Fairfax County ecologists provide free high-quality, innovative educational programs and teaching tools to audiences ranging from K–12.
Public Works and Environmental Services Alert:
Fairfax County ecologists provide free high-quality, innovative educational programs and teaching tools to audiences ranging from K–12.
Ages: High School. Program Length: 45 minutes.
Program availability contingent on season and weather. Students learn how to identify live stream organisms using a key and how to determine the health of a stream based on the critters they find. While some critters can tolerate pollution, others need clean water to survive. Based on the number of sensitive, moderate and tolerant organisms in the sample, students give their stream a grade. Will your stream be an A+ or an F? The school is responsible for finding an appropriate stream site for the event.
Alternatively, staff are available to "stream from a stream" where students participate virtually in a stream monitoring event.
Ages: Grades 4-12. Program Length: 40 minutes.
Students learn how to identify different stream organisms using a stream critter cube and a key to determine the health of a stream. While some critters can tolerate pollution, others need clean water to survive. Based on the number of sensitive, moderate, and tolerant organisms in the sample, students give their stream a grade. Will your stream be an A+ or an F? This program is a good alternative to the Live! Stream Critter Lab for younger students or when the weather does not permit students to travel to a stream.
Ages: High School. Program Length: 45 minutes.
Fluvial geomorphology is the study of the form and function of streams and their interaction with the surrounding landscape. In this lab, students will learn about physical characteristics of streams, how they can change over time, and how they are monitored. This lab can be held outdoors at a stream or in your classroom. It can also be paired with the Stream Critter Lab for a full 90-minute lab.
Ages: Elementary School. Program Length: 30 minutes.
This activity combines art and science to explore the life of one of our local stream insects – the caddisfly! In this activity, students learn about caddisflies, the houses they make, and how they relate to stream health. Students then make their own caddisfly and house out of craft supplies.
The Create a Caddisfly program is a great STEM or STEAM night activity and fulfills requirements for the Bug Badge (Girl Scouts) or the Insect Study (Boy Scouts).
Ages: Elementary School. Program Length: 40 minutes.
Oh, what a tangled web we weave when trying to teach food webs. In this program, students learn about producers, consumers, and decomposers in the Chesapeake Bay. In the interactive portion of the program, students become part of the food web and learn how each species plays an integral role in our environment and what happens when human interactions throw off a balanced ecosystem.
Our team of freshwater ecologists are available to present to your students in-person or virtually. Staff are available to discuss a wide range of topics, including watersheds, assessing the health of our streams and lakes, Chesapeake Bay, food webs, stormwater management, influences of human activity on ecosystems, science fair projects, and more! For large classes, it is helpful to send a list of questions ahead of time.
The On Your Own Stream Critter Cube Lab includes multiple templates to make your very own stream critter cube to monitor our streams from anywhere! Users will learn how to identify different organisms to check the health of a stream using their critter cube and a key. While some critters can tolerate pollution, others need clean water to survive. Users roll their cube to “sample” a stream and give it a grade based on the number of sensitive, moderate, and tolerant critters they get. Will your stream be an A or an F?