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Follow a drop of rain that falls at your school building; just click on the map, and watch your drop hit the ocean.

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Watch the path of a raindrop from anywhere in the contiguous United States

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For questions regarding this program or to schedule your own class Q&A with MetroPark staff, contact Education Staff at FRMP_Education@metroparks.org

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Watch MetroParks' staff with Nature Cat through our local PBS partnership

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ThinkTV Kids & Family
Season 4 Episode 2 | 33m 58s |

In today's camp we'll discover where creeks begin, then follow a stream to see what lives there. We'll check in with some beavers who build dams, watch Erin and Joshua try to float boats and we'll learn to build our own boats!

Aired: 08/11/20

Rating: TV-G

Problems Playing Video? Report a Problem |

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ThinkTV Kids & Family | Exploring Creeks | Season 4 | Episode 2 | PBS

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ThinkTV Kids & Family Season 4 Episode 2 | 33m 58s | In today's camp we'll discover where creeks begin, then follow a stream to see what lives there. We'll check in with some beavers who build dams, watch Erin and Joshua try to float boats and we'll learn to build our own boats!

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Kindergarten:

LIFE SCIENCE (LS)  K.LS.1; K.LS.2

Social Studies:

GEOGRAPHY STRAND

Content Statement: 7. Humans depend on and impact the physical environment in order to supply food, clothing and shelter.

GOVERNMENT STRAND

Content Statement: 9. Individuals have shared responsibilities toward the achievement of

common goals in homes, schools and communities.

First Grade:

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE (ESS)  1.ESS.2

LIFE SCIENCE (LS)  1.LS.1; 1.LS.2

Social Studies:

GEOGRAPHY STRAND

Content Statement: 5. Places are distinctive because of their physical characteristics (landforms and bodies of water) and human characteristics (structures built by people).

GOVERNMENT STRAND

Content Statement: 8. Individuals have responsibility to take action toward the achievement of common goals in homes, schools and communities and are accountable for those actions.

Second Grade:

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE (ESS)  2.ESS.2

LIFE SCIENCE (LS)  2.LS.1

Social Studies:

GEOGRAPHY STRAND

Content Statement: 7. Human activities alter the physical environment, both positively and negatively.

GOVERNMENT STRAND

Content Statements: 10. Personal accountability includes making responsible choices, taking responsibility for personal actions and respecting others.

11. Groups are accountable for choices they make and actions they take.

12. There are different rules that govern behavior in different settings.

Third Grade:

LIFE SCIENCE (LS)  3.LS.2; 3.LS.3

Social Studies:

GEOGRAPHY STRAND

Content Statement: 6. Evidence of positive and negative human modification of the environment can be observed in the local community.

Fifth Grade:

LIFE SCIENCE (LS)  5.LS.1, 5.LS.2

Social Studies:

GEOGRAPHY STRAND

Content Statement: 7. The variety of physical environments within the Western Hemisphere influences human activities. Likewise, human activities modify the physical environments.

ECONOMIC STRAND

Content Statement: 14. The choices made by individuals and governments have both present and future consequences.

Seventh Grade:

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE (ESS)  7.ESS.1

LIFE SCIENCE (LS)  7.LS.2

Social Studies:

GOVERNMENT STRAND

Content Statement: 16. Analyzing individual and group perspectives is essential to understanding historic and contemporary issues. Opportunities for civic engagement exist for students to connect real-world issues and events to classroom learning.

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Streams are a perfect place to play! But ALWAYS make sure an adult knows where you are, and ALWAYS bring a friend! Some safety tips before you go- Don't go in water that is moving so fast you cannot see the bottom, and make sure you're not stepping into mud- mud could be 1 inch deep or 1 foot deep! It is best not to go into water that is above your knee. Be sure to always wear something on your feet and wear shoes with traction on the bottom so you don't fall on slippery rocks- flipflops are not a good option.

After watching this video, get out and play! Then create your own video and tell us how you played in a stream!

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Although most of the Miami Valley's streams are safe to play in, not every creek is clean. Streams can get polluted by chemical spills, lawn chemicals, companies not obeying pollution laws, and many other ways. Unfortunately, it is humans that pollute our local waterways. Some creatures can live in polluted water, while most cannot. The charts below will help you discover which animals can tolerate pollution. Creatures in "Class 1" need clean water to survive, while creatures in "Class 3" can thrive in pollution (because their predators need clean water).

After watching this video, let's see how clean is your stream. You can use these charts to identify creatures you find, often called "macroinvertebrates", and find out! Please create your own video letting us know the macroinvertebrates you found, and how clean you think your stream is, based on what you found!

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Streams are incredible places to find animals. All animals you find in Dayton's streams are harmless if you know how to handle them.

After watching this video, we want to know what stream animals leave near you! Find a creature in your local stream and tell us about it. Resources below will help you learn more about your creature.

TEACHERS: Feel free to give students other resources in this Padlet for this activity.

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Streams, also called creeks, are often the most fun habitat to explore. They are filled with creatures, and can be wonderful playgrounds!

After watching this video, use the stream maps below to explore the rivers of Ohio. Research your closest neighborhood stream you can explore, and then create your own video. Please tell us where your closest creek is and if you have ever played in a creek. If you have played in a creek, also tell us about your favorite 'creeking' experience.

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USGS - U.S. Geological Survey, Texas Water Science Center

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Streamer is a new way to visualize and understand water flow across America. With Streamer you can explore our Nation’s major streams by tracing upstream to their source or downstream to where they empty.

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This document will provide everything you need for the virtual fieldtrip.

