K-12 School Programs
The primary intent of Waquoit Bay Reserve school programs is to increase the students’ understanding of estuarine systems, factors that influence them, and the students’ roles as coastal stewards.
Programs are presented in the classroom, at sites around the Reserve and off site at field locations. The hands-on, inquiry-based programs highlight topics such as climate change, coastal processes, watersheds, eutrophication, and estuarine ecology for grades 4 through college. The Reserve site itself is well-suited for estuarine studies as there is a classroom space with lab tables and easy access to the sampling in shallow Waquoit Bay.
Ongoing programs include:
Watershed Field Studies with fifth graders from Mashpee, in which the students make observations and water quality measurements while tracing the path of the Quashnet/Moonakiss River in the school’s watershed.
Estuary/Coastal Geology Studies with Falmouth sixth graders is a full day program at the Reserve with groundwater modeling, water quality sampling, and collecting organisms at the bay.
Our School Programs Coordinator can help teachers set up specialized programs for their classrooms including: monitoring coastal change at a nearby beach through dune profiling, observing changes after salt marsh restoration project, and how to set up a long-term monitoring program for a pond near their school.
Please contact Joan Muller, Education Coordinator to discuss the possibilities. Although there is no charge for the programs, a donation to our friend’s group the Waquoit Bay Reserve Foundation to replenish supplies and equipment is always appreciated.
