Home

Projects

Educational Resources

CLASS IN THE CREEK

Warm winds and renewing rain showers chase away the winter chill! Spring has arrived and the landscape is preparing for new life from bright colored tulips to spawning steelhead! It's a perfect time to explore the outdoors! Click Here for our Spring Edition of 10 Fun Things to do Outside! (5.59MB PDF)

Activities and Projects

Class in the Creek! The Boise River Experience

Hey Kids! Put on your wading boots and grab a kick-net at the Morrison Knudsen (MK) Nature Center in Boise, Idaho! We'll meet you there and jump right into the Boise river to start exploring for cool bugs, fish and... oh wait, the rest is a surprise...

The Boise River, a central feature of Boise’s landscape, provides an ideal opportunity to connect urban youth with their local environment. Our challenge is to remove the barriers between these kids and what was once a traditional childhood experience. We are doing this by working with the MK Nature Center, which is owned and operated by the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The MK Nature Center currently features an hour-long program called “Class in the Creek,” an adaptation of the Bonneville Power Administration’s (BPA) Kids in the Creek program. This program incorporates a hands-on curriculum for kids centered on aquatic ecology and river stewardship principles.

AWAE is helping to support this program and making efforts to expand it to reach more youth and provide a more extended experience. Our objectives are to increase understanding and connection to watersheds and their ecosystems, give youth a sense of the importance of being stewards of the land and connecting with wild spaces, and create interest in outdoor science. Interested in a field trip or group tour?

Learn More

Watch the Video!

What is a Watershed Anyway?

Wondering what a watershed actually is? Did you know that you use your watershed every day? Well... come on over and learn a bit more about where your water comes from, where it's going, common concerns, and all sorts of cool stuff about the water you use! CLICK HERE

Climate Change

Climate Change is the gradual shift in earth's overall temperature and weather patterns. Currently, the rapid rate at which the earth is warming is a question for concern and scientists are hard at work to find out how human activities might speeding up the process, as well as what a warming climate may do to the environments we live in right now. If climate changes too quickly animal species will not have time to adapt!

LEARN MORE ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE NOW!

Check out the Forest Service Conservation Education Website

Conservation Education (CE) helps people of all ages understand and appreciate our country's natural resources -- and learn how to conserve those resources for future generations. Through structured educational experiences and activities targeted to varying age groups and populations, conservation education enables people to realize how natural resources and ecosystems affect each other and how resources can be used wisely. MORE

All About Fish

Have you ever wondered about all of those cool fish out in the river? Did you know that a lot of Idaho's fish swim over 700 miles all the way to the Pacific Ocean (this means that they are anadromous, which is a fancy word meaning that they spend part of their lives in ocean water) and then come back? Wait till you hear the rest of THE STORY! (bpa.gov)

tumble science podcast for kids Dr. Kelly Elder

The People of the Snow

Research hydrologist Kelly Elder was featured on a Tumble Science Podcast for Kids episode titled “The People of the Snow.” Dr. Elder responded to kids’ questions about what makes snow and why snowflakes are different. He also shared his experiences working with the Inuit people to develop remote weather stations in the Arctic to complement their traditional knowledge on weather forecasting, especially for snow and ice.

Forest Service Encourages Children To Get Outdoors

The Forest Service kicked off a national “Get Outdoors” campaign in February, to encourage children and their parents to take advantage of recreational opportunities on national forests to develop a healthier lifestyle and learn about conserving natural resources.

The campaign was announced at a press conference at the Outdoor Recreation Village, during Super Bowl XLII festivities in Glendale, Ariz. The event was attended by USDA Natural Resources and Environment Under Secretary Mark Rey. At the Outdoor Recreation Village, the Forest Service and the American Recreation Coalition announced the details of the campaign including a June 14 National “Get Outdoors Day” and funding for this year’s “More Kids in the Woods,” a program that engages children in recreation and experiential learning. Take a look at the video and complete story.

Forest Service - Kids in the Woods

Boise Kids Links

General Kids Links

Program in Partnership with:

Partnership Logos: Idaho Department of Fish & Game, MK Nature Center