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Stream Study: Macroinvertebrates and the water cycle

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Stream Study: Macroinvertebrates and the water cycle

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Stream Study 3: Macroinvertebrates and Water Story

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Please fill out a quick evaluation if you've used our content so we can continue to grow

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This demonstration can be added to the Stream Study field trip, to demonstrate just how precious drinking water is, and why it shouldn't be wasted or polluted.

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WikiWatershed is a web toolkit designed to help citizens, conservation practitioners, municipal decision-makers, researchers, educators, and students advance knowledge and stewardship of fresh water. This allows students to model their watershed, see how habitat changes impact water, get involved in data collection, and much more!

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Welcome to WikiWatershed, a web toolkit designed to help citizens, conservation practitioners, municipal decision-makers, researchers, educators, and students advance knowledge and stewardship of fresh water. Learn more

Explore the WikiWatershed Toolkit

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WikiWatershed: Freshwater Stewardship Web Tools

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Helping citizens, conservation practitioners, municipal decision-makers, researchers, educators, and students advance freshwater knowledge and stewardship.

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This dichotomous key by the Izaak Walton League of America can help your students start to identify the different types of macroinvertebrates that they may find when they are exploring a stream.

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Water Quality Curriculum from Feed the World

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Water Quality Curriculum from Feed the World

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This curriculum uses NGSS standards but can be used with Ohio standards as well.

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The production of corn and its impact on water quality has changed significantly over the past fifty years. Best management practices such as reduced tillage, biofilters, and nutrient management have reduced edge of field sediment loss by 55%, nitrogen loss (surface runoff) by 42%, nitrogen loss (subsurface flow) by 31%, and phosphorus losses by 41%. Today's farmers are producing more corn with fewer resources by planting genetically modified crops with drought resistant traits and maximizing infiltration rates for their soil type. With the help of source water protection programs through the USDA and nutrient practices such as the 4 Rs (right source, right rate, right time, and right place) the amount of nutrient input into our natural water systems has been dramatically reduced from nonpoint sources such as agricultural fields.

Chemical tests are designed to give accurate readings of the present water quality's chemical properties such as dissolved oxygen, nitrates, nitrites, phosphate, and ammonia levels. Many of these chemical properties can change very quickly within an aquatic system and have immediate effects on the organisms that live there. Dissolved oxygen for example is the amount of gaseous oxygen (O2) dissolved in an aqueous solution and is vital for all aquatic life. It is in constant flux due to the balance between the respiration and decomposition of organisms that both require dissolved oxygen and photosynthetic activity and diffusion that increase it.

Biological tests are designed to indicate the overall health of a stream based upon the vertebrate and macroinvertebrate biodiversity within the water system. Organisms are good indicators of seasonal and annual water quality due to their range of tolerance for chemical and physical factors within the aquatic system. For example, mayflies and rainbow darter fish both require water with high dissolved oxygen levels and are not found within systems with low levels of DO. Physical factors help to gauge the stream structure, flow rate, depth, turbidity, and temperature of the water. Many riparian factors may influence physical tests such as the shade cover of trees that decrease water temperature, reduce soil and nutrient erosion, and maintain stream integrity by maintaining stream banks. Simple changes in riparian zones can cause a stream to go into a state of chaos and rapidly change physical, chemical, and biological indicators for the worse.

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The production of corn and its impact on water quality has changed significantly over the past fifty years. Best management practices such as reduced tillage, biofilters, and nutrient management have reduced edge of field sediment loss by 55%, nitrogen loss (surface runoff) by 42%, nitrogen loss (subsurface flow) by 31%, and phosphorus losses by 41%.

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The different types of macroinvertebrates that are found in a stream can be used to help to determine the health of that stream! Challenge your students to use this Biotic Index handout to determine the health of their stream.

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These activities from the EPA are all about drinking water, and are organized by grade level.

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Drinking Water Activities for Students and Teachers | US EPA

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This page contains resources for both K-12 students and teacher to learn about water, water sources, water treatment, and the water cycle.

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These are lesson plans that Project WET is providing on the website (though you can find tons more in their publications.)

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This pdf guide is available for free from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)

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These resources from Project WET are adapted specifically for students to use during distance learning!

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In March 2020 COVID-19 (aka the Coronavirus) forced school closures for the foreseeable future and canceled professional development training for teachers. Project WET wants to ensure that water education continues for people of all ages, and so we have created a suite of free and discounted resources that educators, parents, and children can use to learn about water while meeting standards in math, language arts, science, and even fine arts. We hope this helps educators and students continue learning and exploring during this pandemic.

Note that we will be updating this page regularly with new resources and tips. Please check back weekly to view Project WET resources!
Check out the results of our survey of teachers about distance learning during COVID-19!

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In March 2020 COVID-19 (aka the Coronavirus) forced school closures for the foreseeable future and canceled professional development training for teachers. Project WET wants to ensure that water education continues for people of all ages, and so we have created a suite of free and discounted resources that educators, parents, and children can use to learn about water while meeting standards in math, language arts, science, and even fine arts.

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Role of a River: Introduction to Scenic Rivers and Why Clean Water Matters

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Wild and Scenic Rivers Part 1:  Role of a River

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Dragonflies and Damselflies of Ohio Field Guide 

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Dragonflies and Damselflies of Ohio Field Guide 

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This pdf guide is available for free from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)

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Hunting for Waterbugs: What Bugs Tell Us About Water Quality

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Wild and Scenic Rivers Part 2: Hunting for Water Bugs

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Waterbug Superpowers: Bug Identification and Their Tricks for Underwater Survival

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Wild and Scenic Rivers - Part 3: Water Bug Superpowers

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This pdf guide is available for free from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR)

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Welcome to the Riparian Zone: Why Rivers Need Trees

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Wild and Scenic Rivers - Part 4: Riparian Zone