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Teaching Environmental Science Naturally (T.E.N.), is an interagency, site-based, outdoor environmental science program for teachers. Using the curriculum guides from Project WILD, Aquatic WILD, Project Learning Tree (PLT), and Project Water Education for Teachers (WET), T.E.N.'s activities focus on local natural resources to provide teachers with hands-on experiences, in their own backyards. Using workshops

T.E.N. Workshops
Southeast Colorado Northeast Colorado (including Denver Metro) Northwest Colorado Southwest Colorado
T.E.N. Coordinators
Steve Lucero, Colorado Springs Linda Groat, Lamar Mary McCormac, Denver Kathleen Tadvick, Grand Junction Leigh Gillette, Durango

lasting from two to five days, T.E.N. trains and enables teachers to provide proven, effective, and fun (!) environmental science education to their students.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (formerly Division of Wildlife) Pueblo-area field personnel recognized, in 1991, that environmental science can be more effectively taught by integrating science and ecology subjects and teaching them in local, outdoor classroom settings. T.E.N. developed around this idea, and community-based workshops were created to train and encourage educators to use this approach in teaching environmental science. 

An important feature of the T.E.N. program is that local teachers are involved in all aspects of the planning and training processes. Each community T.E.N. program is driven by a local Core Team, composed of local educators and natural resource agency personnel. The Core Team members choose the field sites, compile the curriculum, design the workshops, and lead the workshop training programs.

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Note: Because each TEN program is local—specific to communities, community needs, and nearby outdoor environmental education facilities—the program particulars and schedules may vary considerably. The program's goals, however, remain the same. Read each workshop description carefully.

K-12 teachers have, each year, an opportunity to complete a two- to five-day TEN workshop. Participants visit outdoor classroom sites and learn about the sites' natural history and resource management. They receive on site training in the TEN curriculum and learn ways to integrate TEN activities into their instructional objectives, including how they correlate to state education standards.

There's more: Teachers gain familiarity with and access to area outdoor classroom sites; fees at TEN outdoor classroom sites are reduced or waived (in many cases) for TEN graduates; teachers can be autonomous at outdoor sites as their TEN training has prepared them to conduct field activities without relying on site staff; access to site kits (see below); materials and curricula provided, including the latest Project WILD and Aquatic WILD activity guides, and a site-based curriculum guide; and, throughout the workshops, participants are eligible to win fabulous prizes, including books, videos, and other classroom goodies!

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• Give teachers the tools, skills, and curriculum necessary to provide students with a quality environmental science education experience.
• Promote student understanding and appreciation of science and the natural environment by increasing local outdoor education opportunities.
• Help teachers meet Colorado's Model Content Standards

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'Site kits' add another dimension to the T.E.N. program. Each site has a collection of applicable instructional materials to aid educators on site visits with students. In addition, kits include other tools—field guides, water quality testing kits, binoculars, and soil testing kits. All the things a teacher needs to present T.E.N. workshop lessons to his or her class!

A Sample Activity from T.E.N.—Pika Playground