Resources and Curriculum for K-5th Grade
Teachers:
To promote Clean Drains education, Friends of the Rivers has assembled activities for
Grades K- 5. The activities are hands-on and are designed to engage students of all abilities to be good stewards of Fort Wayne’s three rivers – the St. Marys, St. Joe and Maumee.
Learning the importance of keeping our storm drains clean is a vital part of making sure our rivers are because everything that goes down the storm drains goes directly, and untreated, into our rivers.
We hope you and your students have fun learning about stormwater and storm drains!
Should you have questions and/or need additional information, please contact Lynne Gilmore, Education Coordinator, Clean Drains Fort Wayne, lgilmore226@gmail.com.
Take Your Students on a River Cruise
Friends of the Rivers is seeking a teacher who wants to take their students for a cruise on the city’s waterways.
Field trips on Sweet Breeze, the city’s authentic replica of a canal boat, are available late September and early October during the school day.
State academic standards for social studies for 3rd, 4th and 5th grades are used during the 45-minute tour, which departs from Promenade Park’s main dock.
Docent guides narrate the river route.
Student tickets are $5 each with the remainder underwritten by Friends of the Rivers.
Contact: 260.427.5023 to book a tour or visit forfw.org or RideSweetBreeze.org for additional info.
Classroom Teachers of Grades 2-5
The focus of the CLEAN DRAINS: Be River SmART initiative is to create the next generation of stewards who will protect and preserve Fort Wayne’s three rivers – St. Joe, St. Marys and Maumee.
We created a series of in-classroom activities for your students to complete. And upon successful completion your students will become Official Drain Stormers.
- Friendly the Otter shares the necessary info about what you need to know to become an Official Dain Stormer.
- Additional Videos About Otters from the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo:
- Learn About The North American Otter Video
- Meet Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo three North American River otters Warrick, Kramer and Meeko
ACTIVITY 2: CREATE YOUR OWN STORM DRAIN ART MURAL
ACTIVITY 3: QUIZ TO BECOME AN OFFICIAL DRAIN STORMER
ACTIVITY 4: CONGRATULATIONS IN BECOMING AN OFFICIAL DRAIN STORMER – NOW TAKE THE PLEDGE
ACTIVITY 5: OFFICIAL DRAIN STORMER CERTIFICATE
Science Activities
Crumpled Watershed Model
Make your ‘watershed’ and then make it ‘rain’ to learn how watersheds work
To Drink Or Not To Drink
Learn about water treatment by making a filter to clean dirty water.
Storm In A Glass
This activity teaches about the different parts of a storm, and the way that clouds release water when they become saturated.
Note: Activity requires household materials such as shaving cream, water and food coloring. It is from sciencefun.org
Math Activities
Stormwater Walk
Take a walk around your school and tally things that affect stormwater, such as trees, downspouts and storm drains to give your school a stormwater score.
Arts Activities
Stormwater Sleuth Coloring Pages
These pages provide information about stormwater sleuthing and running rain as coloring activities.
Reading Activities
Follow The H2O Maze
Follow the water as it travels from the lake to your home and back again.
Water Word Scramble
Put the letters in the correct order to complete the sentence.
Additional Resources
Activities appropriate for elementary school-aged children.
Stormwater Activity Booklet From the NCDOT Highway Stormwater Program- An activity guide for stormwater pollution education.
Stormwater Activity Booklet From the Department of Watershed Sciences, Utah State University- An activity guide for stormwater pollution education.
TEACHER SUGGESTION: Feel free to print out the Be A Drain Stormer Family booklet and send home with your students so they can extend their classroom learning into the home.
