Day Programs in Renton
King County has partnered with IslandWood to deliver existing four-hour programs at the South Treatment Plant in Renton. Our goal is to bring classroom learning to life, engaging students in experiential and project-based fieldwork that appeals to diverse learning styles.
We ask all schools to provide their own transportation to and from our programs. However, we have limited funding to provide free transportation through King County’s Wheels to Water Program. Wheels to Water can provide buses for your school. To qualify, your school must be at a minimum 35% free and reduced lunch rate as per OSPI.
Registration for 2024-25 onsite field trip programs is now 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.
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 Grades 4th–6th
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 South Treatment Plant in Renton.
South plant treats wastewater from homes and businesses coming from cities located east and south of Lake Washington. Approximately 90 million gallons a day (mgd) of wastewater is treated at this facility during the dry months and up to about 300 mgd flows can be treated during the rain/storm season.
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.
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 KayLani Siplin [email protected].
For questions about the program please contact Katelyn Leeuw at [email protected].
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