Time: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PT

Format & Length: In person, 4 hours 

Audience: K-12th grade educators, formal and nonformal educators interested in taking students outdoors, including 5th & 6th grade educators working with students who attend outdoor school.

Materials provided: 

• Project WILD’s Aquatic WILD guide 
• How to Teach Nature Journaling (available online as a free pdf)

Description:  Immerse yourself in the art of observation and inquiry with this hands-on workshop that fuses nature journaling with Project WILD's Aquatic WILD curriculum. Discover how to spark curiosity and deepen students' connection to aquatic life by integrating creative journaling techniques into lessons about aquatic wildlife and water habitats. Through engaging, inquiry-based activities and field investigations, you’ll learn how to cultivate sharper observation skills, promote questioning, and inspire a sense of wonder in the aquatic world around us.

Aquatic WILD is a K-12 activity guide designed to engage students with aquatic wildlife and habitats through hands-on, inquiry-based learning, field investigations, and career exploration. Nature journaling, a flexible and engaging teaching tool, complements these activities by helping students develop both scientific skills aligned with NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) and social-emotional competencies. Together, these methods offer a powerful approach to learning about the natural world.

Get ready to step outdoors, explore, and bring the magic of aquatic environments to life in your classroom!

Stipend: A $80 stipend is available from OSU Extension Service Outdoor School to support the attendance of eligible outdoor school educators who are not being compensated by their employer for the time they attend the workshop. Please contact with questions about stipend eligibility.

Brought to you by: OSU Extension Service Outdoor School program, Oregon Natural Resource Education Program (ONREP), the Grande Ronde Community Science Project, and the Greater Oregon STEM Hub.

Registration required. Offered at no cost to Oregon Educators. PDUs available. Substitute reimbursement available on teacher workdays.