ACE offers Climate Education resources, a Youth Action Network, Youth Advocacy Training, and Action Fellowship opportunities for high school students in the Milwaukee area. All programs align to ACE’s mission is to educate young people on the science of climate change and empower them to take action. Learn more

Lesson plans and a reading list to orient young children to our world’s water supply and what it means to be a scientist.

The 3-day lesson plan covers habitats and food webs all within a local context. On the second day students present a solution to a man-made problem. On the third day students are bused to UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences, learn about Habitat Hotels, and meet with freshwater scientists.

The Attack Pack is a rucksack filled with materials to help students and other groups learn about Great Lakes aquatic invasive species, the problems they cause and what can be done about them. Borrow a pack from the Wisconsin Water Library!

This 19 minute documentary makes the case for choosing to drink tap water over bottled water.

The CGLL website has dozens of searchable curricular resources all about the Great Lakes.

Guide your students in performing an energy audit using the We Energies’ Energy Audit Kit hosted at Reflo. Check out the kit and use the tools in the kit to monitor plug load, moisture, light, and temperature levels to find energy loss and improve energy efficiency in any room of your building.

Once requested, the kit can be picked up from Reflo’s office in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood

The transition to a clean energy economy is accelerating new career paths in the clean energy industry. Clean energy careers provide workers with the opportunity to make a living while serving their community. Explore any or all of these careers in KEEP’s Clean Energy Career Bundle!

From warming trout streams to decreasing ice cover, lower lake levels to extreme heat, Climate Wisconsin tells stories from a rapidly changing state.  Each of the short videos is accompanied by additional research and ideas for further learning.

KEEP was created to promote energy education in Wisconsin schools. Connect to Place provides teachers with a video of ideas and resources that connect learners to concepts of solar energy in their local setting. Following the video, teachers select a solar energy activity to engage their learners.

Help give back to the land that is so often taken for granted. Let’s work together to put 10,000 hours of conservation service into our lands by the end of year 2020. Check out this website that includes instructional videos and handouts for how to complete different conservation activities in your nature-hood. 10 hours gets you a t-shirt!

LEAF was created to promote forestry education in Wisconsin. Through a partnership with the Wisconsin DNR-Division of Forestry, LEAF works to enrich students, inspire educators, and sustain forests. LEAF’s School Grounds Handbook will help schools develop their outdoor sites so students can thrive!

The Digital Observation Technology Skills (DOTS) program is an outdoor Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) lesson that uses modern mobile technology tools to connect today’s students to the outdoors in new and innovative ways. This inquiry-based lesson navigates the basics of the scientific method and focuses on the importance of good scientific communication and sharing discoveries with others. Students work in groups to test simple hypotheses,using data and observations collected in the field with technology tools found in the DOTS kits. Students observe, take measurements, explore the micro and macro details of their environment, and learn how to embrace their inner scientists. They collect digital artifacts and ‘Media Specialists’ are responsible for collecting photo and video evidence of each groups ‘scientific story’ that can then be used to present the results of the study to share with others.

KEEP was created to promote energy education in Wisconsin schools. With support from energy partners, KEEP leverages teacher education to increase energy literacy in Wisconsin schools. Doable Renewables is an interdisciplinary, hands-on curriculum that includes 20 renewable energy activities.

Storytelling is an important part of our lives. As we all search for more to do outside and for ways to connect with each other, we welcome you to join us for an Earth Stories Exchange hosted by Upham Woods Outdoor Learning Center. Write a story about being on Earth and submit it and Upham Woods naturalists will write you back about an Earth story in their neck of the woods! Learn more here

KEEP was created to promote energy education in Wisconsin schools. With support from energy partners, KEEP leverages teacher education to increase energy literacy. Energy and Your School is a hands-on, interdisciplinary collection of lessons that support energy efficiency in school buildings.

To foster the next generation of water stewards, MMSD partners with area nature centers to provide youth with experiences to learn about water resources in a natural environment. A limited number of bus and program scholarships are available for selected programs. Scholarships are on a first-come, first-registered basis. Please contact the organizations for program specifics and scholarship information. Learn more here

Lesson plans and a reading list to learn about what makes birds unique and to learn about birds that live on or near water.

The Freshwater Tool Kit is designed to connect Milwaukee-area educators with activities and organizations to help teach the foundational knowledge of water resources. We believe that learners with a strong understanding of water basics will become more engaged when they learn about in-depth water resource concepts and issues such as assessing, managing and protecting our water resources, and be more motivated to find solutions to protecting our waters. The Tool Kit contains lesson plans, classroom presentations and field trip opportunities. Visit http://www.freshwatertoolkit.org/ check out the flyer for more information!

