NewsWhat if you could be the salmon?
That’s exactly the kind of learning happening at the Children’s Clean Water Festival. In our 25th year of hosting the festival students acted out the salmon lifecycle by collecting “food” (toys shaped like bugs), surviving predators (volunteers pretending to be birds and seals),and finding the perfect gravel to lay their eggs (rocks laid out in the lawn). They finished the fun adventure by viewing the salmon lifecycle painted inside Claudia the Chinook – the 20” long Chinook salmon!
Photo: Venturing Vows
What makes this event so meaningful?
The generational impact of connecting young people to clean water (the kids of parents who attended the event are now going!), the immersive outdoor learning experience, and the partnerships/community investment that make it happen! Hosted at the Twin Rocks Friends Camp, the CCWF brings together all 4th-grade students from public, private, and homeschools across Tillamook County for a day dedicated to exploring estuaries. Through this landmark learning event, TEP strives to inspire students to become responsible estuary stewards. This event is made possible by the 80 volunteers from 27 partner organizations and our community.
Photo: Venturing Vows
Immersive learning experiences engage students
Classes learn about salmon habitat, the salmon lifecycle, marine debris, water quality, the water cycle, water safety, and more! They go on an Incredible Journey, “becoming” individual water droplets who travel through a complex life cycle, another group may take a walk to a nearby wetland where they will get personal with aquatic insects and plants. More presentations open students’ eyes to the fascinating web of life in a mud flat, or give them a chance to giggle as they watch a classmate be transformed into a water bird with lots of silly props that illustrate avian adaptations.
Photo: Venturing Vows
Giving everyone the opportunity to learn
Recent updates to the festival work to make it more inclusive and accessible by including Spanish bilingual translation. Local high school students join each group ready to translate and translation is integrated into each activity based on student need. There is also a quiet sensory space included for students to take breaks.
Photo: Venturing Vows
