Project Learning Tree

This World Environment Day focuses on the climate crisis and sustainable, green solutions such as sustainable forest management.

In The Global Climate / El Clima Global activity from PLT’s Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide / Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8, students examine trends in carbon dioxide levels over time and its impact on ecosystems. In groups, they’ll identify potential ways to reduce the effects.

Encourage your learners to get creative while they reduce their carbon footprint!

Today’s students are tomorrow’s environmental leaders, urban foresters, conservation scientists, and climate innovators.

For 50 years, PLT has connected students to green career pathways, using trees and forests as windows onto the world.

🌲Explore how PLT supports educators today and prepares learners for tomorrow:

Project Learning Tree: Celebrating 50 Years Project Learning Tree (PLT), a flagship program of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), celebrates a remarkable milestone: 50 years of award-winning environmental education that has transformed how young people understand and care for the natural world. Through hands-on activities brought to l...

Biodiversity is the spice of life! Did you know that biologists estimate that Earth’s current biodiversity is somewhere between 10 million and 1 trillion different species? And they’ve only just scratched the surface, classifying only about 1.7 million species.

For International Day for Biological Diversity, check out PLT’s Biodiversity Blitz activity collection and these accompanying resources: https://www.plt.org/activity-resources/grades-3-5-activity-charting-biodiversity/

🌱Big ideas start in the classroom - that's why we're excited to see applications open for the 3rd Annual Green Educators Accelerator from The Educators' Lab in partnership with The Earth Foundation!

At Project Learning Tree, we know educators are powerful changemakers and programs like this help turn ideas into meaningful local action. Through microgrants, coaching, storytelling support, and a global educator community, this accelerator empowers teachers to bring environmental education and nature-based solutions to the classroom.

Past projects have explored everything from regenerative agriculture and soil health to student-led waste reduction and tree propagation initiatives, all rooted in the belief that the best way to invest in students is to invest in teachers.

Selected educators will receive a grant to launch or grow their ideas during the 2026-2027 school year.

📢Applications are open through July 10, 2026. Learn more and apply!

For Teachers — The Educators Lab Global We’re launching an open call for educators who are ready to help students build solutions for the planet within their schools and communities. This year, the program will support up to 18 teachers worldwide. About the Green Accelerator for EducatorsEvery academic year we welcome a small cohort of ...

🐝 What’s the buzz all about? It’s World Bee Day! Check out these fun activities to do with your students to celebrate these small but mighty insects that are powerful pollinators and vital to our entire ecosystem, especially forests.

Https://www.plt.org/educator-tips/pollinator-activities-world-bee-day/

Did you know there are more than 1,500 endangered or threatened plant and animal species across the U.S.? On Endangered Species Day, encourage your students to collaborate on a research project and advocate on behalf of a plant or animal on the brink of extinction.

In PLT’s Life on the Edge / La Vida al Límite activity from the Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide / Explora tu Ambiente: Guía de Actividades K-8, students model processes that can lead to species becoming rare or endangered and use their creativity to develop an advocacy and awareness campaign.

For younger learners, check out these endangered species art project ideas!

21 Endangered Species Art Project Ideas for Elementary Kids - Project Learning Tree There are tens of thousands of known threatened species. It’s critical to teach our children about endangered species because if we don’t know about the problem, we can’t take steps to find solutions.

For 50 years, PLT has helped learners understand the world around them wherever they grow. From city streets to schoolyards, urban forests play an important role in our daily lives.

Through PLT resources like Trillions of Trees invites learners to explore how to plan, plant, and care for trees in their community. This can help prime young minds to connect lessons learned to real-world sustainability work like applying the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard in areas where people live, work, and connect with nature.

🌲Learn more about SFI Urban and Community Forest Sustainability Standard: https://forests.org/sfi-urban-forestry-standard/
🌲Learn more about PLT’s Trillions of Trees activities:

New PLT Activity Collections: Trillions of Trees for Grades 3-5 - Project Learning Tree Trillions of Trees features three PLT activities for educators of grades 3-5 to investigate the unique characteristics of different trees.

Each year, millions of birds migrate to their nesting sites in the spring, traveling hundreds and even thousands of miles. With PLT’s activity collection, Together for Birds, take your learners outside to explore the wonders of birds, their habitats, and why they’re so important to ecosystems.

World Migratory Bird Day: Reflections on Home - Project Learning Tree Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with us! Explore the concept of home for birds, learn about the incredible journeys of migrating birds, and discover fun activities for kids to connect with nature.

Teachers…we ❤️ you and think you're AWE-some! You don’t just educate students. You inspire, empower, engage, and nurture the next generation. We see you, the countless hours you pour into your students, and how dedicated you are.

To celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week, we’re offering a 20% discount on the e-book versions of Trees & Me: Activities for Exploring Nature with Young Children, Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide, and Green Jobs: Exploring Forest Careers! Use coupon code 26TEACH at checkout. Visit shop.plt.org.