Featured Challenges for the 2025-26 CoOL Schoolyard Program
What can you teach in the schoolyard?
The CoOL Schoolyard program offers tiers of recognition for participating schools that engage students with nature and demonstrate best practices in outdoor learning. These Challenges range from simple one-time activities to ongoing projects. Choose any Challenge, in any order, and get kids outside to learn, solve problems, and connect with nature!
The CoOL Schoolyard program offers tiers of recognition for participating schools that engage students with nature and demonstrate best practices in outdoor learning. These Challenges range from simple one-time activities to ongoing projects. Choose any Challenge, in any order, and get kids outside to learn, solve problems, and connect with nature!
For EE Providers
Environmental Education Providers ("ee providers") including nature centers, parks, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums, public agencies such as 4-H, UGA Extension, and non-profit organizations may propose projects for schools to complete, on or off campus, including field trips.
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For Schools
Teachers may complete featured Challenges or propose their own projects for points! Just describe the project, identify the role of students in designing, directing and completing the work, and submit your idea. EEA will provide feedback on points eligibility as soon as possible.
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Registration for Schools Opens August 1
Organizations may propose new Challenge Projects starting July 15
All participating classes or school will receive recognition
FALL 2025 FEATURED CHALLENGES
August: Pollinator Census Challenge
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Sponsored by UGA Extension
Description: Students identify and collect data on the insects that visit plants for a 15 minute period. During the following week, they identify the species observed and submit their data. |
September: Symbolic Monarch Migration Challenge
October: Rain Garden Challenge
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Sponsored by American Geosciences Institute
Description: Students analyze runoff patterns during rain; test soils and measure infiltration rate; calculate area needed to absorb runoff; design a rain garden; plant flowers, shrubs and trees. |
November: Schoolyard Arboretum Challenge
December: Winter Wildlife Tree Challenge
NATURE CONNECTION CHALLENGES
Safety-Savvy Challenge
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Project Description: Students will become safety-savvy in nature by practicing a set of protocols designed to keep them safe and to ensure outdoor learning productivity without limiting opportunities to explore and investigate. These essential outdoor learning practices include:
Cost: $0 Difficulty: Easy Points: 10 |
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Outdoor Explorer Challenge
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Project Description: Students will explore nature on school grounds (or during an off-campus field trip). This may be a loosely structured activity such as a class nature walk with serendipitous teachable moments; an adventure that includes field observations, sketching, writing, a scavenger hunt, or another form of investigation and discovery that sparks curiosity and engagement with nature; or a nature club.
Timeframe: Variable Cost: $0 Difficulty: Easy Points: 10 |
GREEN SCHOOLYARD CHALLENGES
Keystone Plant Challenge
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Sponsored by Doug Tallamy's Homegrown National Park
Project Description: Students research and select a native species to plant. As little as one native tree or one container of pollinator-habitat plants can make a difference! Take pics of your project and enter it on a map of plantings across the country that collectively make a patchwork "homegrown national park." Timeframe: 1 class period Cost: $0- $250 (for plants) Difficulty: Easy Points: 10 points |
Tree Planting Challenge
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Sponsored by EEA's Georgia Schoolyard Forest Network
Project Description: Students plant a small group of native trees on campus to provide shade for outdoor learning experiences, lower the temperature, sequester carbon, support wildlife, and provide a setting for nature investigations. Timeframe: 1 class period --> semester long project Cost: $0- $50+ for seeds, seedings, containerized or b+b trees Difficulty: Moderate Points: 10 for assessing the campus and making a planting plan 15 for planting native tree species |
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Photo Credit: Ohio River Foundation
If you live in the metro Atlanta area, join us on October 25th for free a School Rain Garden Workshop conducted by the American Geosciences Institute.
