Shoreline Education Program
Our Shoreline Education Program brings youth to their nearest beach, where they'll be immersed in hands-on marine science and stewardship activities, learning about forage fish, native and invasive crabs, and human impacts on the health of our shorelines.
This program also gives students a greater understanding of local research and restoration projects and initiatives, helping youth connect their learning to their sense of place, and see themselves as part of a community of shoreline stewards.
choose your own adventure
We adapt our program to different beaches, seasons, tides, schedules, and grade levels. That means each event is unique!
We offer 4 core activities. Your event will likely include 2 or 3 of them, with groups of students rotating between each station. Depending on location, time restraints, and the size of your group, some activities may not be available. But don't worry! We will work with you to create a unique and impactful day of learning, that meets the needs of your group.
Forage Fish Spawning Survey
Students get hands-on experience monitoring for surf smelt, sand lance, and other prey fish. (30 mins)
Crab Scavenger Hunt
Students learn about native and invasive crabs, and how to identify them. (~20 mins)
Beach Seining
Students will help PSS Biologists as they identify the diverse species in our nearshore marine ecosystems. (~20-30 mins)
Beach Clean Challenge
Students work in teams to remove garbage from their local shoreline. The largest piece of trash wins the challenge! (~20 mins)
TEACHER TESTIMONIALS
“Our students were super excited about seeing what was living in the waters they see everyday. It was a bit of a big reveal. The net scooping up what looked like just water and then the students getting in close and seeing all these amazing living creatures. And then to top it all off they got to get up close to all the creatures in the viewing containers. It was an amazing experience and I am very grateful for the opportunity to bring this to our classes. The experience was priceless and yet completely accessible becasue we did not have to pay for it."
Sonya McRae, Teacher
Shoreline Community Middle School, SD 61
“We had an amazing time with you at Esquimalt Lagoon! The knowledge they gained has been useful in other studies moving forward and was so fun and valuable for me and the students. Thank you again!”
John Dobson, Teacher
Lighthouse Christian Academy
"Our Environmental Systems and Societies 11 (ESS) students really enjoyed learning some field work skills, identifying local marine biodiversity, and learning about all the restoration work from Peninsula Streams. To prepare us for our field work, PSS came to our school to make connections to our curriculum and discuss their environmental projects. Furthermore, PSS’ biologists and educators shared some more resources following our experiences. Our intertidal experience was definitely enhanced by PSS’s experts in the field."
Jennifer Walton, Environmental and Outdoor Educator
St. Margaret's School
"Peninsula Streams has been offering high-quality programming with Parkland Secondary for many years. Their staff are experienced, highly trained, and make outdoor learning fun and engaging! Getting students involved as citizen scientists is a valuable part of their education and keeps them engaged as life-long learners and community leaders."
Erin Stinson, Teacher
Parkland Secondary School
