As students return to school, so does The Watershed Project. We are thrilled to be back in the classrooms, cafeterias, and school gardens and are counting down the days to our field trips with students! During the 2015-16 academic year, we will continue our traditional programs as well as pilot a new curriculum. Our educators will be found exploring local watersheds with students of all ages. Read on to find out what we offer and how you can be involved!
Elementary School (K-5)
Kids in Marshes & Kids in Creeks: These classic programs consist of two classroom visits and a guided field trip for those interested in learning about creeks, shorelines, marshes or the sub-tidal habitat. The majority of the schools served are Title1 schools in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The majority of the schools served are Title 1 schools in Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. The Watershed Project has the support of foundations and individuals to provide this service free of cost for a few classrooms every year. We also offer fee-for-service programs for school that can pay a small fee. We still have openings both for free and fee-for-service programs. If you are interested in having your classroom participate in any of our programs, please contact Liza@
Waste Matters: Headquartered at Fairmont Elementary school in El Cerrito, we focus on helping the entire school become zero-waste. This includes composting in the cafeteria, environmental education lessons for every grade, field trips, and more. We plan to expand this model to a new school in the future. Do you know of a school in the West Contra Costa Unified School District that is ready to join Fairmont in leading the way in zero-waste? We’d love to connect with you! Email Paula@thewatershedproject.org with any inquiries.
Riparian Lab: Through this after-school enrichment program we help students connect to their local waterways through hands-on exploration, water quality testing, finding bugs in the water, stomping around in rubber boots, and plain old fun and games! This is a great option for a community center or a school located near a creek.
Bye Bye Basura: Third graders at San Pablo schools help us say “adios” to the trash littering our streets and help prevent marine debris through three classroom and schoolyard lessons and an international exchange with students in Manzanillo, Mexico (San Pablo’s sister city.)
Middle and High School
Wild! Oysters: High school students help The
Watershed Project collect data at our Point Pinole oyster reef, visit an oyster farm, and learn about ecology in the San Francisco Bay through the lens of a native oyster. Through five classroom visits and two field trips, students explore the history, biology, ecology, and importance of oysters to our ecosystem. Students also discover various STEM careers, and feast on delicious oysters.
Service Learning on the Greenway: This brand-new program explores topics of point and non-point pollution, stormwater management, and low impact development features in urban settings. Students explore these topics through service learning at the Richmond Greenway working on our rain gardens and bioswales as well as designing their own rain gardens.
College-aged Students
Internship Program: Are you interested in immersing yourself in a non-profit this fall? We are looking for passionate individuals who can assist us with fundraising, communications, education, or with our greening urban watersheds initiatives.
What’s Hip: Eco-Hop: The Watershed Project is partnering with California College of the Arts by helping teach a class combining art and science.
Teachers and Informal Educators
Curriculum: The Watershed Project has curriculum materials for educators available on CD and paper back with over 200 lessons on creek and watershed education, marsh education, coastal education and native plants and garden based education. Our most popular curriculum compilations are Kids in Creeks, Kids in Gardens and Kids in Marshes. Order yours today for a small shipping and handling fee ($12.)
Workshops: This fall, we will be leading a workshop with Education Outside and Community Grows, providing San Francisco school garden educators with some tools for teaching about watersheds. Keep your eyes out for education resources on our website in the near future!
Please contact Liza@thewatershedproject.org with any questions about our education programs!
