Rain Gardens for Schools

Rain gardens are ideally suited for schools. Not only do they reduce your school’s ecological footprint, but they also offer a unique, hands-on education opportunity for kids. Your school may be eligible for a GSI Mini Grant for a GSI installation project.

Resources for Classrooms

One of our powerful partners in connecting rain gardens with education is Sustainability Ambassadors. Check out their collection of “Stormwater Pollution Solutions” such as the  Stormwater Neighborhood Atlas, the LID Manual For Schools, Stormwater Videos, and an extensive, annotated Library of Stormwater Links.

IslandWood has produced an excellent Community Waters Science Unit designed for fourth-grade students. It incorporates Next Generation Science Standards and the Ambitious Science Teaching framework. Over the course of the unit, students use science and engineering to understand and develop a solution for a real world stormwater runoff problem in their community. They use experiments and field investigations to build on their understanding of why stormwater can cause flooding in an urban setting.  Then they use an Engineering Design Process to come up with a proposal to solve a specific local stormwater problem.

YMCA Earth Service Corps is another great partner, providing teens in our community with an engaging environmental education curriculum. Through service projects, field trips, and outdoor adventures, students become strong, confident, and responsible environmental leaders.

The Environmental Science Center, based in Burien WA, provides education in an environmental setting which encourages students to think critically and creatively and effectively guides them in learning about the relationship between human actions and their impact on the natural world. ESC school programs are based on curricula aligned with Washington State Essential Academic Learning Requirements (EALRs) and Environmental and Sustainability Education Standards.

The Green STEM Guidebook is a great tool for the classroom. This interactive guide shows how incorporating environmental education into the classroom can increase student engagement and achievement in the subjects of science, technology, engineering and math.