The Great Lakes in My World curricula provide indoor and outdoor activities you can integrate into your classroom. The curricula include free lesson plans, assessment rubrics, and student journal pages. Download the K-8 or 9-12 curriculum guides here.

Teaching Great Lakes Science is your source for science, technology, engineering and math! This website features a suite of lessons, activities and data sets focused on the Great Lakes. Any of these resources may be easily incorporated into formal and informal educational settings. All the lessons, activities, teacher tools and data sets are free and targeted for 4-12th grades. Visit https://www.michiganseagrant.org/lessons/ to explore lessons, data sets and other teacher resources related to the Great Lakes!

Green & Healthy Schools Wisconsin provides recognition for PreK-12 public and private schools working to reduce environmental impact and costs, improve health and wellness, and increase environmental and sustainability literacy through a self-paced, voluntary, web-based application. Sign up or learn more about the program at here.

The Alliance for the Great Lakes has created H.O.M.E.School, a new series of online lessons about the Great Lakes for kids in grades K-8. Each lesson explores a different topic with a quick video from our education manager Katie Larson. After the “classroom” portion, students can apply their knowledge with a fun, hands-on activity they can do at home. For educators and those who want to learn more, we offer resources to dig in deeper on the topic with links to other lessons and activities.

Reflo offers tours and engagements that demonstrate the use of stormwater management best practices and green infrastructure throughout Milwaukee. Join us to discover the hidden water stories of Cream City Farms, Green Tech Station, or completed Schoolyard Redevelopment Projects.

Ever wonder what happens to the water when you flush the toilet? Billions of gallons of wastewater are treated every year at two reclamation facilities that serve 1.1 million people in 28 communities. Join us to see the process of cleaning our water first hand with a tour of the Jones Island Water Reclamation Facility owned and governed by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, and operated and maintained by Veolia Water Milwaukee. The tour includes information on wastewater- an explanation of where it comes from, how wastewater is cleaned and returned to Lake Michigan, jobs in the water industry, and a question and answer session. Learn more here.

Join Julius for short, enjoyable video lessons that teach about different river-related topics through easy to follow activities using household items.

KEEP was created to promote energy education in Wisconsin schools. Know the Flow is a hands-on, exploratory curriculum encouraging teachers to use the school as an educational tool introducing kindergarten through fourth grade students to energy in a way that connects it directly to their lives.

Lake Sturgeon Bowl, the first Saturday in February, is a regional competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB)—a round robin, double-elimination academic tournament for teams of five high school students who are interested in broadening their understanding of the oceans and Great Lakes.

LEAF was created to promote forestry education in Wisconsin. Through a partnership with the Wisconsin DNR-Division of Forestry, LEAF works to enrich students, inspire educators, and sustain forests. LEAF’s School Grounds Lessons engage students in place-based learning on their school/local grounds.

Explore what lies beneath the surface of Lake Michigan by investigating the development and use of bathymetric maps. Students will discover how technology helps fishermen find fish and historians find shipwrecks in creating a project inspired by the lake. Visit https://www.discoveryworld.org/learning/kohls-design-it-mobile-lab/ for more details.

The Milwaukee Community Map is a free interactive map using Google Earth to share, explore, and create Milwaukee’s community water stories. The map hosts Water Stories, featuring local groups making a difference in our city’s collective water story; Basemaps, featuring geographic areas like watersheds, the sewer service area, and historic waterways; and Deeper Dives, featuring animated thematic tours. Check back soon for suggested curricular and topical themes that intersect with the Milwaukee Community Map!

A companion to the Milwaukee Community Map curated by the nonprofit Reflo – Sustainable Water Solutions, the free Milwaukee Story Mapper gives anyone the tools to create their own story map in Google Earth. The Milwaukee Story Mapper allows users to upload photos, edit text, and arrange geo-positioned placemarks that open in Google Earth. Student projects documenting research or field experiences using this tool can be combined with the Milwaukee Community Map. Click here to schedule a workshop.

MKE Waterscape is a game where you choose our city’s water future by playing through scenarios inspired by Milwaukee’s history. Together with your fellow players you step into one of five roles—each with different perspectives, interests, and abilities. The first level invites you to imagine Milwaukee in the 1800s as the city is literally being built on the water. You will face five scenarios each with distinct options that will impact the quality of the water and the city as a whole—and also could help or hurt you individually. The gameplay is discussion-based role-play. Argue for or against different options from the perspective of your character. Convince enough player characters to use your hard-earned Blue Bucks and/or special character skills to afford a choice. With each option you select, the richly illustrated map updates to reflect your choices. By the turn of the century, can you make both Milwaukee and Lake Michigan great?

