Winter 2018 California Project WET Gazette
Volume XXlll, Issue I
The Life Box
“Be humble for you are made of earth; Be noble for you are made of stars.”
– Serbian proverb
This Serbian proverb just seems so appropriate for starting off a new year. For one, my home county of Amador has a large Serbian population and a loud tradition for kicking off the Orthodox Christmas celebration on January 7th. Then there is the annual convergence of darkness, cold and the most stunning array of stars and constellations of the year – Orion and his hunting dogs, the Gemini Twins, Taurus pulling the great cart of Auriga, the Seven Sisters of the Pleiades, the winged horse Pegasus soaring high above and Cygnus the Swan looking more like a great cross as it glides into the western horizon; while the great mane of Leo the Lion rises from the eastern horizon. One can feel very much like an Earth-bound speck in the depths of space on long, cold winter nights away from the comforting glow of urbanization – a humbling reminder of our true stature in the scale of the universe. Yet, this post-Solstice start of the year also is a time of lengthening daylight and soon after New Year’s Day, the urge to go outside and feel the grit of soil in hand returns, along with the arrival of bare-root fruit trees, berries and other plants to sink into the ground as life begins to re-sprout with the turning of the season.
A garden can be a very messy and depressing place in the dead of winter, but it is a great time of year to get students thinking about the factors necessary for life to return by engaging them in the Project WET activity “The Life Box” (p: 69). Put those poinsettias or other holiday plants to one more use in the activity warm-up, where students are initially considering what defines something as “living.” Students are then provided with a “Life Box” to open and examine what they find inside, which will be soil and a small container of water. But the mystery kicks in when you let them know there are two more items important for life in the box and you ask them to take another look. Give students time to look closely and compare thoughts with each other. If they remain stymied after an appropriate amount of mental fidgeting, share with them that air is in each box – and light energy when the boxes are open. This leads right into a class discussion on how each of these factors – water, soil, air and light energy – are important to life, starting with the plants that were observed at the start of the activity. How about for a fish or other animal? Is it just these ingredients in general or something more specific that each provides that are important to life?
As currently written, “The Life Box” suggests extending the activity by challenging students to prove or disprove that water, sunlight, air and soil are essential for life. Many educators with garden programs have been doing this for years, using small “life pots” for the activity and moving right into the extension by having students plant seeds and observe, measure and record what occurs in their pot over time. “The Life Box” has strong alignment with Kindergarten NGSS performance expectations (PEs) K-LS1-1 and K-ESS3-1 and is a solid stepping stone for building student proficiencies for the Grade 2 Performance expectation 2-LS2-1, if the extension experiment is integrated into the activity at this grade level.
However, soil and a container of water kids can get their hands on are concrete, while figuring out air and light are in the boxes are an abstract leap for lower elementary students. Teachers over the years have responded by simply modifying the activity for these grade levels. Forget the rock and photo of a fish as written in the activity warm-up in Guide 2.0, focusing on the potted plant, carefully chosen seeds students can touch and questions on how plants are “made” or “born” and where students see plants growing everyday are great for kicking off the activity with early childhood learners. “The Life Box” becomes the milk carton bottoms or small garden pots they get to decorate and plant with seeds for one of their first science experiments to observe, measure and record how seeds grow into plants with and without water – and the surviving plants become starting seedlings for the Spring garden.
“The Life Box” is also a wonderful springboard into other Project WET activities that can tie into the garden. Students learn more about the importance of water for ALL life, including our own bodies and the food we eat, using a variety of learning modalities in the Project WET activities “Aqua Bodies” (p: 45) and “Aqua Notes” (p: 51), while students can also be making observations and recording data on the garden throughout the school year to extend the activity “A House of Seasons” (p: Portal). The great thing for everyone working with early childhood and lower elementary students is that all of the teacher modifications for “The Life Box” and suggestions for re-aligning all of these activities to NGSS, correlations to Head Start and other Early Childhood Education standards, and an updated suggestions for grade level appropriate story books, songs and math and have been incorporated into updated versions of each activity in the new Project WET “Getting Little Feet WET” module for Early Childhood education. The module also includes a wonderful twist on “The Long Haul” (p: 273) for this age group that includes how we move water into and out of our homes and schools, and following the path of irrigation lines in a garden is much more concrete to me than just checking out pipes under a sink!
