Water conservation activities are a great way to get students and teachers involved in helping their schools save water and save on their water and sewer utility bills. In implementing suggested activities, students learn valuable lessons in stewardship to the natural environment, while math and other skills are reinforced. Because school systems are generally some of the largest employers in many counties and service large numbers of students, they also use a lot of water, which opens the door to potentially large water savings. The listed free or low-cost activities can help school systems save water while meeting educational goals.

• Water conservation activities list

The Great Water Odyssey^SM is an interactive, multidisciplinary educational curriculum for third through fifth grades, available free of charge to educators in the St. Johns River Water Management District.

An adventure
Join waterdrops Hydro and Agua as the water cycle carries them through clouds, cities and Florida’s aquifer system. Give students the chance to explore the world, travel through time and meet new friends, while protecting Florida’s most valuable natural resource — water.

An education
Teach third-, fourth- and fifth-graders about science, history, geography, social studies, reading and math in a fast-paced, engaging new way that correlates to Florida’s Sunshine State Standards. Test students’ knowledge with Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) practice questions. Then, reward them with educational games.

A message
Show young minds that water touches every part of our lives and environmental stewardship is necessary for our future.

For more information, go to www.thegreatwaterodyssey.com.

The Florida Envirothon is an outdoor, hands-on competition and education program for high school students that promotes good stewardship of the land, while giving students an awareness of environmental issues and human impacts. At Florida Envirothon competitions, which are held throughout the state, teams of five students are tested on five environmental areas (listed below) and compete for the highest cumulative score in the following areas:

• Aquatics — water ecology, water chemistry, water quality and aquatic life
• Forestry — tree identification, tree ecology, insects and disease and timber management
• Soils — classification, formation, soil properties, profiles and site suitability
• Wildlife — habitat, identification, food, disease and management
• Current Environmental Issues — annually selected topics such as air resources, nonnative invasive plants, or other current issues

Study packets are in PDF to help you prepare for the competition.

• Envirothon Aquatic Study Guide
• Envirothon Forestry Study Guide on 04-09-2009
• Envirothon Wildlife Study Guide
• Envirothon Soils Study Guide on 04-06-2009

For more information about the Florida Envirothon, visit the Florida Envirothon Web site at flenvirothon.com or contact Carol Johnson at (352) 324-3271, P.O. Box 26, Howey-in-the-Hills, FL 34737 or, send an e-mail to sunruled@earthlink.com or, fax (352) 324 -3271.

GrantsAlert
GrantsAlert is a newly created Web site that helps nonprofits, especially those involved in education, secure the funds they need to continue their important work.

Grant Writing Tips
SchoolGrants has compiled an excellent set of grant writing tips for those who need help in developing grant proposals.

School Funding Services Grant of the Week
Each week, School Funding Services, a division of New American Schools, features a new grant on its Web site.

FastWEB
FastWEB is the largest online scholarship search available, with 600,000 scholarships representing more than one billion in scholarship dollars. It provides students with accurate, regularly updated information on scholarships, grants, and fellowships suited to their goals and qualifications, all at no cost to the student. Students should be advised that FastWEB sells student information (such as name, address, e-mail address, date of birth, gender, and country of citizenship) collected through its site.

Federal Resources for Educational
Excellence (FREE)
More than three federal agencies formed a working group in 1997 to make hundreds of federally supported teaching and learning resources easier to find.

Fundsnet Online Services
A comprehensive Web site dedicated to providing nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities with information on financial resources available on the Internet.

eSchool News School Funding Center
Information on up-to-the-minute grant programs, funding sources and technology funding.

Philanthropy News Digest-K-12
Funding Opportunities
K-12 funding opportunities with links to grant seeking for teachers, learning technology and more.

School Grants
A collection of resources and tips to help K-12 educators apply for and obtain special grants for a variety of projects.

Public Education Network Grant and Funding Information Web Site
For information, visit http://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_grants.asp.

The National High School Challenge —
Grants for High School Teachers for the Environment
To help provide teachers around the country with support for their innovative work to bring environmental education into the classroom, the National Environmental Education Foundation is launching the Classroom Earth National High School Challenge — an opportunity for up to 25 teachers to secure as much as $5,000 to $10,000 in funding to bring innovative environmental themes into their coursework. Visit http://www.neefusa.org/programs/ce_grant.htm to learn more and to download the application.

New Wuzzleburg Preschool Garden Grant
Schools and daycare centers that actively engage at least 10 children aged 3 to 5 in garden projects are eligible to apply for grant packages that include $1,000 of pre-selected products from the National Gardening Association’s Gardening with Kids Store. Visit http://www.kidsgardening.com/grants/2008-wubbzy.asp.

Mini-grants for Public Schools and Public Libraries
The Ezra Jack Keats Mini-grant Program for Public Schools and Public Libraries supports educators, parents and children in their efforts to spread literacy and the love of learning. Maximum Award: $500. Eligibility: Public schools and libraries anywhere in the United States and its protectorates. Deadline: Sept. 15, 2008. Visit http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/programs/minigrant.html.

