Education Programs

Whales, Watersheds & You!

5th grade thru High School – all day field trip in Dana Point or Oceanside Harbor

Students board a research vessel leaving the harbor to view their watershed from an ocean perspective and to partake in a research cruise. They will help the boat captain and crew find marine mammals, learning about their behavior and unique adaptations. Participants will use scientific tools to collect a plankton sample and analyze it as a critical part of the food chain while looking for evidence of microplastics. Utilizing a hands-on watershed model, students will make connections between human actions on land and our unique coastal environment.  Students will continue their learning experience by taking action in a beach cleanup in the harbor. The student scientists will sort and record their findings, learning the value and direct impact of stewardship to the health of our ocean.

Welcome to your Watershed

4^th grade – 50 minutes in the classroom

Utilizing STEM investigation to focus critical attention on human impact in our local watershed, students examine the contents of soil and sand that get transported through streams and rivers, ultimately arriving at the beach at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Students learn to identify different types of pollution, especially the prevalence of plastics, and explore how this is devastating to wildlife in the watershed. At the conclusion of the program, students are challenged to contribute ideas on the ways that they can positively impact their local watershed.

Waste Busters

3^rd grade – 50 minutes in the classroom

Utilizing artifacts and hands-on activities, students will compare and contrast invertebrates, fish, sharks, sea turtles and marine mammals. Students will focus on the unique characteristics of animal’s anatomy and their adaptations to understand why it is critical to protect all animals from human threats to their survival.

*New for the 2025/2026 school year Zuzu’s Wishful Wanderings

2nd grade- 50 minutes in the classroom

Join Zuzu, the hermit crab, on his unexpected adventure as he discovers ways to remove plastic from his island habitat. Students use graphing, sorting and field guides to learn about hermit crab adaptations while conducting  an investigation addressing possible solutions to this global environmental threat.