Though the Project WET NGSS correlation team did not feel “The Life Box” contained enough specifics to correlate the activity to NGSS standards above Grade 2, I’ve heard plenty of alternate opinions from fellow California teachers, who have found the activity to be a great “hook of engagement” for an NGSS course of study at other grade levels. Grade 3 teachers are using “The Life Box” to support building student knowledge toward performance expectations 3-LS1-1 and 3-LS4-4, noting the activity ties in well with getting students to focus on system components and their interactions, beginning an argument based on evidence and touches on many of the DCI Life Science elements. The activity extension is a model allowing students to study the lifecycle patterns that emerge as their plants grow, examine environmental differences that may cause change in growth, while gaining a greater depth of understanding of all elements of the above performance expectations.
Grade 5 teachers report “The Life Box” can be used to engage students in building understanding of performance expectation 5-LS1-1 – Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water – by having students do the activity, then challenging them to question the premise of the activity as it is written regarding the material needs of plants and use the extension activity as an opportunity for students to design an experiment to build evidence and an argument on what materials plants need to grow. I suspect quite a few of those I’ve heard from have an interest in hydroponics, though I’ve also heard from teachers combining “The Life Box” with “Thirsty Plants” (Portal) and “A Drop in the Bucket” (p: 257), indicating a unit aimed at water use and conservation in the landscape. Teachers at both grade levels note integrating the extension into “The Life Box” provides plenty of math, writing and illustrating opportunities to tackle the connecting Common Core standards. I’ve also heard strong arguments for using the activities above to flow into an engineering design challenge, as water used to grow food and keep some green in our residential landscapes remain among the top uses of water by humans in the western United States.
So where’s the connection to the stars? As a former outdoor science school teacher, night hikes were my favorite classes to lead and no more so than when the jewels of the northern sky – the constellations mentioned in the first paragraph arc across the late fall and winter sky. The kids loved hearing about the stories and star lore connected to the star patterns they were tasked with locating. One of the thoughts I’d leave them pondering was that ALL of the matter on Earth originated out there in space and much of that matter came from dying stars that exploded, thus we are made of stardust.
I’d use “The Life Box” the morning after our night hike. We used four film canisters* wrapped with a riddle for each essential factor for life. Students would shake and look and ponder as they tried to figure out all four factors. I still remember the incredulous look on many faces as we worked through the activity and they thought about the fact that all the life around us on the trail was built with these simple ingredients: soil, sunlight, air and water – and then someone would remember the reference to stardust the night before. All sorts of wonderful questions would flow forth that would make one wish they were back in the classroom to keep following this course of curiosity!
“The Life Box” does not meet the rigor to correlate well to Middle School NGSS standards, but Middle school teachers are using it as an engagement activity to launch into more detailed studies of soil, water, air and sunlight. One fascinating Middle school take on the activity is using the activity to focus on the search for life beyond our planet – What specific components of “The Life Box” ingredients are vital to life and where are they found beyond our planet? The teacher then engaged students in the activity “Is There Water on Zork?” (p: 27), where students are presented with a variety of clear liquids upon landing on another planet and design investigations based on their knowledge of water properties to determine which is water.
“Is There Water on Zork?” reinforces student understanding of the unique characteristics of water that make it vital to life on Earth and one of “The Life Box” ingredients. The teacher then challenged students to apply the same process used to distinguish water “Is There Water on Zork?” to the study of different types of light, components of air and soil nutrients – I never received a reply on exact details, but guessing it was a school blessed with a pretty good lab! The course of study included use of the Guide 1.0 activity “Water Models” to mimic extreme environments on Earth similar to known conditions on other planets. Part of the finale of the course had students developing a “Life Box” stripped down to the common chemical and energy needs for life to exist or potentially develop determined by their investigations and the characteristics of each that can be used in the search for life and conditions that could support our life beyond Earth.
As you’ve been reading this article, our technology is searching for evidence of those most essential components of “The Life Box” ingredients in our solar system and around other stars. Yet, even as the jewels of the northern night sky shine down this season and beg one to wonder what maybe out there beyond Earth, it is still liquid water that makes our planet a precious oasis for life. I can think of no better place to “ground” this understanding home than tending to a garden, tree or even a plant in your room.
