Home and School Projects and Activities
Environmental and Water Awareness Games
The following sites link to games for all ages and abilities. Each game focuses on an environmental theme (from animals to recycling). Parents may need to assist young children with reading. It is a good rule of thumb for parents and/or guardians to review these sites to determine appropriateness for your child. However, we have performed a preliminary screening of each site before listing them here.
http://games.noaa.gov/oscar/ (Oscar Otter teaches Valerie about a dying estuary)
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/monterey/ax/primary_fs.html (Games and learning activities)
www.epa.gov/recyclecity (Games and Activities from the EPA)
www.on.ec.gc.ca/greatlakeskids/morphie-home-e.html (Morphie's Great Water Ride Adventure from Environment Canada)
http://games.noaa.gov/ (over a dozen more games from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
http://www.epa.gov/watersense/quiz/game.html (EPA Water Sense game combines Pacman-style game and water quiz)
I Pledge! Program for Individuals
Take the pledge to The Principles of Good Stewardship and earn a certificate and badge. Families can sign up together or choose the Children's Pledge form for a fun coloring sheet.
Individual/families I Pledge! Sign-up Form
Children's I Pledge! Sign-up Form |
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Attention Teachers! Print out the Children's form and sign-up each student in your class. We will give your students a certificate, a pencil, and wildflower seeds and we will list your classroom on this website.
Return forms to: Megan Siren, City of Auburn, City of Auburn, 1225 Lincoln Way, Auburn CA 95603. |
References and Activities
www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/14/g912/tghazardous.html (Lesson plans and activities from the National Geographic)
www.water-ed.org/schoolprograms.asp (Water Education Foundation school programs)
www.stocktongov.com/MUD/education-conservation/documents/Fullbooklet_000.pdf (Only Rain Down the Drain activity book for children from the Stockton Stormwater Program)
www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1996/2/96.02.05.x.html Yale-New Haven Teacher's Institute, Environmental Health Hazards and Children by Sue Norwood
www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/teachers/lessonplans/science/pollution_10-3.html (PBS: Hazardous Chemicals in Your Neighborhood by Abey K. Tharian, Leonia High School, New Jersey)
www.epa.gov/kids/garbage.htm (Environmental Kids Club from the EPA)
www.epa.gov/students/ (EPA Student Center)
www.recycling-revolution.com/recycling-facts.html (Recycling Facts)
http://www.saveourh2o.org/index.cfm/for-kids/ (Save Our Water program from the Assoc. of Calif. Water Agencies)
Listing these organizations does not imply endorsement. Please review materials
carefully to determine appropriateness for your audience.
Projects
Clean Up an Oil Spill (from Environmental Health Hazards and Children by Sue Norwood) Objective: To have a better understanding of why oil spilled in water is so difficult to remove.
Materials:
1. Shallow rectangular baking pan.
2. Cooking oil.
3. Cold water.
4. Baking soda, cotton balls, dish washing liquid, towels, and sponges.
Procedure:
1. Pour water into the pan so that it is half full.
2. Pour a small amount of oil into the water and notice the slick that form on the surface.
3.Try to clean the spill with the different cleaning materials.
4. Rate the effectiveness of the different materials
Surf Your Watershed
Go to http://cfpub.epa.gov/surf/locate/index.cfm to locate your watershed or any watershed in the country. Search by zip code, city, state, stream name or other parameters. The search yields a list of groups associated with that watershed, facts and other interesting information.
Encourage your children to investigate the watershed in your next vacation spot or where a distant relative or family lives. Or, adopt a local watershed or adopt a watershed in a distant location. Communicate with conservancy groups in that area, compare and contrast regions, or plan a visit to study the area personally.
