Normandeau Sponsors Learning for the Future

Normandeau fisheries biologists Steve Leach and John Pierce are very involved in teaching an environmental education program in two Keene, New Hampshire, elementary schools called “Environmental Learning for the Future" (ELF).   Every month they gather with a group of parent volunteers for a training conducted by the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS); they then spread out into the classrooms to teach a natural history lesson. 

John works in his son’s 2nd grade class at Jonathan Daniels Elementary; Steve in his daughter’s 4th grade class at Fuller Elementary.  "The program is in its second year, a growing success, and we are attempting for a third year," says John.

This sponsorship is part of Normandeau's commitment to foster employee community outreach and environmental stewardship.

ELF is an award-winning environmental education program designed for elementary-aged children and taught by parents and other community volunteers. Children love ELF because the activities are playful and fun. Volunteers enjoy ELF because it gives them a meaningful role to play in their school while enriching their knowledge of the environment. Schools value ELF because students learn hands-on natural science in direct support of education standards, plus parents and community members get involved in the classroom.

Volunteer educators gather monthly during the school day for a two-hour training workshop in which they learn activities that they later share with students. As part of each workshop, VINS helps volunteers develop teaching skills and adapt the lessons to various grade levels. Most workshops include an outdoor component that allows participants to experience the natural world first-hand and apply their learning. ELF explores nature in and around the school grounds, teaching children that science learning is not limited to textbooks and far-away field trips. Schools benefit when children explore and investigate the wealth of teaching resources nature provides. Written materials and teaching supplies, such as slideshows and skull sets, audio tapes and owl pellets, are provided by VINS.