It is also a wonderful opportunity to instill a conservation ethic, as our students learn to become better stewards of water resources and the life it sustains – especially as landscape water is still the single greatest user of residential water. The garden might be a great focus for “Fix-A-Leak” week, which you can learn more about in the “Winter Events”. Checkout the “Websites of Interest” for a variety of garden and life in space links and a few related challenges in the “Student Contest” section. Lastly, peruse the “Professional Development” section to learn about upcoming Project WET workshops in 2018.
“No water, no life. No blue, no green.”
― Sylvia Earle, marine biologist and explorer
*Some reading this may not know what a film canister is, and they are hard to find these days, so I’ve discovered standard size matchboxes make great “Life Boxes.” Matchboxes are compact, cheaply obtained at the local dollar store – where one also can get the little containers of bubble liquid for guests to blow at weddings, which are perfect containers for the water and easily fit inside the matchbox with soil from your home or school garden!
Hope you have a wonderful Winter season!
WEBSITES OF INTEREST
US Forest Service: Water, Air, and Soil
Water, air, and soil are three natural resources that we cannot live without. The Forest Service strives to protect, maintain, and restore these valuable assets now and into the future. Research on water, air and soil provides scientists with information about these critical natural resources, how they are changing, and what is affecting them. This research focus area strives to understand the basic processes of water, air and soil and how they are affected by many disturbances including fire, drought, invasive species, climate change and more.
We create opportunities for kids to learn though gardening, engaging their natural curiosity and wonder by providing inspiration, community know-how and resources. KidsGardening is a leading resource for garden-based educators across the country. We reach more than 90,000 monthly with grant funding, curriculum, lesson plans, and inspiration to get more kids learning through the garden – including gardens in space!
Collective School Garden Network
“If they grow it, they’ll eat it,” says kindergarten teacher Dianne Swanson. Teachers know it, studies show it: children involved in fruit and vegetable gardens are more likely to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Edible school gardens give children the opportunity to learn where their food comes from and the importance of good nutrition. You’ll find “Steps To A School Garden” to help you get started and links to other garden resources.
Annie’s: Create Your Own Garden
Annie’s mission is to cultivate a healthier and happier world by spreading goodness through nourishing foods, honest words and conduct that is considerate and forever kind to the planet. Growing school gardens doesn’t take much, just a seed in warm, moist soil (nature does most of the hard work!). Annie’s worked with the Center for Ecoliteracy to develop the Growing School Gardens booklet to help teachers and parents plan and create sustainable gardens with their students and children—in any space or budget!
Water dedicated to landscape can often be reduced by 20 to 40 percent because over irrigation is very common. Water restrictions and conservation should be taken into consideration when deciding on starting an edible home garden. If local water allocation allows for an edible garden, homeowners can grow fruits and vegetables in their backyard using water-wise practices. This page has links to other great resources for water efficient gardens and landscapes, including our peer reviewed information sheet “Keeping Plants Alive under Drought or Water Restrictions.”
Learn About Ag… School Gardens
Ag in the Classroom supports school garden programs. Check out our garden-related resources for lesson ideas, a guide to starting your school garden, and more! We also have a webpage dedicated to plant nutrients - Just like people, plants need nutrients in order to grow! This page serves as a collection of materials explaining the relationship between plants, chemistry, the environment, and food production. Explore this variety of materials to help students discover the fundamental plant nutrients and the science of growing crops.
Life Lab, is a national leader in the garden-based learning movement and we have provided educators across the country with the inspiration and information necessary to engage young people in gardens and on farms. Our workshops and publications are the go-to resource for educators interested in engaging students in gardens.
The average U.S. household uses more water outdoors than for showering and washing clothes combined - nearly 9 billion gallons of water each day and mainly for landscape irrigation! The WaterSense Water-Smart Landscapes guide can get you started developing a water-smart landscape for your home or school. Choosing the right plants, supporting soil health, and proper maintenance are all keys to water-smart landscapes.
When people think of living organisms, they typically think of organisms that can be seen in everyday life, such as plants and animals, but many living organisms go undetected by the human eye. Humans, with trillions of cells, have more in common with tiny single-celled bacteria than you might think. Scientists use a set of common characteristics or attributes to define life. The attributes listed here are common to all life as we know it.
Article: “Humans Really Are Made of Stardust, and a New Study Proves It.”
