Oakland Environmentalists Explore the Wonders of their Watershed

“If we want our children to move mountains, we first have to let them get out of their chairs.” — Nicolette Sowder, founder of Wilder Child and Wildschooling

Each of our student Environmentalists begins their KIDS for the BAY program with a Watershed Scavenger Hunt activity to help them connect with nature on their school campus and explore the wonders of their watershed. Third graders in Mr. Marco’s class at Lincoln Elementary School in Oakland couldn’t wait to get outside and explore the local watershed, right on their school campus!

KftB Educator Sabreena Verma asked students to find and categorize living and nonliving aspects of the watershed, including signs of life, as well as signs of pollution. “Can anyone identify a type of pollution?” Ms. Sabreena asked. “Pollution is trash that harms the Earth,” said Victor. “Gasoline and oil,” suggested Christina. “Toxic gas from factories,” said Betiel. “I think some types of pollution are trash that you find on the ground, or factories burning things into the air, or gas cars driving on the road,” summarized Maddie. “That’s so disgusting! Why would people throw trash on the ground? That is not okay for the environment!” exclaimed Mariah. 

The students had a blast exploring their campus and identifying healthy aspects of the local watershed, including plants and animals, and unhealthy aspects, like pollution and smog. “I saw a blue jay in the tree next to the picnic bench,” said Luke. “I found a worm under a leaf!” exclaimed Amir. “I saw a lot of trash in the storm drain and I also saw some trash in the grass,” said Emma. “I found a plastic water bottle in the storm drain!” exclaimed Raya. “I found lots of plastic,” said Luke. 

Ms. Sabreena challenged the young Environmentalists to locate their school garden. They enthusiastically explored the beautiful garden on their campus, crouching low to examine native California plants, including yarrow and California Sage. Students used their five senses to observe the tiny ecosystems in the garden. “I saw lots of flowers in the garden boxes!” said Kate. “They smell nice!” Livia exclaimed, “I see a spider. I think it’s spinning a web to catch prey!” Esmeralda said, “I saw a worm and a rolly polly!” “I planted seeds in this garden when I was in second grade!” exclaimed Abigail, who was thrilled to discover that the seeds she’d planted had sprouted long shoots and unfurled beautiful, green leaves.  

Activities like the Watershed Scavenger Hunt help students access the gardens and greenspaces on their school grounds, and provide opportunities for students to take ownership of the local watershed environment and feel empowered to make decisions and implement solutions to protect and care for it.

“What can we predict about the health of a watershed environment that has lots of trash pollution?” Ms Sabreena asked. “I think seeing lots of trash everywhere means that the watershed is unhealthy!” Karter replied. “Do you think our watershed is healthy or unhealthy?” asked Ms. Sabreena. “I think it’s healthy because a lot of the storm drains around the school are not that polluted,” said Aston. “I think it’s healthy and unhealthy because there’s lots of grass and birds, but I also saw lots of trash that people just threw on the ground,” argued Raya. “I think it’s somewhere in the middle because there’s lots of nature and bugs, but we also found some trash pollution,” added Matthias. “I think our watershed is a little bit of both (healthy and unhealthy) because it’s healthy enough for all the birds and geese and wildlife to live here, but it is pretty polluted in certain areas,” said Helena. 

“Why are healthy watersheds important?” asked Ms. Sabreena. “It is where we get all of our water! It is very important for us to drink clean water and clean water is also important for the animals that live in the water,” said Amari. “Healthy watersheds provide a place for us to learn and explore!” said Julissa. 

The opportunities for outdoor learning provided by KIDS for the BAY encourage students to form deep, personal connections with the local environment. Not only do KftB activities help students access and connect with nature, they also provide students with the opportunity to use all five senses, practice mindfulness and become fully engaged in nature and in their own bodies. Students reported that they felt, “…relaxed, calm, peaceful and happy…” during their nature connection activities.

The young Environmentalists in Mr. Marcos’s class reflected on how their nature connection activities impacted their mental wellbeing. “I liked when I went outside and I got to see all the nature. The sunshine felt nice,” said Miranda.  “I felt calmer when we got to go outside because being in nature is really calming,” said Aslan. 

The young Environmentalists in Teacher Ethan Sorscher’s class at Montalvin Manor also shared how the opportunity to spend time in nature and learn in the outdoors improved their mental health. “I feel better when I am outside because it feels more congested in the classroom. There’s more fresh air outside,” shared Sariyah. “I really like to be outside. Sometimes, I feel a little flustered when we have to go back inside because it’s crowded in the classroom,” added Sariyah’s classmate, Mario. “When I’m outside, I feel happier and really connected with nature,” said Abdel. “I felt happy when I was using all my senses,” said Lupe. Lupe’s classmate, Issac, reported, “When we went outside, I started to feel more calm.” Rhyma concluded, “I loved it when we went outside to explore our watershed.  It felt good to feel the fresh air! I never knew there’s so many plants and animals right here in our own play yard.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed SB 1091 into law on September 30, 2024. This bill will make it easier for schools, particularly under-resourced schools, to implement schoolyard greening projects. The bill was sponsored by Green Schoolyards America, a fellow project of Earth Island Institute! Reducing barriers to schoolyard greening projects, especially in schools with fewer resources, will have major developmental and health benefits for all students who have fewer opportunities to connect with nature and learn in the outdoors.