Stream School is a hands-on, outdoor education program that is Stream Ecology 101 for kids and their parents! Did we mention it happens in the Little River?
The program is based on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, or STEM, concepts. It incorporates environmental, chemical, and aquatic sciences. The one-day, 2-hour camp consists of 4 main topics: Watershed Systems /Water Cycle, Fish Identification, Macroinvertebrates, and Water Chemistry/Water Quality.
We begin the two-hour class by discussing Little River and its watershed: where does it originate; how many miles does it flow, why is it important? Next, we discuss river flow (why flow changes based on geography and weather, and why it is important) We also discuss what all is impacted by the watershed, the fish and the birds, insects and amphibians that rely on the river for a water source, and how we as humans impact and are affected by out water systems.
Students also learn about the water cycle, and how water cycles from the land to the rivers and streams, and then back again. It is important for students to make the connection that water is in a constant cycle to understand that pollution in one area can then later affect another area.
Once the students know how that rate might change if the river wasn’t as wide, if the river was deeper, or if we just had a lot of rain, students can understand that flow isn’t constant; it is a function of water volume and velocity, and it changes with weather, human interactions and topography, and it impacts water quality, organism habitat, sediment transport, and dissolved oxygen levels.
From these different stations kids can begin to understand the importance of clean water in our watershed systems and what all organisms are affected by clean or polluted systems.
Information on Summer 2026’s Stream School sessions will be released soon! Follow us on social media or join our mailing list to get updates on all events.
Special thanks to our partners that help us host Stream School.
