Teacher Water Quality Study Kits

Students Check the Level of Dissolved Oxygen in a Water Sample with TEP's Water Quality Education Kit.

To complement the Children's Clean Water Festival, TEP developed eleven water education study kits that teachers can check out for free from the TEP office. Each of these kits contain numerous hands-on activities with their associated props, field equipment, curricula, and exceptional children's literature on water resources.

One component of the Watershed Education Kit is the Enviroscape Watershed Model, an interactive demonstration of non-point source pollution. This is used in Tillamook County classrooms and public events to further cultivate a water quality ethic in area students. Each kit also contains contact information for local natural resource agency professionals that may be of great assistance to teachers and their students in each subject area. A majority of the kit activities are recommended for grades 4-12, however many can be easily adapted for a wide range of audiences from kindergarten to adult. The kits are used extensively by a broad range of K-12 teachers throughout the county, and are continuously lauded for their educational value.

These kits may be checked out for up to two weeks by teachers/educators in Tillamook County through the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership by calling (503) 322-2222 or bette@tbnep.org. All kits contain a handful of classroom activities including their associated props, benchmark content standards, water resource books, water terms, and a resource list of additional curricula and educational materials. Some kit components have been translated into Spanish for bilingual classroom use, including a glossary of terms. A courier service has been worked out, through the ESD, to deliver the kits to and from the schools free of charge. All kits were funded through an Oregon Department of Environmental Quality Grant....thank you!! Please call if you have any questions or have ideas to make the kits work better for you.

Spread the word around your schools - these kits are recommended from many grade levels!!!

Tori Kirkpatrick, a teacher at Nestucca Valley Middle School says, "This is my first year teaching science and I was a bit apprehensive about the assignment. However, this is not the case anymore. I am using the water quality kit at this time and cannot say enough good things about it. As a teacher time is always a factor when planning activities. The kit not only contained enough information me, a water quality novice, to teach with confidence it also included many hands on activities for the students to use. Each activity was completely prepared including game boards and pieces!!! The entire kit is a teacher's dream. Lessons are well planned and all materials needed for implementing them were included. I especially liked the inclusion of real children's literature and supplemental information that allowed the kit to be used not only in science but in language arts and social studies as well. The resource left little to prepare for and made teaching water quality much easier than I expected. I would not have covered this topic in such detail without it. My students and I both benefited from the experience. My only concern is that other teachers will use these kits and discover how wonderful and complete they are and I will not be able to get my hands on the next one when I want to use it!"

Water Quality Kit

Recommended for Grades 4-12
This kit allows for measurements of streams, lakes, and wetlands allowing students to understand that humans do have a direct impact on the cleanliness and health of our water. Students measure, use numbers and interpret data as they are introduced to the water quality parameters of pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature and turbidity. Use in the field and in the classroom.

Activities:

1. Water Quality Testing Equipment - DO, pH, & Turbidity Test Kits, thermometers, latex gloves, etc.
2. Deadly Waters Activity -Increase the understanding of water pollution and its effects on humans and wildlife.
3. Decision-Making Vignettes - Discuss water quality problem scenarios.
4. Down on the Farm, Down in the Water - Discuss the impact agriculture has on groundwater.
5. Pollution Puzzlers - Play “Old Maid” and learn about nonpoint source pollution.
6. Sum of the Parts - Demonstrate nonpoint source pollution.
7. EcoMasters: Clean Water. An interactive CD that builds support for pollution prevention.

Resources & Books:

1. Environmental Detectives. Gems. Students solve mysteries of erosion, algal blooms and water pollution.
2. A River Ran Wild, An Environmental History. Lynne Cherry. A true story about the Nashua River.
3. The Rainstick, A Fable. C. Robinson. A West African tale that tells the story of a young boy’s quest for rain.

Lifestyle Choices Kit

Recommended for grades K-9
This kit is designed to help students learn how they can make a difference in Oregon's environment - by doing simple things in their own homes! Students will examine real-world issues they will face as citizens of the future. Use in the classroom.

