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Author: Mara Spears, CEP Project Specialist Staff, Elana Burns, Communications Content Student Assistant

From Groundswell to You

   December Professional Learning Recap

   January PLO

   Program Updates

   Summer Institute 2026 Save the Date

   Classroom Material Ideas

   Donate to Groundswell

   Tracking PBE Hours

Friends of Groundswell

   Center for Great Lakes Literacy Resources

   New Tools to Support Food Systems Education

   Learn, Play, and Protect Michigan’s Environment

By Elana Burns

On December 2nd, educators gathered at the Calvin Ecosystem Preserve & Native Gardens for an evening that felt like a collective exhale. We kicked things off with good food and even better company! With almost every seat filled, and a delicious dinner, it felt like the kind of atmosphere where you can feel people settle in.

The session was led by Dr. Tamara Coleman, who (with her wit and studies) broke down her research on stress and the nervous system. She walked us through how stress shapes our day-to-day behavior and offered practical, surprisingly simple strategies to unwind. From tuning into small tension points—like unclenching your jaw or dropping your shoulders—to experimenting with different types of meditation, the session made relaxation feel less like a luxury and more like a skill anyone can practice. She made an effort to emphasize the importance of teachers taking a second to relax, when most educators focus solely on their students, sometimes forgetting about their own mental wellness. 

To close out the evening, Dr. Coleman led a short yoga session that blended breathing exercises, gentle stretches, and movement designed to open up the joints and muscles where stress likes to hide. Participants learned how to modify many poses for mobility or space constraints, and got to experience the in-the-moment benefit of group exercise in a safe space. 

Overall, it was one of those rare events that left everyone feeling both informed and genuinely restored. Take care of yourself this winter; addressing your own stress and health is proven to improve your impact on others. 

If you want to reach out to Dr. Coleman to learn more about the information from this professional learning opportunity, or if you’re interested in attending some of her local yoga classes, please reach out to our Groundswell team and we can connect you. 

We have a wealth of experience and knowledge in our network, which means some of our educators have been teaching outdoors for many years. Some teachers also are very new to this, but all of us can benefit from learning tactics for outdoor ed. Join us virtually in January for a professional learning opportunity provided by educators from Northview Field School. Dave Kraff and Carl Baird will tell us how to build your own collection of outdoor emergency preparedness resources to ensure safety during outdoor learning experiences. Come learn about helpful strategies to give you, your school, and your students' parents a peace of mind when it comes to adventuring outside!

Join us from wherever you're at for this virtual professional learning!

    Date: Thursday, January 15th, 2026

    Time: 4:30PM - 6:00PM

    Location: Virtual - Link provided for registrants

    Cost: $0

    SCECH: 1.5

Groundswell strives to serve our educators, students, and broader community by providing the highest quality of place-based education facilitation. If you missed our update, please read below to see how we're working to continue to provide excellence service to our schools. 

Starting in August of 2026, in order to receive funding, an educator must:

       AND

Starting August 2027, in order to receive funding, an educator must:

       AND

       AND

This looks like:

      Every other year: 2-3 days of Summer Institute

      Every year: 

            2 hours of PLO             

            2 hours of Showcase

            2 hours of 1:1 coaching

If you have any questions on these program changes, reach out to Clay Pelon, Director for the Center for Educational Partnerships, or feel free to reach out to us at groundswell@gvsu.edu.

Mark your calendars, Summer Institute will be here before you know it! We are excited to host our annual summer workshop for our network educators and partners in late July. This year's Summer Institute marks the first offering in our soon-to-be required PLOs (see above). So join us for immersive learning, foundations of quality place-based education, and project preparation for the year. 

There are so many great teacher materials and resources out there for purchase. If you've received funding for your project, or if your school is asking for a wishlist for teacher appreciation week, check out our materials list! We have years of experience to draw upon for purchasing ideas, complete with links to the items. Plus, it's organized by category to help you find what you need. 

It’s that time of year—your support now helps ensure we can continue serving schools well into the future. Funding allows us to expand meaningful outdoor learning opportunities for students while strengthening place-based education through high-quality professional learning opportunities for educators. Now more than ever, it’s easy to share our mission and invite friends and family to support this work through a donation.

       Text to Give: GIVE2GROUNDSWELL to 44321

We're also set up on a new giving platform through our parent nonprofit, the Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative. Click below to donate, or copy/paste it to send to a friend. 

At Groundswell, much of our support for stewardship projects comes from grants—and those grants rely on data that shows the real impact of our work. We know teachers are taking students outside all the time, and we want to make sure those efforts are recognized and supported! By keeping your own record of outdoor teaching hours, you’re helping us tell the story of how place-based stewardship education is making a difference. These numbers help secure future funding and demonstrate student learning beyond the classroom. Below is a quick Google Form to track your time practicing PBE with your students; consider bookmarking this on your browser to easily access it! 

Click the button below to track your weekly PBE hours.

The Center for Great Lakes Literacy (CGLL) is a wealth of knowledge about the Mitten State. An educator can peruse the events on the site and find a surplus of asynchronous professional learnings, webinar workshops, and other helpful materials to support place-based education in the classroom. CGLL has Google Classrooms created for teachers to learn virtually across the states that get to call these incredible bodies of water home. Explore how to teach about harmful algal blooms, Midwest invasive species, vernal pools, and other phenomena unique to our region. 

The Teach section of Nurturing Roots now features a robust collection of resources designed to help educators bring food systems learning into the classroom. The public Resource Hub offers more than 300 activities, lesson plans, and materials centered on food systems education, with a strong emphasis on climate change and environmental justice. 

Educators can also access the MI Food Stories Facilitator Guide, a 43-page resource that provides structured guidance, discussion questions, and activities to support teaching in conjunction with the MI Food Stories online course.

The section also includes Incorporating Food Systems into the Classroom, which supports educators in connecting these resources to real-world learning, helping them build meaningful, place-based food systems education experiences.

Together, these tools provide teachers with the support and confidence they need to strengthen place-based food systems education and deepen students' engagement with their local environment.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) Environmental Health Bureau invites you to explore MI Environmental Health Learning Lessons, fun, hands-on programs that teach families how to stay healthy and protect the environment.

From learning how chemicals affect Michigan’s lakes and fish to discovering how to keep your drinking water clean at home, these lessons make science come alive. Each session includes kid-friendly activities, interactive demos, and take-home materials for all ages.

Available Lessons:

Bring a Learning Lesson to your community today!

Questions? Please contact Groundswell at groundswell@gvsu.edu.

Text to Give: GIVE2GROUNDSWELL to 44321