The main goal of the “My Favorite River Critter” activity is to get students to recognize that there are animals in the river that depend on clean water. The program can be completed indoors or outside on the school grounds and will take approximately 45-minutes to complete. Learning Outcomes: Students will be able to recognize animals that live in the river. Students will be able to match a predator to its prey. Students will be able to describe what a river critter needs to survive. This activity is best suited for classrooms that are located near a creek or river. Can be adapted for lakes.

Nature uses patterns for building, decorating, and camouflage. Explore how geometric shapes and patterns in nature influence design. Visit https://www.discoveryworld.org/learning/kohls-design-it-mobile-lab/ for more details.

Next.cc offers a wide variety of place based workshops for your classroom on topics such as water, design as nature, sustainability, smart grid challenges and biomimicry in design. Check out this example from Escuela Verde!

Promote climate education with Our Climate Our Future, a project of the Alliance for Climate Education (ACE). This award-winning video experience educates young people on the science of climate change and empowers them to take action. Sign up to participate in live assemblies, watch educational videos, and download lesson plans and other educator resources to help prepare the next generation of climate stewards.

This toolkit provides a menu of resources which educators are invited to adapt based on their unique student and classroom needs. You’ll find a collection of high-quality resources developed by other organizations and original resources created by Plastic-Free MKE educators. This project is currently in its pilot phase, and we welcome your feedback to help us make improvements!

Through guided observation and exploration, these lesson plans and classroom activities will enable your 4th-8th grade students to understand ravine and lakefront ecosystems prior to development, the plants and animals that historically used them as refuge, and the species that still depend on the lakefront today–including people!

Our experienced team of environmental educators can help plan a day of field trips, educational games and in-class activities to teach your students about environmental impact, green infrastructure, native Wisconsin plants and wildlife and more. Check out the Education Engagement Menu for list of activities for preK students to adult community members. Not only do we have the activities, we can work alongside you to plan transportation, waivers, and other logistics to support your field experience.

Whether in your classroom or in ours, Riveredge Nature Center has something for every class to study and explore the natural world around you. Our 380-acre natural sanctuary is the perfect place to study life that lives in ponds, rivers, prairies and forests during a school field trip. We also offer outreach programs led by Riveredge Environmental Educators that take place outdoors at your school or a nearby park. Visit here to learn more or apply for a program.

Milwaukee Riverkeeper provides free, in-classroom lessons and activities designed for students to interact with local rivers, use professional-grade testing equipment, and analyze live water samples without leaving school grounds. Students become scientists in their own classroom, leave with an understanding and appreciation for local freshwater resources, and exposure to STEM future careers. Most importantly, students will gain a better understanding of how they personally can affect our waterways and become environmental stewards. Visit here to learn more about these customizable programs.

Middle-school students can experience the engineering process while learning about Great Lakes maritime history and underwater exploration with this loanable pack. ROVe (Remotely Operated Vehicles and Engineering) provides a rich learning experience. The ROVe Pack provides the lesson plan and equipment necessary for teachers to carry out the engineering design process with students as they build their own simple ROVs within a regular classroom while using common classroom supplies and a small children’s pool. Borrow a pack from the Wisconsin Water Library.

Reflo works with five Milwaukee-area schools per year in an intensive, collaborative process to design greener, healthier schoolyards. Each project is tailored to the specific needs and enthusiasm of the school’s community but often involves replacing seas of asphalt with green spaces including bioswales, rain gardens, and trees. The placemaking designs go beyond simply removing pavement, however, to maximize triple-bottom-line benefits. Earn points for each phase of the redevelopment process.

The benefits of green infrastructure extend beyond stormwater management. The planning effort to support green infrastructure installation near schoolyards itself can involve students, teachers, and community members. In this activity, students conduct a sewershed assessment to document the potential pollution sources within a school’s sewershed, map the boundaries of the sewershed, and gather information to estimate the size of conceptual green infrastructure that may be possible to help manage the stormwater that falls on the site. This information is then integrated with Google Earth to create a map and visual story of the site’s water quality, quantity and opportunity to manage stormwater more effectively.

Bring SOLAR energy to life in the classroom with KEEP’s Solar Dashboard Exploration! Students will learn how to access, navigate, and interpret data from a solar PV generation dashboard. Schools do not need to have their own Solar PV system and dashboard to participate in this activity.