For decades, science popularizers have said humans are made of stardust, and now, a new survey of 150,000 stars shows just how true the old cliché is: Humans and their galaxy have about 97 percent of the same kind of atoms, and the elements of life appear to be more prevalent toward the galaxy’s center, the research found. The crucial elements for life on Earth, often called the building blocks of life.
Article: “Astro Update: All That Life Needs On Enceladus”
If chemical energy is life’s coin and water is life’s marketplace, there may be a swift economy alive and well beneath the icy shell of Saturn’s brightest moon. All three of the presumed key ingredients for life have been detected coming from Enceladus. Billions of miles away, back on Earth, the signals from these analyses have been probed for signs that water, energy, and chemicals like carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen are all present in that far-off, deep ocean.
ARTICLE: “Mars Facts: Life, Water and Robots on the Red Planet”
Robots aren’t the only ones looking to buy a ticket to Mars. A workshop group of scientist from government agencies, academia and industry have found that a NASA-led manned mission to Mars should be possible by the 2030s. And NASA isn’t the only one with Martian astronaut hopefuls. The Mars One colony project is looking to send private citizens on a one-way trip to the red planet. Elon Musk, the founder of Space X, has outlined a Mars mission architecture to eventually build a million-person Martian city.
Article: “Voyager 1 Fires Up Thrusters After 37 Years“
If you tried to start a car that’s been sitting in a garage for decades, you might not expect the engine to respond. But a set of four backup thrusters aboard the Voyager 1 spacecraft, dormant since 1980, successfully fired up in early December 2017 after 37 years without use. Voyager 1, NASA”s farthest and fastest spacecraft, has been flying for 40 years and is the only human-made object in interstellar space, the environment between the stars.
FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge on Hydro-Dynamics
In response to requests from educators asking for lessons to support the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge on Hydro-Dynamics, Project WET has assembled a free special lesson plan. It is designed to increase understanding about various components of the Human Water Cycle to help students better address this year’s challenge. Please note this lesson plan is not endorsed by the FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge. It is simply a tool to help educators involved in the Challenge teach students about water by using engaging and hands-on activities.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
California Project WET Workshops
Join us for an engaging professional development experience this winter that will introduce you to the interdisciplinary activities of Project WET! Our interactive activities are correlated to Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards and are effective tools for integrating student learning of water concepts and issues investigation. Project WET activities provide strong foundations for STEAM and Service-Learning programs and are designed to supplement existing curriculum.
Wildlife Conservation Science Education Seminar for Teachers
California Waterfowl Association will host a Wildlife Conservation Education seminar March 24-27, 2018 at Grizzly Ranch. Three full days of engaging educational outdoor activities will include a tour of Grizzly Island and Suisun Marsh; training in Project Learning Tree and WILD; National Archery in Schools certification; Junior Duck Stamp educator training and classroom materials; kayaking and guest speakers! A $50 registration includes all lodging, food and materials you will receive. Register online or by email.
Forestry Institute for Teachers (FIT)
These one-week institutes bring together natural resource specialists and K-12 teachers for one week, working side by side to gain a deeper understanding of the intricate interrelationship of forest ecosystems and human use of natural resources. You’ll walk away with a wealth of knowledge and environmental education curriculum- including Project Learning Tree, Project WILD and Project Aquatic WILD! This FREE training includes all housing, meal and materials you will receive throughout the week. Register for a summer 2018 location now!
California Education and the Environment Initiative (EEI)
The EEI Curriculum is 85 K-12 grade units that teaches standards through an environmental lens, including understanding resources, conservation, where our food, energy, and water come from, and complicated decision-making processes related to climate change, green chemistry and use of our public lands. California examples make learning relevant and stimulate student involvement with the world around them. Click here to see a list of correlating Project WET activities to use with individual EEI units!
CREEC Network
The California Regional Environmental Education Community (CREEC), administered by the California Department of Education, is an on-line hub offering a searchable database of for a variety of resources, including professional development, field trip and grant opportunities from over 500 informal education providers across the state. Click on your region, then search the events calendar to find a wonderful array of environment based professional development opportunities!
WINTER EVENTS
January 1 - 2, 2018: California King Tides Project
Snap the Shore, See the Future! The California King Tides Project helps people visualize how sea level rise will impact their lives. We invite you to document “king tides” – the highest high tides of the present. Everyone is welcome to participate! King Tide images offer a living record of the changes to our coasts and shorelines and a glimpse of what our daily tides may look like in the future as a result of sea level rise.
