Science Enrichment Programs are tailored to each school’s individual needs and the resources available within the community. The Program is delivered by a pair of Scientists in Residence over a 12-week period. Scientists visit each classroom in grades k-6 to present hands-on cumulative lessons that build throughout a student’s elementary experience.

We choose to focus our Science Enrichment Programs on ecology because it is an accessible science that allows children to learn about their local environment. All ECO lessons and activities are inquiry based and provide students the opportunity to study local watersheds, wildlife, geology, and botany. Our lessons are extremely cost-effective, just $30 covers the cost of an entire program for one student.

For 1st and 2nd grade students lessons are 30 minutes in duration, a typical program includes four visits.

For 3rd through 6th grade students lessons are 45 minutes in duration, a typical program includes six visits.

All lessons are aligned with state educational standards and benchmarks and include both indoor and outdoor components.

Concepts in ECO’s Science Enrichment Programs are cumulative and build upon one another as students progress from one grade level to the next. The following categories highlight the areas of study that students explore as they move through ECO’s instructional model.

ECO’s Stages of Science Instruction:

Explorers:
Kindergartners, first and second graders enter the ECO Science Enrichment Program as Explorers. These young learners discover the basics about the food web and native wildlife in the Northwest.

Investigators:
Third graders participate in the program as Investigators. These students engage in lessons covering habitats, watersheds, animal adaptations and the ecology of their schoolyard.

Classifiers:
Fourth graders focus on the important concept of classification. These students learn how to classify native plants, rocks, and macroinvertebrates; while studying habitat features and the landforms and geology of the Northwest.

Inquirers:
Fifth graders focus on the concept of inquiry as it becomes an essential aspect of all science courses they will face in the future. ECO lessons take students step-by-step through the scientific method. Students design, conduct and draw conclusions based on three experiments.

Stewards:
Sixth grade students practice the importance of stewardship, continuing to study ecology while finding ways to apply what they have learned from their years of ECO Science Enrichment Programs to Service Learning Projects in their community.