Activities:

1. The Case of the Mysterious Renters - Determine how much water families use each day and ways to conserve.
2. Choices & Preferences - Develop a “water index” to rank water uses.
3. Hazardous Products Substitutes (K-3) - Recognize signal words and visual symbols that indicate the presence of hazardous substances.
4. Hazardous Routes & Safe Substitutes (4-7) - Identify ways people dispose of household hazardous waste and create a recipe book of safe substitutes for home use.
5. Spanish Lessons on Waste (4-7) - Learn second language vocabulary and issues surrounding solid waste.
6. Lunchroom Trash - Scrutinize your lunch time trash and determine ways to reduce waste.
7. Stormwater Obstacle Course - Race to prevent pollutants from going down the storm drain.
8. EcoMasters: Clean Water. An interactive CD that builds support for pollution prevention.

Resources & Books:

1. Understanding Garbage and Our Environment. Nolan. Investigate solutions such as recycling, composting and reducing.
2. The Garbage Monster. Sensel. A fearsome garbage monster gets recycled limb by limb.
3. Recycling Curriculum

Stream Simulator Kit

Recommended for grades 4-adult
This kit is designed to help introduce streams and how stream structures contribute to fish habitat needs. The Stream Table displays the interaction of stream flow with debris in flood plains; the contribution of saturation to soil erosion; and, culverts and road fill damage caused by flood events. The Stream Table can be accompanied by a natural resource agency professional. Use in the classroom and at fairs.

Activities:

1. Stream Table - Use this terrific teaching tool to show erosion, stream structure, and fish habitat needs.
2. Building A Healthy Stream - Using the Stream Table, demonstrate how water contributes to the process of erosion; how streams carry sediments; and, what substrate and materials fish need to live.
3. The Tragic Story of Freddie the Fish - A story about how pollution can affect the health of fish populations.
4. Home Wet Home - Recognize and describe how stream structures contribute to salmonid habitat needs.
5. Salmon Cycle, A Learning Game - Experience many of the same challenges wild salmon face during their life cycle.

Resources & Books:

1. The Streamkeeper. Bill Nye “The Science Guy”. An upbeat video to train all who want to learn more about watersheds and how to protect the streams that flow through them.
2. Aquatic Habitats. GEMS curriculum. Create aquatic habitats, raise tubifex worms, fish and go on aquatic field trips.
3. River Life, Look Closer. Greenaway. A wonderful introduction to river life with spectacular photographs.
4. Salmon Stream. Reed-Jones. Inspires wonder and appreciation for these amazing fish.
5. Mac’s Field Guide to Salmon and Trout. Great illustrated, waterproof guide.

Watershed Kit

Recommended for grades 4-12
This kit is an excellent introduction to, or in-depth look at, watersheds. The Watershed Model is a terrific tool to learn about non-point source pollution and how it impacts our waterways and bays. Students can build their own watershed or analyze current and historical maps to define trends and changes in their watershed. Use in the field and in the classroom.

Activities:

1. Watershed Model - Learn about point and non-point source pollution and demonstrate pollution impacts on streams.
2. Made in the Shade - Demonstrate the influence of riparian vegetation in keeping streams cool.
3. Just Passing Through - Mimic the movement of water down a slope with and without vegetation.
4. Watershed Web of the Wild - Role play parts of the watershed and their effects on the health of the watershed.
5. Watershed Mapping - Understand the history of a place and how the landscape has changed over time.
6. What A Relief - Construct a 3-D model of a watershed.
7. EcoMasters: Clean Water. An interactive CD that builds support for pollution prevention.
8. Oregon Plan Toolbox. A CD Resource for teachers interested in saving salmon and watersheds.

Resources & Books:

1. Natural History Guide Books – Field Guide to the Pacific Northwest, Oregon Wildflowers, Oregon Birds, etc.
2. How to Teach with Topographic Maps. Van Burgh. Help students visualize 3-D from 2-D maps.
3. Take the Watershed Challenge – Crossword Puzzle Poster.
4. An Environmental History of the Tillamook Bay Estuary & Watershed. Coulton, Williams, Benner.
5. GIS Maps of the Nestucca, Tillamook and Nehalem Watersheds.
6. Topographic Maps of the Nestucca, Tillamook and Nehalem Watersheds.
7. Geography Detective: Rivers and Valleys. Sauvain. A fine introduction to watershed concepts.
8. The Lorax. Dr. Seuss. This classic book offers a timely message regarding biodiversity.
9. Field Trips with Jim Arnosky. J. Arnosky. Combination field guide, journal and technique book for exploring.
10. Sourcebook for Watershed Education. Guidelines for the development of watershed education programs.

