Watershed & Salmon Life Cycle Education
Welcome to the Watershed and Salmon Life Cycle Education Program – an immersive learning experience tailored for elementary schools in Greater Victoria and the Saanich Peninsula. This program has engaged thousands of students in our communities for over 15 years.
Every year, we visit classrooms to deliver this two-part, interactive presentation that connects important curricular subjects with their own sense of place. This program reaches almost 500 students each year at schools throughout Greater Victoria. Programs are curriculum-aligned and available at no cost for public schools. We also provide these activities to local community groups and independent schools, upon request.
This interactive program has three aims:
- To connect students with the vibrant ecosystems in their own backyard, fostering a deep understanding of the delicate balance within our watersheds.
- To engage students with the wonders of the Pacific salmon life cycle, and the importance of healthy habitat in their journey from eggs to spawners.
- To provide a memorable and fun experience for students, that leaves them more hopeful, enthusiastic, and empowered to become stewards of their environment.
One Hour, Two Activities
The Watershed Model
Our seven watershed models bring learning to life. These interactive tools empower students to bridge the gap between theoretical concepts and their immediate surroundings. As students engage with our models, they gain a profound appreciation for the interconnected web of water that shapes the landscapes where they live, learn, and play.
What they'll learn:
- the fascinating journey water takes, from precipitation to evaporation.
- what a watershed is and why it plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance
- the various forms of pollution affecting our local streams and shorelines and the importance of responsible environmental stewardship.
- some of the inspiring work being done to protect and preserve our watersheds, and how they can become young stewards of the environment.
Salmon Lesson & Game of Tag
Our educators deliver an engaging visual presentation that brings the salmon life cycle to life. Students gain a deep understanding of the challenges and triumphs these remarkable fish face throughout their life cycle. Prepare to be transported into the world beneath the water's surface, where the salmon's incredible journey unfolds.
Following the presentation, the excitement continues with a lively game of Salmon Tag, that takes place on the school tarmac. Students will take on the roles of salmon and their predators (bears, birds, humans, etc!), emphasizing the many creatures that rely on salmon, and the challenges salmon face in their journey from egg to spawner.
This dynamic activity serves as a hands-on reinforcement of key concepts learned during the presentation, emphasizing the importance of predator-prey relationships within the salmon life cycle. Students experience firsthand the challenges salmon encounter as they navigate their environment and avoid predators in a thrilling, fast-paced game.
Bonus Activity: Salmon Fry Release
In partnership with the Stream to Sea education program by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), we offer streamside education and salmon fry release experiences.
Thousands of students across B.C. and Yukon participate in Stream to Sea's Classroom Incubation program, learning about salmon in a hands-on way with their very own classroom aquarium, stocked with salmonid eggs.
When the salmon fry are ready to leave their aquariums, we bring classrooms to their local creek for streamside education, and students and volunteers release the fry, and send them on their way, on their magical journey to the sea.
If your class is participating in the Classroom Incubation program, and you'd like to pair your fry release with our Watershed and Salmon Life Cycle programs, please leave us a note on our Education Booking form.
Testimonials
Have you participated in our programs? We'd love to hear from you!