Freshwater Ecosystems Field Study for 3rd–6th Grades

In this field program, students investigate the role of freshwater ecosystems in their communities. They develop an understanding of who and what lives in and around our ponds, how people use, impact, and change them, and how the ponds help us manage stormwater. This program incorporates Next Generation Science Standards.*

As part of their day, students will use science practices to:

• Investigate a pond and the ecosystem around it through exploration and direct observation.
• Investigate the tiny organisms that are an essential part of a pond ecosystem, including collecting samples from the pond and using microscopes and other lab tools to analyze them up close.
• Use models to understand how the ponds were designed to provide habitat and manage stormwater.
• Analyze their data to explain their findings.
• Argue from evidence for changes they would make to help people and/or animals in an ecosystem.

As a result of the program, students will be able to:

• Identify practices that scientists use to understand the world.
• Identify the natural services that ecosystems provide to a community.
• Make connections between the ecosystems at Brightwater and ecosystems in their own communities.
• Understand that humans have both positive and negative effects on ecosystems.

*Next Generation Science Standards is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.

Humans and the Water Cycle Program for 4th–6th Grades

What happens when we “borrow” water from the water cycle? What happens to this borrowed water after we use it in our homes, schools and businesses?  In this program, students will learn how the choices they make on a daily basis impact the water cycle. Students experience the wastewater treatment plant firsthand and see how engineers have designed a system to clean our water and protect human and environmental health. This program is designed for classes that are studying human impacts on the water cycle, wastewater, water use and urban infrastructure.  This program involves a tour of the Treatment Plant and is only for students aged 9 and up. Hard hats and vests will be provided for students. Closed-toe shoes are required for this program.

As part of their day, students will:

• Explore a state-of-the-art waste water treatment facility through the context of the engineering design process.
• Engage in argument about their personal choices as they relate to water.
• Explore different water careers and how they connect to human and environmental health.
• Discuss the different water issues facing communities around the globe.

As a result of the program, students will be able to:

• Explain the role that wastewater treatment plays in protecting human health.
• Explain how their personal choices impact both built and natural water systems.
• Identify how their learning connects to their personal experiences, prior content knowledge, and community.
• Describe the engineering design process and identify how they have used this process in their daily lives.

Stormwater Engineers Field Study for 4th–6th Grades

In this field program, students actively engage in the engineering design process to tackle stormwater engineering problems. Students will use models of the landscape to identify stormwater problems, research the innovative work that engineers did around the treatment plant and then return to their models to test possible solutions.  This program is designed for classes that are studying erosion, deposition, stormwater, and environmental engineering.

During the day, students will use an Engineering Design Process to:

• Define a stormwater problem using a model in the lab.
• Investigate the design of Brightwater’s streams, hills, and wetlands to gather data that will help them develop a solution for their stormwater problem.
• Apply their knowledge back in the lab to design solutions, test them in their models, and optimize their designs.

As a result of this program, students will be able to:

• Explain how an Engineering Design Process can help them develop solutions to problems.
• Make connections between a stormwater model and stormwater in the real world.
• Recognize ways that engineers build features to slow down water and reduce erosion.
• Design and defend a solution to an engineering problem using their observations and data.
• Understand the effects of human decisions on the land, both positive and negative.
• Identify the ways they could positively affect stormwater systems in their own communities.

Please note: This program DOES NOT include a treatment plant tour.

*Next Generation Science Standards is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.

IslandWood is proud to partner with King County to provide exceptional learning experiences at the Brightwater Education Center, a state-of-the-art facility attached to King County’s newest and most innovative wastewater treatment plant in Woodinville.

For information about renting the Brightwater Center meeting rooms, or to set up a tour of King County’s state-of-the-art treatment plant, please visit the county’s Brightwater Center Webpage.

Registration for 2024-25 onsite field trip programs is open! As part of our commitment to increasing equitable access to our programs for historically underserved schools, registration will open on a tiered system based on the low-income/free-and-reduced lunch percentage of your school.

Register Now!

Programs are provided at no cost to schools and free transportation is available for those with 35% or greater free and reduced lunch rates. They are designed to last for four hours and can accommodate a maximum of 60 students.

If you’d like to get more information please contact Alexei Desmarais at [email protected].

To qualify to participate in our Brightwater Education programs, your school must fall within the boundaries of this map. Either within a 10-mile radius of the Brightwater Education Center or within the King County water treatment division service area.

For questions about the program please contact Alexei Desmarais at [email protected].