. For more information on ELF and state standards, click here for Vermont or New Hampshire.

Thirty Years of Environmental Learning
What Does It Take to Become an ELF School ?
Frequently Asked Questions about ELF
Sample ELF activity

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