Explore A Bay Kit

Recommended for grades 4-adult
This kit is a collection of resources that can be used to both prepare for and use on a field trip to Nestucca, Tillamook, Nehalem Bay or a local beach. The kit includes an assortment of books and field guides that relate to these areas. Use in the classroom or in the field.

Activities:

1. Marsh Munchers - Pantomime marsh animals and identify their interconnectedness in a food web.
2. Plastic Jellyfish - Enhance awareness of the hazards of plastic waste for wildlife in aquatic environments.
3. Marine Debris - Get involved in your local bay clean-ups.
4. Gyotaku: The Art of Japanese Fish Printing - Learn about fish anatomy and make fish prints. Kit includes rubber fish, paint, and directions.
5. Estuary Web Game - Learn about the interconnectedness of life in an estuary with this fun game.
6. Nature Awareness - Learn how to watch wildlife.

Resources & Books:

1. One Small Square, Seashore. Silver. An eye-opening perspective on one small part of the world.
2. On Sandy Shores. GEMS. Learn about classification systems and study erosion, waves, currents, habitats, etc.
3. Keepers of the Earth. Native American stories and environmental activities.
4. Brittle Stars & Mudbugs. Lichen, Feltner. An uncommon field guide to Northwest shorelines & wetlands.
5. River Walking, Songbirds, and Singing Coyotes. Lichen, Feltner. An uncommon field guide to NW Mountains.
6. Passionate Slugs & Hollywood Frogs. Lichen, Feltner. An uncommon field guide to Northwest Backyards.
7. Western Coastal Birds. Waterford Press. Great fold-out guide, an introduction to familiar species.
8. Northwestern Seashore Life. Waterford Press. Great fold-out guide, an introduction to familiar species.
9. Guide to Oregon’s Rocky Intertidal Habitats. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife. The best photographic guide book to the intertidal habitats.
10. Common Plants of Oregon’s Rocky Intertidal Habitats. ODF&W. Easy guide to the algae and lichen.
11. Why Do Whales and Children Sing? Dunn. A guide to listening in nature – includes CD of nature sounds.
12. Ocean Explorer CD. NOAA. Great introduction to the undersea world – activities, video clips, and pictures.
13. The Discovery of Hydrothermal Vents. Woods Hole. A fascinating, newly discovered undersea world.
14. Sea Soup, Phytoplankton/Zooplankton, Teacher's Guide. Cerullo, Stevens. Discovering the watery world at the base of the marine food chain.
15. Discover Nature at the Seashore. Lawlor. Things to know and things to do.

Wetland Kit

Recommended for grades 4-12
This kit explores wetlands and their many components. Emphasis focuses on understanding what characteristics define a wetland. The inhabitants such as birds, mammals, and invertebrates that rely on wetlands for habitat are stressed. Further focus is placed on wetland functions in a larger context to demonstrate the role that they play as both reservoirs for water and as filters. Use in the field or classroom.

Activities:

1. In The Water, In The Plants - Demonstrate the ability of plants to absorb soluble substances in water.
2. Migration Headache - Experience some factors that affect the survival of migratory water bird populations.
3. Wetland Metaphors - Develop an appreciation and understanding of wetlands through the power of metaphor.
4. What Can You Do? - Identify ways to protect wetlands.
5. Marsh Munchers - Pantomime marsh animals and identify their interconnectedness in a food web.
6. Water Under Foot - Demonstrate the relationship of groundwater to land, wetlands, and contamination.

Resources & Books:

1. Eyewitness Pond & River Video. 35 minutes. Understand the role ponds and rivers play on this water-based planet.
2. WOW, The Wonders of Wetlands. Comprehensive guide to develop wetland study programs.
3. Wetlands: Investigating Swamps, Bogs, Fens and Marshes. Great introduction to aquatic environments.
4. Reptiles & Amphibians. Audubon Society Pocket Guide. 80 color photographs to help you identify in the field.
5. Flute’s Journey: The Life of a Wood Thrush. Cherry. Learn about the needs of migratory songbirds.

Macroinvertebrate Kit

Recommended for grades 4-12
This kit will help you explore the magnificent world of macroinvertebrates. Macroinvertebrates are the "canaries in the coalmine" for stream ecosystems. Students will discover how these organisms can teach them about water quality. Complete with tools for collecting and identifying macros. Use in the field or classroom.

