Two Trees, One Seed! Paring PLT Trees & Me with the NAAEE Early Childhood Guidelines for Excellence
Two Trees, One Seed!
Pairing PLT Trees & Me with the NAAEE Early Childhood Guidelines for Excellence
Thursday, September 10, 2026
10:00 am - 4:30pm
Walnut Creek Wetland Park - Neuse Classroom
Raleigh, NC
Registration Deadline: Wednesday, September 2 @ 5pm
Registration Fee: $50
To Register: go.ncsu.edu/ncplt_seeds
Current members of Environmental Educators of North Carolina (EENC) should contact Michelle Pearce at programs@eenc.org to get your EENC Member Discount promo code! You do not need to be attending the EENC Conference to attend this workshop OR to receive your member benefit.
Join classroom educators, nonformal educators, and natural resource professionals as we weave together learning from the NAAEE Early Childhood Guidelines for Excellent and Project Learning Tree's Trees & Me: Activities for Exploring Nature with Young Children. This workshop is a pre-conference opportunity held in conjunction with the 2026 Environmental Educators of North Carolina conference. Lunch will be provided and every participant will leave the workshop with a copy of BOTH guides - a $55 value! This is truly a unique workshop facilitated by NC PLT Coordinator, Renee Strnad, and Beth Cranford, Coordinator of Elementary Education at the Museum of Natural Sciences; both also seasoned members of the state and national NAAEE Guidelines Trainer Bureau. Together they will weave key characteristics from the Guidelines with examples from PLT’s Trees & Me curricula to highlight the strengths of both resources and provide concrete applications of best practices.
The PLT Trees & Me activity guide includes 12 activities and over 150 individual learning experiences to connect young children to nature, with a focus on trees and forests. Through both outdoor and indoor activities, children explore nature through their senses, experience trees throughout all four seasons, and connect with their community. The Early Childhood Guidelines for Excellence identifies six key characteristics for high-quality early childhood programs. This workshop qualifies for Criteria I or II in the EE Certification Program (early childhood).
The PLT activity guides are provided free of charge to participants through support from the NC Forestry Association. Lunch will be provided (please be certain to include your dietary restrictions in your registration!). If the cost of this workshop is a barrier for you, please reach out to the NC PLT Coordinator, Renee Strnad, at renee_strnad@ncsu.edu.
N.C. Cooperative Extension prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and veteran status. Individuals with disabilities are invited to request reasonable accommodations to participate in Extension sponsored programs and events. Please contact the county Extension office or campus department offering the program at least 14 days prior to the event to make arrangements.