Garden Earth / Professional Learning EIC/Garden Earth Training at the State Botancial Garden of Georgia November 3-6, 2005, ten teachers from Centennial Place, Minor and Shakerag received training in Garden Earth. The Garden Earth program complements the EIC model and provides materials and metaphors for teaching ecological principles to students while improving the school site, and addressing state curriculum standards. >Garden Earth EIC Commitments and Benefits Fact Sheet Teachers at EIC Schools participate in training and networking activities After participating in an EIC Implementation Institute, teachers can attend environmental education events funded by the EIC in Georgia program. The EIC teams can choose from a menu of workshops to host at their schools. The workshops include Adopt-A-Stream in the Classroom, Biodiversity Basics, Monarchs Across Georgia, Native Seasons, Project Learning Tree, Project WET, Project WILD, Schoolyard Habitats, Science of the Sea, Waste in Place and Wonders of Wetlands. Up to 20 teachers at each school receive $100 stipends and free curriculum and resources by participating in an environmental education workshop. In addition, teachers are funded to attend two events coordinated by the Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia. The annual conference is a two-and a-half day event featuring keynote speakers, concurrent sessions and field experiences for classroom teachers and nonformal educators. The Outdoor Classroom Council symposium is a one-and-a-half day event designed for classroom teachers who use the schoolyard as a focus for their lessons. Funding for these professional learning opportunities is provided by the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP). Read the EETAP report to find out how many teachers have been trained so far. EIC in Georgia will host an Implementation Institute and Reunion Mini-Conference for teams of teachers from the model schools June 19-22, 2006 at Centennial Place Elementary School in Atlanta. Participants will learn how to use curriculum-mapping processes to connect the state education standards and adopted instructional materials to student investigations and projects related to school-site and community issues.