Activities:

1. Macroinvertebrate Mayhem - Illustrate, through a game of tag, how macroinvertebrate populations indicate water quality.
2. Water Canaries - Recognize indicators of environmental quality in streams, ponds and other aquatic environments.
3. Water Wigglers - Examine different in-stream microhabitats.
4. What Am I? - Learn vocabulary associated with macroinvertebrates and create one of your own design - great math exercise in following directions, exact measurements, precision and accuracy.
5. Build A “Bug” - Learn vocabulary associated with aquatic insects and build one of your own design.
6. Are You Me? - Recognize the various stages of aquatic animals, including macroinvertebrates.
7. Macroinvertebrate Graphing - Learn water quality indicators through this fun graphing exercise.

Resources:

1. All equipment needed to sample in the field - D-frame net, seine net, basters, ice cube trays, petri dishes, magnifying boxes, pocket magnifiers, macroinvertebrate ID cards, waterproof sorting sheets, 6 pairs boots, etc.
2. Guide to Pacific Northwest Aquatic Invertebrates. Hafele, Hinton. Photographic guide book.
3. Streamkeeper’s Field Guide. Adopt-A-Stream Foundation. Watershed Inventory and Stream Monitoring Methods.
4. S.O.S. For America’s Streams, video. Izaak Walton League. Water quality and stream monitoring methods.

Animal Track and Uplands Kit

Recommended for grades 4-adult
Many different plants and animals live in the watershed outside the tidal boundaries of the estuary. This kit will guide students as they develop tracking and identification skills, learn about anatomy, adaptations, and behavior, and cultivate a greater appreciation for the interconnectedness of the entire watershed.

Activities:

1. Nature Awareness - Learn how to watch wildlife.
2. 9 animal track molds & 9 animal track replicas. (River otter, red fox, black bear, gray squirrel, wood duck, eagle, mountain lion, frog, great horned owl, flicker, coot, woodpecker, gopher, elk, coyote, beaver and opossum)
3. Activity on Scat (still under development)
4. Into the Forest, Nature's Food Chain Game. Ampersand Press. The winner of this game has earned the most energy points.

Resources:

1. Animal Tracks of Washington and Oregon. Lone Pine Guides. Detailed drawings and other key identifying features.
2. One Small Square, Woods. Silver. Explore hollow logs, marks on a leaf, other clues to life in the woods.
3. Take a Tree Walk. Kirkland. An activity book packed with guided field explorations and activities.
4. Tree Identification Walk. Acorn Naturalists. Great to take along on a forest hike.
5. Around the Pond, Who's Been Here? George. Follow the clues to see who's been using the pond.
6. In the Woods, Who's Been Here? George. Follow the clues to see who's been in the woods.
7. Oregon Wildflowers. Magley. A children's field guide to the state's most common flowers.
8. Tracks, Scats, and Signs. Take along guide to enhance the field experience.

Intertidal Kit

Recommended for grades 2-adult
Tillamook County is home to several vibrant intertidal communities just waiting to be explored. This kit introduces the complexity and fragility of these ecosystems that are always on the edge. Classroom activities give an excellent overview, and all equipment is provided for an intertidal field trip.

Activities:

1. What Am I? - Become familiar with the different tidal zones and what lives there.
2. Tide Pool Puzzler - Learn how the different tide zones co-exist to form a functioning habitat.
3. Crab Transformer - Create a crab and learn about its life stages.
4. Sea Star Puppet - Create a sea star and learn about its adaptations.
5. A Crabby Computation - Learn an adaptation crabs have with this fun math exercise.
6. Tide Pool Felt Board - Build an intertidal food chain with this interactive classroom activity.
7. A Few Words about Invertebrates - Build vocabulary and comprehension skills in increasing levels.
8. Tide Pool Twister - Through this familiar game, students learn how humans can harm tide pools.
9. Tide Pool Dilemmas - Students examine their own values about intertidal life.

Resources:

1. Once Upon a Seashore. Snively. A Curriculum for Grades K-6.
2. Pacific Coast Information Cards. Background info. about the common marine plants and animals.
3. Beach Explorations. Curriculum designed for use with Pacific Coast Information Cards.
4. Guide to Oregon's Rocky Intertidal Habitats. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife. The best photographic guide book to the intertidal habitats.
5. Common Plants of Oregon's Rocky Intertidal Habitats. ODF&W. Easy guide to the algae and lichen.
6. One Small Square, Seashore. Silver. An eye-opening perspective on one small part of the world.
7. Northwest Coastal Invertebrates. Mac's Field Guide. Six copies.
8. Life on a Rocky Shore CD. Sefton. Includes over 100 photos, graphics, video clips and guide to rocky shores.
9. World Between the Tides, video. An exciting, informative visit to the tidepools of the Pacific Northwest.
10. The World's Below, video. A wondrous journey into the undersea worlds of California's Monterey Bay.
11. Exploring the Seashore. Snively. A Guide to Shorebirds and Intertidal Plants and Animals.
12. Grasper. Lewis. A young crab's discovery.
13. The Intertidal Wilderness. Rosenfeld. A Photographic Journey through Pacific Coast Tidepools.
14. Three Rubbermaid totes with bubblers to take on an intertidal discovery field trip.

