5th Graders Learn About Water Quality
By: Katrina Irwin
Updated: May 11, 2012
Some 5th graders spent a day learning about the health of our rivers and streams. The hope is, they'll think about water quality the rest of their lives.
Students are knee deep in a life long lesson. "We're analyzing the critters basically that live in Allen's Creek," says Regina Nichols of Delta Laboratories
It's called the adopt-a-stream program. Delta laboratories, a not-for-profit environmental organization, is working with students teaching them about the importance of water quality. "By analyzing the types of critters we take out, we can tell whether the creek is polluted or clean," Nichols adds.
Delta Laboratories has been doing this project for the last three years and it brings students from school #1 together with students from the Harley School. They're analyzing Allen's Creek, right next door to the Harley school. They've found some interesting things there.
"I learned a little bit about some of the invertebrates that live in the creek and how deep the creek is," says Harley 5th grader Elliot Tindall
"Yeah, I learned a lot about the little critters in the lake," says Schoool #1 5th grader Jaiden Bryant
It's one of many "green" initiatives at Harley. "We're really stepping out in trying to make the whole campus more sustainable, environmental friendly, and we are also looking at citizen science," says Robin Long, a Middle School Science Teacher at Harley.
These small scientists say overall, the creek is in pretty good shape and they are planning to make sure it stays that way.
"The key is to plant the seed early, when they are young so when they are older like all of us, they carry on the tradition of keeping their environment super clean," says Nichols.
