Pleasanton teachers took advantage of the city’s natural resources last Saturday during a seminar where they learned how to use new “creek kits” designed to help teachers lead classes on creek exploration. The kits, which cost $400 each, were made available thanks to a $2,500 grant from the Pleasanton North Rotary Club.
Walnut Grove kindergarten and first grade teacher Kat Peters applied for the grant to run an ecology program at Walnut Grove. With the funding she assembled the two “creek kits,” which consist of field guides, nets, magnifying viewers, pH paper, microscopes and more. In addition to the kits, Peters used the grant money to purchase environmental books for the Walnut Grove library and host the Saturday teacher seminar.
Teachers from both the elementary and secondary schools were present and they learned how to turn the creek into a classroom by using the kits. Former City Parks Naturalist Kathy Chapple led the lesson, taking the teachers through the creek and exploring the plants and creatures that live in the area.
Peters said she hoped teachers who attended the lesson saw how using the creek provides a natural classroom for students of any grade and that the kits can be used in many different disciplines to augment lessons.
“I hope teachers came away from the day seeing that they can teach across the curriculum,” Peters said. “There’s science, math and social studies that can be built into a creek study, and it is fun. The kids get so engaged, and it speaks to children that you might loose in a classroom.
“It’s so magical that there’s this corridor of wildness tucked away here. It’s like the secret garden of Pleasanton,” she added.
Any teacher in the district can check out the creek kits by contacting Peters at Walnut Grove Elementary School. Peters said she hopes to hold another seminar on the creek kits in the fall.
Learning about water systems was a common theme at Walnut Grove during this past week as students also got a special lesson in ocean studies on Wednesday by David Helvarg, president of the Blue Frontier Campaign. Helvarg spoke to students about simple ways to keep the ocean clean and how to protect it for future generations. The Blue Frontier Campaign is a nonprofit organization that supports grassroots efforts to increase public awareness and offer solutions to the various threats facing the oceans. Visit www.bluefront.org for more information.
–Rebecca Guyon
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