January 15, 2018: National Parks Free Entrance Day
America’s Best Idea – the national parks – gets even better with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks in celebration of Martin Luther King Day! that usually charge entrance fees. Making the fun even more affordable, many national park concessioners are joining the National Park Service in welcoming visitors with their own special offers.
January 24-28, 2018: Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway
We celebrate this magnificent spectacle of nature with the Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway. Our mission unites and energizes all of the many volunteers, artists, trip leaders, workshop presenters, educators, community members and sponsors involved with the Snow Goose Festival. We strive to increase public awareness, understanding, appreciation and conservation of the incredible wildlife and related habitats of the Northern Sacramento Valley.
February 10, 2018: Annual CMSESMC STEM Conference
Teachers, administrators and parents are invited to explore the many exciting aspects of STEM education. There will be over twenty-five workshops and a variety of exhibitors that provide participants with a wide range of practical and realistic ideas and resources to use in their science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs from Pre-K to grade 8. The STEM Conference is dedicated to supporting local educators for implementing the Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards.
March 3, 2018: Placer County STEM Expo
The Placer County STEM Expo is our region”s innovative alternative to the typical science fair. This exciting, free, one day event features Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics as educational opportunities and viable career paths – showcasing elementary through high school student-generated work – connecting students with their community. This year STEM Expo has drastically revised the categories to be more inclusive, and separate out multiple scientific fields into more specific sectional groupings!
March 10-11, 2018: A Garden in Every School Symposium
We’ve planned an inspiring weekend for you! Network with like-minded teachers, parents, garden designers, community leaders, school garden coordinators, and others involved with helping kids make the connection between food, health and the environment. Gardens offer beautiful, dynamic settings to integrate every discipline, including science, math, reading, art, environmental studies, nutrition and health.
March 19-25, 2018: Fix a Leak Week
Are you ready to chase down leaks? Household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons of water annually nationwide, so each year we hunt down the drips during Fix a Leak Week. Mark your calendars for EPA”s tenth annual Fix a Leak Week — but remember that you can find and fix leaks inside and outside your home to save valuable water and money all year long. From family fun runs to leak detection contests to WaterSense demonstrations, Fix a Leak Week events happen from coast to coast and are all geared to teach you how to find and fix household leaks.
March 22, 2018: World Water Day
Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of the issues involved in supplying freshwater around the world. Under the theme “Nature for Water” World Water Day 2018 will focus on the potential of nature-based solutions for water and how they can be considered for water management policy and practice.
April 21- 29, 2018: National Park Week
National Park Week is America’s largest celebration of national heritage. It’s about making great connections, exploring amazing places, discovering open spaces, enjoying affordable vacations and enhancing America’s best idea—the national parks! The National Park Service is partnering with the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks, to present National Park Week- and the first day – April 21 – is a free park entrance day to kick off the celebration!
April 27 – 29, 2018: AEOE Statewide Spring Conference
The Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education is a statewide organization that has been created for and by the outdoor and environmental educators of our state. Our volunteer run organization is charged with providing a diverse pool of trained educators that is knowledgeable and skilled at educating today’s youth about the natural world. Join us in “Creating a Culture of Science” at Camp Hess Kramer in Malibu!
GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS
2018 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow – Deadline: February 1, 2018
Are you ready for the professional development opportunity of a lifetime? Applications are now open for the Grosvenor Teacher Fellow (GTF) Program, which will send 40 educators on life-changing, field-based experiences with Lindblad Expeditions. Through participation in the program, Grosvenor Teacher Fellows gain a new level of geographic awareness for themselves, their students, their professional colleagues, and the communities in which they live. Open to Pre-K-12 educators in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
President’s Environmental Youth Award - Deadline: March 1, 2018
The President’s Environmental Youth Award (PEYA) recognizes K-12 students and their efforts to protect the environment. The award promotes awareness of our nation’s natural resources and encourages positive community involvement. Encourage K-12 students you know who are taking action to protect the environment to apply for PEYA. Each award-winning project will receive a Presidential plaque. All qualified applicants will receive a certificate honoring them for their efforts to protect human health and the environment.
Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators - Deadline: March 1, 2018
The Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental Educators (PIAEE) recognizes outstanding K-12 teachers who employ innovative approaches to environmental education and use the environment as a context for learning. Award winners receive up to $2,500 to continue their professional development in environmental education. Additionally, the teacher’s local education agency also receives up to $2,500 to fund environmental education activities and programs.
Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching – Deadline: April 1, 2018
The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the nation’s highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science (including computer science). Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of science and mathematics education. Nominations are now open until April 1st for 2017 to honor teachers working in grades K – 6. Applications are due on May 1, 2018.
STUDENT CONTESTS
California Coastal Art & Poetry Contest - Deadline: January 31, 2018
The California Coastal Commission invites California students in K-12th grade to submit artwork or poetry with a California coastal or marine theme. By encouraging youth to reflect on the beauty and spirit of California’s beaches and ocean, we hope to inspire a greater sense of stewardship for these natural places. Art and poetry must have a California coastal or marine theme to be eligible and include a short statement on how the coast or ocean inspired your creation.
Cal Water H2O Challenge’s Classroom Challenge - Registration Deadline: January 31, 2018
Cal Water H2O Classroom Challenge is an environmentally-focused, project-based competition exploring water as a global resource and as a local resource, while tackling a local water problem in an individual and community-based endeavor.for classrooms. Students of participating grade 4-6 classrooms initiate, develop, and implement a 4-8 week-long project focusing on caring for water. Aligned with the Common Core and complementary to Next Generation Science Standards. This class-based project Eligible classrooms must be based in a Cal Water Service Area.
National Geographic GeoChallenge - Deadline: February 1, 2018
The GeoChallenge is a new and compelling competition from the National Geographic Society that challenges student groups in grades five through eight to develop a creative solution to a real-world problem. This year’s challenge – On the Move! – invites participants to learn about the problems facing migratory species while building skills in geography, mapmaking, storytelling, theatrical techniques, and video production.. The best projects will have the chance to move on to a regional competition.
World of 7 Billion Student Video Contest - Deadline: February 22, 2018
Population Education, a program of Population Connection, invites any middle or high school student (grade 6-12, or the international equivalent) to create a short video – up to 60 seconds – about human population growth that highlights one of the following global challenges: Advancing Women and Girls, Feeding 10 Billion, or Preventing Pollution. Students may be located anywhere in the world and entry into the contest is free.
California K-12 Schools Recycling Challenge – Deadline: February 28, 2018
The California K-12 Schools Recycling Challenge is an annual statewide program to generate enthusiasm for recycling and promote a healthy competition between schools and recycling coordinators. Over a one month period, schools report recycling and trash data, which are then ranked according to who collects the largest amount of recyclables per capita, the largest amount of total recyclables or have the highest recycling rate. The 2018 competition is scheduled to run from February 1st through February 28, 2018!
My California Mapping Competition – Deadline: March 16, 2018
The California Geographic Alliance is pleased to announce the 2nd annual “My California GIS Mapping Showcase and Competition“. This exciting statewide opportunity encourages middle (4th-8th grade) and high school (9th-12th grade) students to harness the power of Geographic Information Systems and get connected with their state by producing an online map that focuses on stories, issues, or ideas that are important to them.
Stockholm Junior Water Prize - Applications Due: April 15, 2018
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition is the world’s most prestigious water-science competition for students. The purpose of the SJWP program is to increase students” interest in water-related issues and research and to raise awareness about global water challenges. The winner of the California competition will advance to the national level, and the winner of that event will represent America at the global competition in Sweden.
Carton 2 Garden Contest - Deadline: April 16, 2018
Show us your students’ creativity by re-purposing milk and juice cartons from your school cafeteria to either build or enhance your school garden. Educators can engage students in a hands-on experience creating teachable moments on environmental stewardship, sustainable packaging and healthy living. The best use of cartons in a school garden gives your school the chance to win one of 14 prizes with a grand prize valued at $5,000. We can’t wait to see your students” creations—carton planters, garden art, scarecrows, window boxes, irrigation systems… The more creative, the better!
CREDITS
California Project WET Gazette is published by the Water Education Foundation, which serves as the state coordinator for Project WET USA, a program of the Project WET Foundation.
Editor: Brian Brown, California Project WET Coordinator
Water Education Foundation
1401 21st Street, Suite 200
Sacramento, CA 95811
916.444.6240
Internet: www.watereducation.org
email: projectwet@watereducation.org
