EcoCenter Education Program Descriptions for the 2014-2015 School Year
All programs are approximately 60 minutes in length and are aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.
The EcoCenter Exploration Experience is a 60-minute hands-on tour of the EcoCenter and its sustainable design features. The different grade-level programs are described below.
Upper Elementary (3rd through 5th grade)
The sun powers most living systems on Earth, including our living building. Students embark on an interactive scavenger hunt to discover how the EcoCenter follows nature’s lead in its use of energy, water, and materials.
Middle School (6th through 8th grade)
Middle school Students can appreciate the discovery of sustainable design features in the EcoCenter “scavenger hunt style.” Connections are made to the mimicry of natural processes-particularly renewable energy, water conservation and management, alternative wastewater treatment, and material (re)cycling.
High School (9th through 12th grade)
Interspersed with interactive demonstrations and activities, high school students are introduced to and evaluate sustainable solutions to human impacts in the built environment. Strategies include renewable energy and energy conservation, water conservation and management, alternative wastewater treatment, and material reuse and recycling. Connections are made to principles of environmental justice and careers in a burgeoning “green economy.”
The EcoCenter Native Plant Walk is a 60-minute “each one, teach one” tour of our outdoor landscape for 3rd – 12th grade. Students learn about California native plants, their role in the ecosystem, and their human uses, past and present. Native plant walks are developmentally appropriate and aligned with applicable Next Generation Science Standards, applied accordingly for upper elementary, middle, and high school audiences.
Click here to download a pdf file of our current educational programs.