ELC Livestream 2025: Wild in the Wetland, 4-5 grades

Thanks to support from Clackamas Water Environment Services, Oak Lodge Water Services, and Gladstone Public Works for making these programs accessible to students in their districts! They are designed primarily for 4th and 5th graders.

Join us virtually at the Environmental Learning Center to explore the wetland in winter.

If your school allows online interaction, our nature specialists would love to take comments and questions from you or your students. If you send us questions before or after the event, we will make every effort to include answers live online!

For each program that you register, you will receive:

• Zoom link to the livestream program;
• Student activity sheet; and
• Recording of the episode.

Tuesday mornings, 10:30 – 10:50 am

January 7 – March 11, 2025

Recordings Available! - All registered teachers will receive zoom links and recordings, so don't worry if your class is unable to attend the live session! Recordings are sent out within 24 hours of the episode and are available to watch at your convenience. You may order recordings of episodes that have already aired; we will send you the recording link within several days of your order.

January 7, 2025: Where Are You in the Watershed?

We all live in a watershed! To launch the series, we’ll discover what a watershed is and which watersheds we live in. Key Concepts: maps, watershed, water flow

January 14, 2025: Mighty Tiny Wetland Creatures

We’ll look for the smaller, yet important, creatures that live in the water. We’ll explore their connections in the food web and how they are indicators of good habitat. Key Concepts: observation, animal structures, animal adaptations, food web, human impacts

January 21, 2025: Plants with Wet Feet

Join an ELC instructor as they put on waders and head into the water channel. We'll discover how wetland plants provide habitat to wildlife and help to clean the water. Key Concepts: observation, plant structure, plant growth, human impacts

January 28, 2025: Watershed Health Art Project

Special guest, David Andersen, recently retired Professor of Art at Clackamas Community College, will lead us through characteristics of a healthy watershed and share a community art project that your students can participate in. (Please note this program will be 30 minutes). Key concepts: watershed, human impacts

February 4, 2025: Are the Wetlands Home to Animals?

We’ll explore the different parts that make up a habitat: food, water, shelter, space, and air, and go on a habitat hunt looking for signs of good wildlife habitat. Key Concepts: observation, food web, living things affect physical characteristics

February 11, 2025: Wetland Wildlife in Winter

Winter at the ELC is about survival for our resident wildlife. We’ll explore the wetland to learn how some plant and animal species adapt to survive the season. Key Concepts: observation, animal senses, animal adaptations, living things affect physical characteristics

February 18, 2025: Duck, Duck, No Goose

Mallards are frequently seen at the ELC. Join us to discover how the wetland provides habitat to this common and beautiful bird. Key Concepts: animal structure, animal senses, animal adaptations, living things affect physical characteristics

February 25, 2025: Raccoon: Masked Bandit

Racoons are common predators in wetlands and a frequent night-time visitor at the ELC. We’ll discover more about its role in the wetland ecosystem and food web. Key concepts: observation, animal senses, animal adaptations

March 4, 2025: Water Temperature Check-up

Water temperature is an important part of a functioning watershed. We’ll take the temperature of the wetland to discover if it is in the “Goldilocks” zone for fish and macroinvertebrates. Key Concepts: measurements, human impacts

March 11, 2025: Waterflow in the Watershed

A guest from Clackamas Water Environment Services will help us visualize water flowing through the watershed system by putting dye in the creek. Students will observe the dye move through the wetland and learn about the effect water flow can have on water quality, erosion, and flooding. Key Concepts: observation, movement of water, rainfall shapes land, natural hazards, gravity, human impacts

Student Activity Sheets accompany each episode and are designed to engage students in the Livestream program.

The Livestream programs compliment on-site school field trips to the ELC. Teachers can use the Livestream to:

• Introduce your students to the ELC and prepare them for a field trip
• Reinforce key concepts covered during a field trip
• Engage your students in learning more about local wildlife

To learn more about the ELC's field trips and to register your class, click here. Your school may quality for a free field trip!

If you have any questions, please e-mail Sarah Bidwell, ELC's Kids' Education Coordinator: [email protected].

You can find more information on all of our programs at www.clackamas.edu/elc/kids

Host or Publisher Environmental Learning Center