The Southeast is a land dominated by rivers, and a hotspot for aquatic biological diversity. Kids 4 Clean Water Camp offers students the unique opportunity to learn about the region’s waterways and explore the watersheds and aquatic life that surround the Chattanooga area.
Sponsored by Caribbean SEA and TenneSEA, sister organizations working to tackle clean water issues at the grassroots level in the Caribbean and the Tennessee Valley, this year’s Kids 4 Clean Water Camp will offer three sessions: June 3-7 and June 24-28 at the Mountain Arts Community Center on Signal Mountain and June 10-14 at Greenway Farm in Hixson.
The camp is for children ages eight to 12, and will run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. The cost is $100 per session.
All three camp sessions will provide students with hands-on science and outdoor learning experiences related to watersheds and aquatic life. Activities at both locations will include creek explorations, educational sessions about clean water, hiking, water games and canoeing. Students will learn water-quality testing techniques and how to use a microscope to examine aquatic specimens. Throughout the week, campers will illustrate their own naturalist’s guide to an area creek: Shoal Creek on Signal Mountain or North Chickamauga Creek at Greenway Farm.
“Our goal with Kids 4 Clean Water Camp is to get kids outside learning about their sense of place and their environment,” said Mary Beth Sutton, an environmental scientist and educator who founded Caribbean SEA and TenneSEA over a decade ago.
Recent studies show that informal science learning is one of the most effective ways to teach science. Students who participate in informal science activities are more likely to have an above-average understanding of science and pursue science-related careers. Kids 4 Clean Water Camp is one way to engage students in the outdoors and science.
“We want campers to have a good time experiencing the outdoors and water,” said Jenni Veal, director of this year’s Kids 4 Clean Water Camp. “Most kids don’t get to explore creeks anymore, and we want to expose them to all the life that and fund that can be found in our area’s waterways.”
To learn more about Kids 4 Clean Water Camp and to register, visit http://www.caribbean-sea.org/ or contact Jenni Veal at jenni@caribbean-sea.org or 423 595-2845.