Place-Based Education
The Seedlings Summer Workshop is a busy and immersive week where teachers take on the roles of learners.  Underpinning this inquiry-based experience are the principles of place-based education (PBE). When we learn to love where we live, use the resources of where we live to construct meaning, and empower learners to engage as active participants in the world around them, we are restoring connection to and care for our communities.
Many teachers leave the summer workshop wanting more–more camaraderie, more collaboration and continued mentorship–and from that longing for continued community, the Seedlings Community of Practice (CoP) was born. Seedlings CoP brings together a group of dedicated alumni who are passionate about the summer workshop experience and want to bring the week’s experiences to their students. Mentored by Seedlings staff members, community partners and one another, teachers in the CoP enjoy continued support and a community of like-minded peers. Along the way, they deepen their pedagogical stance and develop resources that can be used to support the Seedlings community.
Members of the Seedlings CoP teach a range of grade levels (PreK-8th) and disciplines in a variety of school settings (public, parochial, private, magnet, and charter). They represent a diverse array of city and suburban schools from all over the state (from Hartford to New Haven to Wilton and everywhere in between). Exploring the power of place to transform teaching and learning, CoP teachers develop resources and projects to share with one another and the broader teaching community. These projects are made possible through mini-grants provided by the Seedlings Foundation, and can be found in SEC Place-Based Learning Projects Repository below.
Place-Based Learning Projects Repository
- All
- Preschool
- Kindergarten
- First grade
- Second grade
- Third grade
- Fourth grade
- Fifth grade
- Sixth grade
Exploring Our World
Exploring Our World TeacherAudrey WhitfieldSchoolAll Saints Catholic AcademyApplicable GradesSixth Grade/Middle SchooolEssential questionWhat motivates someone to explore? Sixth graders explored New Haven, researching places with historic significance and sharing their findings through written reflections, brochures and presentations to their classmates. These collaborative projects connected students to their learning, to their larger Read More
Kindergarten Blossoms – Welcome to Our Community
Susan Keegan’s kindergarten students explored the concept of community through play-based learning, working together to learn about the helper roles in the Foote School community and how the kindergarteners could work together to welcome visitors to their school.
Protected: Understanding the Relationship between Humans and Water
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Creating Accessible and Engaging Outdoor Classrooms for Learning
Casey's class learned about plants through a hands-on approach, bringing the curriculum previously learned inside classroom walls to developmentally appropriate real-world applications in a new outdoor classroom that includes a garden library, garden beds and a digging bed for exploring and practicing.
City Blocks and Building Blocks: Applying Math, Civics, and ELA
First graders in Abby Ginsberg and Oliva Reny's classroom learned math, language arts, civics, and more by exploring their community through a play-based approach. Books, neighborhood walk, and community partners helped students gain an understanding that they shared through poems, artwork, and more.
Natural Nutrients: Fresh Ideas for Quality Meals in Schools
A book and a question from a student sparked a class project focused on bringing less processed food and more fresh fruits and vegetables to their school community. Through hands-on experiences and collaboration with peers, Taylor's sixth-grade class planted seeds and harvested their gardens to provide a way to help Read More
Soaring Together: Building Community and Protecting the American Bald Eagle
Collaboration with community partners and hands-on experiences helped first graders learn about the American Bald Eagle’s role in the environment, its significance as a national symbol, and the importance of conservation efforts.