VINS ELF Program


. VINS Environmental Learning for the Future (ELF) Program ELFis an award-winning environmental education program designed for elementary-aged children and taught by parents and other community volunteers. ELF is designed to give children an understanding of and appreciation for the natural world. The program instills a spirit of caring and curiosity that encourages students to lead environmentally responsible lives while increasing their scientific and environmental literacy. The ELF Program encourages students to interpret what they learn by asking “Why?” and “How?” and to answer questions by making observations in nature. The program utilizes the school grounds to explore these questions, which allows students to discover wonderful happenings right in their own backyards. Schools and teachers benefit greatly from the program and the wealth of curricular and instructional resources it provides. ELF Program resources such as slideshows, mammal and bird skull sets, audio tapes and owl pellets enhance elementary science curricula and help schools better meet state and national education standards. . ELF Program Costs Download price sheet » . For more information about VINS ELF Program call 802.359.5001 x232 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . . 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. .
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 . Find Out How ELF Strengthens Your Science Program»

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