By Valley Water Intern Madison Owens
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Valley Water’s Education Outreach team spent most days visiting classrooms, leading outdoor tours, and engaging with members of the public at community events. Like you, we needed to adapt to the new reality. The team transitioned our in-person lessons into virtual presentations and we now offer our education programs online for students of all ages. Pivoting to distance learning has provided us an opportunity to reach more students than ever before. So far, we’ve worked with 9,000 students online and our innovative lessons have been well received by both educators and parents.
“My kids really learned interesting facts and continued to share them with us the rest of the day. Your team was very engaging and kept them interested in the subject.” said one survey respondent.
Our environmental education lessons are now interactive presentations, YouTube videos, and sing-a-long songs. Students from kindergarten through high school can enjoy our various online programs during our Wonders of Water Wednesdays after-school enrichment series. Every Wednesday we livestream a new program where students can make a 3D map to learn about which watershed they live in, study how plastic items in their own homes impact marine life or even learn how to build their very own emergency backpack in case of a flood. Children of all ages have enjoyed our programs and keep coming back for more! One fifth grader said, “I really enjoyed the presentation, and you did an amazing job explaining why we should pick up trash.”
Our goal is to reach all students throughout Santa Clara County and support teachers and parents during these challenging times, so we invite you to join us! Register for one of our free Wonders of Water Wednesday presentations via Eventbrite. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wonders-of-water-wednesday-tickets-118561792513
We are also excited to announce we are available to host virtual STEAM nights for Santa Clara County teachers, students, and the community. We aim to help school communities engage in science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) activities and think about the possibilities of careers in these fields. Our mission is to help students in Santa Clara County develop the necessary 21st-century skills of communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking and community. For more information contact education@valleywater.org.
The Education Outreach Program enjoys teaching and engaging with students throughout Santa Clara County. We hope we will see your student’s smiling face soon as we learn about the wonders of water together.
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