These videos and activity guides are designed to engage students and families in engaging activities to learn about animals, habitats and conservation - from home! Lessons highlight underwater biology and aquatic biodiversity.

Borrow a STEM Kit from the Wisconsin Water Library! These kits enhance the traditional children’s library or school storytime with a water science topic and an introduction to the essentials of the scientific method: observation, hypothesis formation, testing, more observation, recording and conclusion-building. Included in each kit are a topical “science chat,” read-aloud books, a science experiment or activity, songs and craft ideas. Choose from Jump Around with Frogs, Does it Sink or Float, and Once a Pond a Time.

STEMhero is an award winning curriculum enhancement and professional development. It is aligned with NGSS and CCSS—born in Milwaukee and now serving teachers around the country.

Milwaukee Community Sailing Center uses sailing to engage student in hands-on STEM learning. In the classroom: students explore the concepts of buoyancy, hull and sail shape, aerodynamics, water displacement. Next, students apply classroom lessons doing sailing fieldwork directly on Lake Michigan with MCSC sailing instructors. Students will also build model sailboats, using recycled materials, and test them. Fieldwork available April-October. The fieldwork takes place at the MCSC campus on Lake Michigan. Method of transportation is organized by schools; payment of transportation can be negotiated. For the range of resources available see: http://sailingcenter.org/stem_program.php

The Pest Defense for Healthy Schools is an online or in-person school health training course for K-12 employees to improve school health through integrated pest management, a community-based effort of controlling for pests that strives to lessen unnecessary pesticide use. Learn more here.

The Virtual Water Table, created by the nonprofit Reflo – Sustainable Water Solutions, is a versatile and dynamic mobile venue available for schools to rent and engage students in hands-on learning. Toggle the table through three engagement modes: Sandbox, Map, and Game. Sandbox mode projects an interactive contour map onto a sandbox—complete with flowing digital water. Map mode projects the Milwaukee Community Map in Google Earth. Game mode features the MKE Waterscape Game, where five players role-play through scenarios inspired by Milwaukee’s water history. Click here for more information or to reserve the table.

The Water Across the Curriculum (WAC) resource guide provides activities designed to integrate the diverse arts of the Haggerty Museum of Art (HMA) collection into your classroom to support skills and concepts that you are already teaching, or that you may be planning to teach. Thematic chapters introduce students to HMA artworks through grade-appropriate activities that encourage them to think critically, to express themselves creatively, and to make connections between their own lives and WATER. Click here for more information.

This teacher’s guide can be used as a whole or easily as individual lesson plans across a variety of core subjects. You’ll find interactive activities, worksheets, research ideas and resource lists for you and your students. Together you’ll discover the water crisis and, most importantly, some of the solutions to solve it for people in need.

Learning about water – where it comes from, how it is treated and delivered, and what is required to keep it flowing – is key to understanding the value of water. Behind the scenes, scientists, environmentalists, and water quality experts work hard to make sure water customers have the high-quality water they need and expect. The Education Toolkit consists of 12 lesson plans to help teach young people about the importance of water in their lives and how to conserve it for future generations.

NEXT.cc is an educational nonprofit that offers information, object, experience and environmental activities connected to larger earth, air, water and energy systems. NEXT.cc’s journeys introduce activities online, in the classroom, in the community and globally. Explore any of the Water Journeys: water; waves; watershed; water quality; water conservation; precipitation; rainwater harvesting; rain gardens; acid rain; clouds; climate; rivers; great lakes; aquaponics; fish; green roofs; urban agriculture.

The Wavemaker Program can be used to guide educators in some basic steps to inspire students to think about becoming better water stewards.

LEAF was created to promote forestry education in Wisconsin. Through a partnership with the Wisconsin DNR-Division of Forestry, LEAF works to enrich students, inspire educators, and sustain forests. LEAF’s Urban Forest guide engages students in learning the value of and need for our urban forests.

The WI KidWind Challenge, held in early March, offers 4-12th grade students across the state a chance to test small-scale wind turbines in a wind tunnel, present in front of judges, and compete in instant challenges. The WI Challenge feeds into the National KidWind Competition. Registration for the KidWind Challenge opens in the fall prior and can be found here. KidWind kits cost approx. $150 from the vendor, but kits are given to Wisconsin teachers at workshops throughout the year for no cost. Several educator workshops are offered each year to support coaches, typically in late summer or early fall. Learn more at go.wisc.edu/kidwind. Funding is available to support teachers who are interested in getting involved and mileage reimbursement provided as needed. More information, schedule and registration for the educator workshops can be found here