VIRTUAL LEARNING WITH EXPLORE ECOLOGY
Welcome to our online classroom. This is where you’ll find our gardening and environmental education videos. Please join us, the learning opportunities are endless!
Educating Our Community to
Protect and Preserve
the Environment
Let’s learn together online!
A WORLD OF ONLINE LEARNING!
Welcome to our online learning portal
School Gardens
Art From Scrap
Environmental Education
Art Workshops
Community Art Gallery
Check out some of the amazing art created each week in our Art From Scrap Online Workshops!
If you’d like to submit your work from one of our classes email Rachel.
Environmental Education Lessons
Explore Ecology lessons and field trips are available for public and private schools, community youth groups, and camp programs. We inspire children to engage with the natural world, think creatively, and experience the value of environmental stewardship.
These programs are free to most Santa Barbara County schools. Bus stipends may be available for Watershed Resource Center and Creek Kids Series Field Trips. Ask about which free services are available for your school. Services are available for a fee for programs that are not free for your school and for out-of-county schools.
If you have any questions, call 805 884-0459 x 2 or email Lydia.
WASTE SERIES — THREE PRESENTATIONS
(GRADES K-6; 30 MIN EACH)
Students learn about Natural Resources, where our trash goes (landfills), and Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Includes a fun and creative activity, perfect for home arts and crafts! Optional add-on to make it a virtual fieldtrip: 3 min virtual tour of our Art From Scrap store.
Food Waste: Students learn the process of how food gets from farms to us, how food may be wasted along the way, and what we can do to reduce food waste in our everyday lives. Includes an interactive brainstorm activity and home challenge!
Compost: Students learn about decomposers, how compost is formed, the benefits of composting, and observe a live working worm compost. Includes an interactive activity and home challenge!
(Lessons may also be booked individually)
WATERSHED RESOURCE CENTER FIELDTRIP
(GRADES K-6; 30 MIN)
Students virtually tour the estuary at Arroyo Burro Beach and Watershed Resource Center where they learn about water pollution, marine debris, and what they can do to keep our water clean and safe. Includes engaging watershed model activity and trash cleanup challenge!
CREEK KIDS SERIES
(GRADES 4-6; 45 MIN EACH)
For this series, classes must schedule all 3 lessons.
Lesson #1: Students discover how much we use water everyday, and how water moves in a watershed. Includes an interactive activity and home challenge!
Lesson #2: Students virtually tour the estuary at Arroyo Burro beach, learn about water quality tests, and observe an Educator testing estuary water for pH, dissolved oxygen, and phosphate.
Lesson #3: Students learn about microplastics and bioaccumulation in the marine food web. Includes an interactive brainstorm activity and home challenge!
WATERSHED STEWARDS SERIES
(GRADES 3-6; 45 MIN EACH)
For this series, classes must schedule both lessons. North County only.
Lesson #1: Students learn about water as a natural resource, water supply and demand, and watersheds. Includes an interactive soil race activity and home challenge!
Lesson #2: Students continue their water education journey by identifying local water resources, examining human impacts on water, and learning how they can protect water quality. Includes an interactive groundwater pollution activity and solution brainstorm!