The Watershed Institute

Habitat Stewardship Project, Monterey Bay

Educational Resources

For 6th Grade Eco Ambassadors

BLM Fort Ord video

For 5th Grade Eco Ambassadors

Dunes video

About California Native Plants

California Native Plant Society

Explore this page to learn more about why California Native Plants are important. 

California Native Plant Society-Parent and Teacher Resources

For 4th grade Eco Ambassadors

Pocket School Garden Plant Cards and Quick Activities

School Garden Activity Shared Drive Access

Shared Drive includes Age-Appropriate Native Plant Information and garden maintenance calendars and tips. It also includes Science, Math, and Art activities. It is a work in progress so over time more will be added as activities are tested. 

Email nvielmas@csumb.edu for access!

 

What is Eco Ambassadors:

Habitat Stewardship Project, Monterey Bay (HSPMB) partners with the Arts Council for Monterey County and the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District to provide environmental science and expressive art lessons to every 4th and 5th grade class in all eleven elementary schools in the district.

At the start of this program in 2014, HSPMB installed a native plant garden at each school with the help of the 5th grade classes. These native plant gardens allow students to take their learning to an outdoor classroom. Students are taught about the environment, native flora and fauna and how to care for the garden on their own. Students work with HSPMB and each other throughout the year to maintain their garden, all the while fostering a sense of appreciation and ownership for outdoor space.

In 2022, we are involving the 6th graders in a pilot project called “Does Dune Restoration Work?” where 6th graders will bring the skills they’ve learned in 4th and 5th grade and participate in a dune planting and data collection project. This experience will get them to make connections between their behaviors in school to their behaviors within their larger community. The 6th graders will get to tune into their creative sides by creating a scientific illustration at each field trip and they will also gain experience in native plant identification, data collection, and data interpretation.