Live Monarch Educator Outreach Program
The Live Monarch Foundation Educator Outreach Program provides funding for teachers throughout the United States to enroll in the national campaign to bring monarch butterflies into the classroom. This program provides education and materials to strengthen the monarch’s 3,000-mile migratory route within North America by creating self-sustaining butterfly gardens and refuges. Materials will be provided for each participant to raise a virtual butterfly and start a real butterfly garden with professional instruction on each level of its maintenance and care. For information, visit http://www.livemonarch.org/award2.htm.

Field Trip Grants
Target will award field trip grants up to $800 each to K–12 education professionals. The grant funds can be used for field trips that involve museum visits, environmental or science projects, artistic or cultural experiences, and civic or community projects. Details about the 2009–2010 program can be found at http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031880.

ArcExplorer Java Edition for Education (AEJEE) is a downloadable, lightweight geographic information system (GIS) tool for exploring geographic data. AEJEE can save and open projects, so work can be shared between users, or between school and home. AEJEE can classify and symbolize shapefiles, integrate a wide array of image data, project on-the-fly shapefiles stored in decimal degree, and use data distributed over the Internet. There is a growing body of free lessons using GIS and this tool. Users can find AEJEE at www.esri.com/aejee. From there, follow pathways to the software background, downloads, tutorials, lessons and data.

Children’s Environmental Bibliography. More than 400 books are featured, organized by subject matter and age. The bibliography is downloadable on WILD/PLT/WET’s Web pages. Scroll to the bottom of the page.

EdGateway is an interactive forum for math, science and environmental education. There is a special forum on environmental education and education reform. (Free registration is required to access discussions.)

Education Planet is an Internet resource that will connect you to other sites related to education and the environment.

EE-Link is a comprehensive site for exploring environmental education on the Internet.

Everglades Reading List

The Eisenhower National Clearinghouse gives lists and provides resources for science, math and EE.

The Environmental Education Training and Partnership (EETAP) site provides a wide variety of environmental education training and support to education professionals. EE resources are available in pdf formats from its resource library.

The Florida Marine Science Educators Association is the state association for marine science educators. This site gives listings of training and programs available in the state, including Florida Department of Environmental Protection Educator Collection Permit workshops.

The Florida’s Springs site provides information about the threats to springs and how the public can help protect “nature’s gems” for future generations.

Geotechnical, Rock and Water Resource Library (GROW) is a site that will connect you with many different Web resources relating to the main areas of civil engineering — geotechnical (soils), rock and water. The water area contains activities that are used by educators to teach about the water cycle, groundwater and more. This site contains links to many other good water education Web sites.

The Groundwater Foundation site provides education materials on this hidden resource — groundwater. Pages for youth activities, water festivals, groundwater guardians and many other items are included.

Health Museum Ask-a-Question Feature — The Health Museum is an interactive science experience for all ages that promotes understanding and appreciation of the human body and encourages a lifelong commitment to health and wellness. The museum’s mascot, Apple A. Day, gives tips for healthy living and will answer questions about the science of health and the human body. This site can be used to supplement activities found in the District’s The Great Water Odyssey^SM program (grade four module, Water in Everything).

H₂OUSE — A Water Saver Home. Take a tour to investigate your water-saving opportunities in each area of your home. Also check out the top five actions to discover some of the best ways to save water in and around your home.

The League of Environmental Educators in Florida is the state association for environmental education professionals; traditional and non-traditional educators.

Making TRACKS provides downloadable nature guides and species lists for trails, as well as resources for schools to make their own educational nature trails on school grounds or in nearby communities. There are numerous standards-based activities, as well as short movie clips and nature games. People are encouraged to enter information about trails in their area to contribute to a collection of hiking trails throughout the United States with a list of common species found on each.

The National Environmental Education Advancement Project is a national organization that aids state and local environmental education leaders in promoting their environmental education efforts and develops informational resources for capacity-building within states.

The National Marine Educators Association provides a valuable focus for marine and aquatic studies. It includes professionals in education, science, business, government, museums, aquariums and research.

The North American Asssociation for Environmental Education (NAAEE) is a network of professionals and students working in the field of environmental education throughout North America and 55 countries.

Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) is the national site for a unique program of teacher training, curriculum and supplementary modules sponsored in Florida by the water management districts.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Environmental Education, site includes special pages for kids, teachers and students, as well as regional environmental education resources and information.

The Water Education Federation is an international education and technical organization working to preserve and enhance the global water environment. It is a leading source of information and education resources on the water environment.

WaterWiser provides a source of information about products, companies, standards and other water-conserving ideas.

Everglades Teaching Resources — from the South Florida Water Management District

Everglades Reading List

Water Resources Education – from the Southwest Florida Water Management District

North American Drought: A Paleo Perspective
Created by the staff of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Paleoclimatology Program

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s "What’s Up With Our Nation’s Waters?"
This is a 24-page booklet designed primarily for children, aged 10 to 15, that presents key findings of the National Water Quality Inventory in an easy-to-read format. It includes projects for school or fun, a water quiz, a glossary, and a list of resources for more information.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) Education Resource Page
This Web site highlights the wide variety of FWC education opportunities for students, teachers and the public.

U.S. Geological Survey’s Water Science for Schools
This site offers information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps, and an interactive center where you can give opinions and test your water knowledge.