brings nature into the classroom and the classroom into nature in area elementary and middle schools. Through teacher
orientation, classroom mentoring and extracurricular activities, program
volunteers instill within students an ethic of stewardship for
the local environment. Recent and ongoing projects include a gardening
initiative, wetland restoration, nature trail renovation, tree
plantings, and seasonal cleanups at PWA preserves.
At Great Salt Bay School in Damariscotta,
volunteers have been leading a Maine Apprentice Gardener
Program. The program is being developed in a cooperative effort
with the University of Maine Extension Service. The course began
in 2002 as a pilot project to develop a curriculum for statewide
distribution. Ultimately, the curriculum will be incorporated in
the Extension’s Maine Apprentice Gardener Program.
is
an extension of our environmental education program, giving local
young people an opportunity to increase their enjoyment and understanding
of the natural world, and helping them to become good future stewards
of the earth. Scholarships are typically awarded each year to help
students within the watershed enjoy a week at Tanglewood 4H Camp
in Lincolnville, Morris Farm Day Camp in Wiscasset and Wavus-By-Day
in Jefferson.
our Ted & Elsa
Hauschka Scholarship Fund and is supplemented by support from the
camps and from parents as they are able. Contributions are always
welcome. Call or e-mail for more information.
Clean Water Learning Activities Developed
 At the start of this year, Peter Arnold, Coordinator of the Pathways to a Sustainable Future Program at The Chewonki Foundation, invited PWA to contract with Chewonki to develop a curriculum to complement their newly published Clean Water Poster. The vision was to have hands-on learning activities that directly taught the messages on the poster. After 7 months of collaboration, the vision has come to fruition, and this new “kit” of teaching tools is now available online at
http://www.chewonki.org/pathways/pathways_cleanwater_poster.asp
The goal of the lessons is to promote awareness, apprecia-tion, understanding, and stewardship of water resources. The five activities included in this curriculum correspond to each of the five contextual areas highlighted on the Clean Water poster: Less Lawn, Green Buffers, Waste and Recycling, Energy Choices, and Transportation. Additionally, the activities
were designed around behavioral learning objectives to pro-mote critical thinking and problem-solving skills related to the pollution dimensions listed across the bottom of the poster (Sediment, Chemicals, Oxygen Depletion, Metals, Biological).
The lessons are geared towards upper-elementary-age through middle-school-age children in science classrooms and informal teaching contexts. They were developed and field-tested by Tenley Wilder, PWA Education Coordinator, and reviewed by midcoast Maine educators. Each lesson includes a Navigation Bar that outlines the target audience of the activity, the time frame needed to complete the activity, and suggestions for other complementary lessons to be conducted before or after the activity. These extension activities offer service-learning opportunities to integrate meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the
learning experience, teach civic responsibility, encourage lifelong civic engagement, and strengthen communities for the common good.
PWA extends gratitude to Peter Arnold and his Program Assistant, Brendan Kober, and project advisors, Tracy Harkins of KIDS Consor-tium and Christine Smith of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The Pathways to a Sustainable Future poster series project was funded by Poland Spring Water Company in recognition of their continued interest in the health of our natural resources.
Top |
|
Watershed Kids Day Camp – Summer 2010
 Would your children have a blast experimenting with pondwater, collecting insects, or pretending to be wild animals like moose or wolves? Do they enjoy hands-on learning activities and exploration of the outdoors? Get your kids connected (or re-connected) with the land and the natural world around them with Pemaquid Watershed Association's Watershed Kids Nature Day Camp. There will be two 5-day sessions of day-camp in July tailored by age group.
The first session, July 5-9, is for children 6 to 8 years old. The second
session, July 12-16, is for children 9 to 12 years old. Camp runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily and costs only $175 per camper per 5-day session. Download the brochure for Watershed Kids 2010 in pdf format – or you can call the office at 207-563-2196 to request one in the mail.
 Watershed Kids Nature Camp is not only affordable, but each day is full of healthy outdoor adventure, skill-building, and hands-on nature activities led by adult experts who really care about teaching kids. Over the 5 days campers explore the diverse environments of the Pemaquid watershed from forest to sea. Exploration begins at the upland woodland and lakeside site of Doyle Preserve on Pemaquid Pond in Damariscotta and then travels to the coastal salt pond habitat of the Rachel Carson Salt Pond Preserve in New Harbor.
PWA camp programming has proven to both excite and motivate youth as they
explore the great outdoors. Participants experience the wonders of the out-of-doors while playing educational games and learning about ecological concepts including predator-prey relationships, plant and animal adaptations, wildlife habitats, and how humans are a part of this amazing natural structure. In addition to daily hikes, water quality experiments, insect catching, and observing diverse natural habitats, campers learn the art of tracking, designing t-shirts with “natural stamps”, constructing recycled paper journals, making pond scopes, and more!
The Director of the camp, PWA’s Education Coordinator Becky Kolak, has a BS in Biology from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. She is excited to begin her first summer with Watershed Kids. Kolak is certified in CPR/First Aid, and she is as dedicated to camper safety as she is to fun and learning.
“I am really looking forward to getting the campers active and as excited about nature as I am!” Kolak said. “This summer’s camp will have a lot of exciting activities both thought-provoking and educational, and, as importantly, it will be a lot of fun!”
To help enable kids to take part in summer camp, PWA established the Hauschka Scholarship Fund, a fund named in honor of the family who spearheaded the grassroots origins of the PWA in 1966. To contribute to this fund, please download a donation form (pdf) and mail it with your tax-deductible donation to PWA at PO Box 552 in Damariscotta, 04543. Contributions of any amount are welcomed for this special fund that is dedicated exclusively to making the summer camp experience a reality when it might not otherwise be possible. If you are unable to open and print the pdf file, please e-mail: info@pemaquidwatershed.org or call the office at (207) 563-2196. The PWA is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization and all contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowable under federal IRS regulations. Summer camp and other activities at the Doyle Preserve are made possible in part thanks to the generous support of The First. The PWA's office is located at 15 Courtyard Street, above the Damariscotta Region Chamber of Commerce and behind Salt Bay Café. For more information on summer camp, call 207-563-2196 or email pwalearn@midcoast.com.
§ Becky Kolak, Education Coordinator §
Top
|
PWA's education program