Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area offers teacher workshops in partnership with California Lutheran University. Teachers can earn a Continuing Professional Education (CPE) Credit. Take advantage of this opportunity to explore a national park and earn credits-- class size is limited.  

To obtain enrollment information, contact us by clicking here.

Teachers: Please indicate the workshop of interest in the subject line.

WORKSHOP #1: The Classroom is the Subject!
June 28-29, 2011

The National Park Service presents The Classroom is the Subject! This 2-day workshop prepares teachers to plan and implement a curriculum-based, teacher-led field trip. The natural and cultural resources at a national park site can serve as both the "classroom" and the "subject" for a teacher-led field trip.  The National Park Service provides a FREE PROGRAM for teachers who participate in the workshop! Participants will visit the following three park sites in Los Angeles County and Ventura County: Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa, Paramount Ranch, and Solstice Canyon. This workshop will involve lecture / discussion, practice delivering "ranger" messages, hiking, break-out sessions, and one in-class/homework assignment (which will consist of preparing a field trip draft lesson plan to be implemented the following school year).  The workshop is designed for K – 12 teachers who would like to learn how to lead their classes on a field trip to a national park site, and for outdoor/environmental educators interested in implementing curricula in our national parks! CPE (1 credit) optional.

WORKSHOP #2: Mountains of Sun, Making the Sun-Earth Connection
July 8-9, 2011

Join us for a unique professional development opportunity for K-8 educators: a two-day workshop in the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (Thousand Oaks, CA). We will take a look at the latest NASA solar science and explore how local plants and animals have adapted to living in proximity to our closest star. A talk on archaeoastronomy (how Native cultures view the Sun) is also part of the workshop. We will be engaging in hands-on science activities, getting out into the national park to see adaptations first hand, and visiting schoolyard garden habitats, as well as getting a rare chance to visit a wildlife care center to see sun-loving animals. Join us for this fun and educational workshop, and you will leave with lots of takeaway materials that are ready to use in your classroom! CPE (1 credit) optional. For more information, see the workshop flyer or contact Cathie Dunkel at 805-370-2348 x204. Space is limited, so please register now by mailing your workshop registration form and payment to Cathie Dunkel.