Donations help us keep these projects free and constantly evolving. Please consider donating at the link below:
Using art to aid students in discovery of the wonders of freshwater ecosystems.
Grades PreK-3
This project is primarily designed for younger students. Each student has the opportunity to create unique block prints of fish or invertebrates. Through this activity students learn the anatomy of fish and bugs and learn to appreciate freshwater creatures that are seldom observed.
Using the scientific process to engage students with our changing planet.
Grades 2-8
Link to project outline: Pond-in-a-Jar
This program is a 6-8 week low-maintenance experiment using jars, pond water, and invasive species like snails to assess the impacts of invasive species on freshwater ecosystems.
Using the scientific process to engage students with benthic macroinvertebrates and the science behind fly fishing.
Grades 4-12
This program is designed to provide students with the opportunity to apply scientific knowledge, observation, and reasoning to real-world scenarios via hands-on interaction with aquatic organisms.
Students use biological evidence that they collect to make predictions about freshwater systems, and then apply those predictions to practical decisions.
Fishing is used as an accessible and engaging application of these ideas. By connecting insect identification to choosing fishing flies, students experience how scientific reasoning can inform real-world choices.
This project can be adjusted to best suit classroom needs and is designed as a ready-made kit and curriculum for teachers.
Additional resources to help identify aquatic macroinvertebrates can be found below.
Interested in using one of our outreach programs in your classroom? Contact jackson.bates@colostate.edu
