I’m so pleased to share that in just under a month I will be taking part in the Creeks to Coast workshop presented by Georgia Aquarium. Georgia-Pacific has generously provided funding for teachers (like me!) to take part in this week-long workshop adventure.
During Creeks to Coast, we will be studying the Chattahoochee River and watershed from its source in North Georgia to where it empties into Apalachicola Bay in Florida. During the trip, I will be learning about how rainwater becomes part of the river system, how everyone is connected to a watershed, and how the Chattahoochee River impacts Georgia’s growth and economy. I’ll also have a chance to learn about the the biodiversity and ecosystems along the Chattahoochee River.
Last Wednesday, we had an introductory meeting about the program and also had a chance to learn about watersheds. A great way to explain watersheds to your students is to have them take the following steps with a piece of copy paper and a marker:
- Wad up the copy paper into a ball.
- Un-wad the copy paper, but let it stay in a 3D shape with ridges and valleys.
- Have students draw on the highest points (ridges) with a marker.
- Ask students to draw an “X” on the lowest points.
Then, go around and spray each student’s paper with water. Students can quickly see if they drew the watershed areas well by where the water pools. A watershed is the land area that drains into a river system. Divides (ridges) mark the boundaries between watershed areas.See the slideshow below for a visualization of this activity.
The Creeks to Coast adventure begins on July 9. I’ll be tweeting (@janellewilson), using instagram (janellewilson), and blogging (here) throughout the journey. I hope that you will follow along! Here are a list of hashtags and handles to follow:
This opportunity was made possible through a sponsorship from Georgia-Pacific. However, all opinions reflected in this post are my own, and I did not receive additional compensation from the sponsor for this post.