Conservation Education

The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District offers free programs to any school/group located within Hamilton County. The District believes that conservation education extends to all ages and that students can develop an understanding of conservation at an early age and hopefully carry those lessons with them throughout their lives.

The Education Specialist or Assistant from the District can bring many hands-on activities into your classroom. Programs are available on a wide range of topics and are designed to help students meet the state science standards. Each program is 30 minutes to 1 hour in length depending on the class schedule. Presentations are best suited for 30 students or less. The Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District provides this service free of charge to all schools/groups in Hamilton County.

UPCOMING TEACHER WORKSHOPS

Splish-Splash Story Board
(Grades Pre K - 1)

Using a storyboard, students will be able to follow a drop of water through the water cycle. Along the way, they will begin to understand the concepts of evaporation, condensation and precipitation. Students will then be able to color their own water cycle picture.

Worms
(Grades Pre K - 6)

Students will discover the world of worms, what they eat, how they survive and why they are vital to the health of our environment. A worm bin will be brought into the classroom for kids to discover new things about worms.

Fred the Fish
(Grades Pre K - 1)

Students will learn how humans can both positively and negatively affect local water quality through a pollution story about a fish in a stream.

Watersheds
(Grades K - 12)

Using a 3-dimensional model, students can very easily see the relationships between human activity and the environment and what we can do to help protect local water quality. They will understand the concept of a watershed and learn the difference between point and non-point sources of pollution. 

Water Cycle
(Grades 2 - 5)

Through adapted Project WET game, students will become a molecule of water and travel through their own water cycle. Along the way, they will understand the concepts of evaporation, condensation, precipitation and transpiration.

Soil Formation
(Grades 3 - 6)

Students will learn what six major components are needed to make soil and why it takes over 100 years to make an inch of topsoil. They will also learn how food is related to soil and some things they can do to help protect the soil. A soil horizon is brought into the classroom as a visual aid. 

Erosion
(Grades 3 - 6)

This activity will demonstrate the process of erosion and how human impact can increase or decrease the amount of erosion that occurs. Students will work in groups to perform an erosion experiment and learn how erosion can be minimized.

Cookie Mining
(Grades 4 - 7)

Students use a cookie and 'mine' chocolate chips that represents natural resources. Students will make and lose money based on the amount of resources recovered and the amount of land destroyed. **Please note: all students will receive a Chips Ahoy cookie which may contain ingredients that may cause an allergic reaction in some students.

Mineral ID
(Grades 4 - 6)

Using mineral kits, students will work in groups to identify minerals based on their luster, color, cleavage, hardness and streak.

Rock Cycle
(Grades 4 - 7)

Students will trvel as a mineral through the rock cycle in this fun, educational game. During the activity, students will learn the way rocks change from metamorphic to sedimentary to igneous and back again.

Local Fossils and Geology
(Grades 4 - 8)

Students will discover what life was like in Cincinnati 450,000,000 years ago and why it is so special. Locally collected fossils will be used to show what life was like in the Ordovician Sea. Depending on time considerations, students may be able to make a mold and cast of a local fossil.

No Water off a Duck's Back
(Grades 4 - 8)

Students will identify ways oil spills can adversely affect birds; and describe possible negative consequences to wildlife, people, and the environment. Students will work together in groups to examine feathers in three conditions, dry, wet, and dipped in oil. Then students will try to remove the oil from the feather.

Groundwater
(Grades 4 - 12)

Students will get to see the movement of groundwater through a model depicting the layers of the soil, including a confined and unconfined aquifer. They will realize how groundwater pollution can affect them and ways we use to attempt to clean-up groundwater contamination.

Topographic Maps
(Grades 5 - 10)

Students will learn what contour lines are, how to read a topographic map and how maps are developed. Working in teams, students will make their own topographic maps from models brought into the classroom. This program works best over a two-day period.

Sum of the Parts
(Grades 5 - 12)

See how decisions by humans affect the water quality for everyone using this interactive Project WET activity. Students will learn that everyone contributes to the pollution of a watershed, whether it is point or non-point source pollution and discover actions they can take to positively affect water quality.

Pur Water
(Grades 4 - 12)

Students will learn about drinking water availability throughout the world. As they learn about drinking water resources, they will purify a contaminated sample of water to drink. Thanks to Procter & Gamble, for their generous gift of the PUR water filtration packets.