Birds of the Estuary Kit

Recommended for grades 2-adult
Learn about these amazing winged creatures and what makes them different from all other living things. Both coastal and inland birds are explored through a variety of hands on activities, classroom exercises, and other media in this long-awaited education kit. Use in the field and classroom.

Activities:

1. Hidden Feathers - Using creativity and imagination, students decide what color feathers birds need to survive.
2. Name that Bill - A bird's beak determines what it eats. and often indicates where it lives.
3. Drawing Connections - A companion to the above activity.
4. Build a Bird - One student in the classroom is “transformed” into a bird by their peers, using everyday props to illustrate the many unique adaptations birds have.
5. My Imaginary Bird - Using their knowledge of bird adaptations, this art activity stimulates creativity and appreciation for all birds.
6. The Great Migration - Identify limiting factors affecting populations of migrating water birds.
7. Cut 'N Create - Metaphorical thinking and writing leads to understanding how our own bodies also have adaptations for survival.
8. What do Owls Eat?? Identify bones in owl pellets to find out if an owl fed on birds or rodents.

Resources:

1. Shorebirds - Migratory Super Heroes! USFWS. A student activity guide full of fun games and puzzles.
2. Owl Pellet Dissection Kit. Acorn Naturalists. Examine what an owl eats.after the fact! Includes forceps, safe for student use.
3. Clover the Snowy Plover CD. Oregon Coast Aquarium. A touching and informative story of natural history and human impact.
4. Bird Watching and Listening Tips. Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve. Prepare for your first field observation trip with this expert advice.
5. Artic Nesting Shorebirds Slide Show CD. USFWS. A fascinating look at changes in plumage through the seasons.
6. How Birds Migrate. Kerlinger. A scientific look into the mysteries of migration.
7. Birds, Nests and Eggs. Boring. A young person's colorful first guidebook to birds.
8. Birds in your Backyard. Herkert. Students can make their own home a place that feathered friends like to visit.
9. Hunters of the Sky. Acorn Naturlists. An Activity Guide on Birds of Prey.
10. Winged Migration, DVD. Jacques Perrin productions. Nominated for a 2002 Academy Award as Best Documentary Feature.
11. Framed Bird Feathers. THS student-created. An up close and personal look at the feathers of two birds common to Tillamook County.
12. Field guides. Waterford Press. Fold out guide to familiar species, plus a simple laminated field guide for the very young.

Soils/Geology Kit

Recommended for grades 4-adult
Components still being organized, but available for use. Just ask if you're interested!

Also Available For Check Out:

Student Stereomicroscope (Wolfe) & FlexCam Teaching Camera

• Dual magnifications of 20x and 40x with upper and in-base illumination with independent left-eyetube focus.
• FlexCam is a lightweight, high resolution video camera and lens mounted on a flexible wand. Simple to set up and use--just aim, focus and begin teaching. The entire class can view what’s happening on your monitor.
• Present demonstrations, experiments and techniques. Display images from a microscope.
• Record with a VCR or connect to your video-compatible PC – easy to set-up!
• Set up "live remote" views of aquaria, terraria, birdhouses, feeders, etc.
• Includes 28-mm and 34-mm microscope couplers, which fit the outer diameter of virtually any standard compound microscope eyepiece and many stereomicroscope eyepieces.

Also includes:

• Pond Investigation Set (Gr. 3 and up) - 10 microscope slides and the book ne Small Square: Pond.
• Seashore Investigation Set (Gr. 3 and up) - 10 microscope slides and One Small Square: Seashore.

Binoculars

• 18 pairs. These 8 x 21 binoculars are lightweight with a wide field of view (365 ft. At 1000 yds.)
• Take them into the field along with the Watershed, Wetland, or Explore A Bay Kit.