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Sponsored by American Geosciences Institute
Project Description: Students will observe run-off patterns in the schoolyard during rain; then calculate the area that needs to be planted as a rain garden to spread water out, slow the flow, and let it soak into the ground to mitigate erosion; identify appropriate native species to plant; source plant materials; obtain permission and grade the site if needed; add absorptive substrate; plant a rain garden; and evaluate its effectiveness. Timeframe: 2 weeks --> semester long project Cost: $100 - $1,000 depending on need for grading, soil amendments, plants Difficulty: Moderate Points: 25 points |
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Sponsored by EEA
Project Description: Students will create a schoolyard arboretum by mapping and identifying existing trees, planting new trees, as needed to provide a variety of species, and providing interpretive and educational information about each type of tree. Timeframe: 2 weeks --> semester-long project Cost: $0 - $250 depending on need for trees, signs, or markers Difficulty: Moderate Points: 15 - 25 points |
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BIODIVERSITY & WILDLIFE CONSERVATION CHALLENGES
Symbolic Migration Challenge
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Sponsored by EEA's Monarchs Across Georgia
Project Description: Children in the US and Canada make symbolic monarch butterfly "ambassadors" that are sent south to Mexican schools in the fall and north to US and Canadian schools in the spring, mimicking the migration cycle. Timeframe: fall registration by Oct / yearlong project Cost: $20 per class for registration Difficulty: Easy Points: 10 |
Wildlife Watcher Challenge
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Sponsored by EEA and GA Department of Natural Resources / Wildlife Div
Project Description: Children observe wildlife in the schoolyard by searching for evidence of animals, watching feeders, building blinds, planting trees or creating habitats, installing wildlife or nest cameras, listening for bird or frog calls, conducting bio-blitzes or participating in SEEK challenges, or other means. A variety of lessons and activities below engage students in documenting their observations by drawing and journaling, collecting data, and analyzing the data on native species they may have expected to find. Timeframe: ongoing project Cost: $0 - $225 for optional equipment such as binoculars, wildlife camera, bird feeder, mason bee hotel, bird house, etc. Difficulty: Easy to Medium Points: 5 for observation; 15 for full wildlife lesson sequence linked below; 25 for creating or restoring habitat for wildlife in schoolyard |
Photo credit: Barrien Elementary
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Sponsored by UGA Extension
Project Description: Students identify and collect data on the insects that visit plants for a 15 minute period. During the following week, they identify the general type of species observed and submit their data.
Cost: $0 Difficulty: Easy Points: 10 |
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Sponsored by EEA
Project Description: Students will decorate outdoor trees with food for wildlife. Some schools may engage all students, allowing each class or grade level to adopt a tree. Timeframe: fall / winter Cost: $0 - $25 Difficulty: Easy Points: 10 |
Photo credit: Raising Outdoor Kids
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ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION CHALLENGES
Pollinator Habitat Certification Challenge
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Sponsored by Monarchs Across Georgia (an EEA committee)
Project Description: Students will research and select native species to plant to attract pollinators such as butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. Both larval and adult forms of butterflies should be supported by an array of host and nectar plants that bloom during three seasons. Timeframe: 2 weeks --> semester-long project Cost: $0- $250 for plants Difficulty: Moderate Points: 25 |
Schoolyard Habitat & EcoSchool Certification Challenge
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Sponsored by National Wildlife Federation, Georgia (NWF)
Project Description: Students will assess their campus in terms of suitability for wildlife habitat and take action to improve the schoolyard by providing sources of water, food, shelter, and places to raise young, as needed. National Wildlife Federation's EcoSchools Program offers a broader certification aligned with UN sustainability goals, and each milestone along the way can earn points in the CoOL Schoolyard program. Timeframe: 2 weeks --> semester long project Cost: $0 - ? for plants or materials Difficulty: Moderate Points: 10 - 25 |
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OUTDOOR LEARNING CHALLENGES
Sponsored by EEA
Project Description: Students will
Project Description: Students will
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Engaging Students in Outdoor, 3-D, Project-Based Learning
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Teaching with Nature Exploration & Environmental Club Activities
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Teaching with Trees |
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Teaching with Wildlife
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Teaching with Community Science
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Teaching STEM Outdoors
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Environmental Education Alliance, Inc.
P.O. Box 801066 | Acworth, GA 30101 EEA does not does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in its program , activities, or employment. For more information on EEA's non-discrimination commitment click here . Grievance officer may be contacted at [email protected] |