WATER QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS
Summertime Pollution Prevention Activities and Events for Kids
It’s summer vacation - school is out and parents are looking for activities to keep their kids busy! While classroom activities have come to a halt, kids don’t have to stop learning. Why not take advantage of the summer break to involve your kids in some fun educational activities that also focus on protecting our environment? Everyday pollutants such as trash, pet waste, and food waste can make their way into our storm drains and eventually enter our ocean. Preventing stormwater pollution protects aquatic life, improves water quality, and keeps San Diego County’s waterways beautiful. Help your kids learn more about the value of water, the environment, and the important role they can play in pollution prevention through these educational resources.
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On-Site Programs and Camps
Registration may be required for the following summer camps, and fees may vary. Click one of the links below to learn more or register.
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Coastal Kiddos Summer Camps focus on environmental awareness, ocean biology, and water supply. Tidepooling and beach exploration are two activities offered for kids to get a greater appreciation of the ocean and local beaches. Offered at various park locations throughout San Diego County.
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SeaCamp San Diego Summer Camp is a 5 full-day camp program designed to introduce students, 5th grade through 8th grade, to the ocean and local marine life of Southern California through hands-on labs and workshops that cover marine biology and ecology, physical oceanography, chemical oceanography, and geology. Offered at the San Diego Youth Aquatic Center on Mission Bay.
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Ocean School is Cool Summer Sessions is a weekly, full-day camp with ocean and outdoor adventures taking place at Ocean Beach Dog Beach for ages kindergarten through 5th grade. Includes beach cleanups, tidepool explorations, ocean swims, beach games, and sports.
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Summer Camp at the Buena Vista Nature Center is a week-long day camp that includes nature lessons, arts and crafts, music, and games. Other nature programs that kids will enjoy are also offered at the Center.
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The Living Coast Discovery Center Summer Kids’ Wildlife Camps engage youth through exploration, learning about local wildlife and conservation, interacting with animals that call the Living Coast their home, and more.
- Check out the County’s Monthly Stormwater Pollution Prevention Events Bulletin for more youth activities and classes being offered throughout the year such as San Diego Botanic Garden Science, Art, and Play in Garden Spaces (SAPLinGS) Activities, Lil’ Sprouts Storytime with Ms. Smarty-Plants™, and Kids in the Garden Monthly Saturday Classes.
Online Programs, Resources and Activities
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Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation Apprentices Program includes online lessons and activity guides on pollution prevention and waste reduction that can be completed in your own space. Lesson six focuses on the activity guide for preventing pollution. Other activities focus on waste reduction (lessons three and four) and other environmental and science topics.
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National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) Watershed Sleuth Challenge is a three-lesson plan that teaches kids about watershed basics and water flow, things they may be doing at home that threaten water quality and steps to reduce threats, and how their community and neighbors can better protect water quality in their area. Badges are earned along the way.
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Metropolitan District of Southern California offers educational activities for grades K-5, 6-8, 9-12, and even college students.
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EPA WaterSense for Kids includes a variety of resources, games, and activity sheets on the importance of saving water along with tips, and recycling games to reduce waste.
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Waste Reduction Resources – Teach your kids about the benefits of reducing waste through recycling and composting. Begin with a waste audit at your home to identify and analyze your daily use over the course of a week. Build your own vermicompost bin where you can recycle food waste, and recycle/upcycle items you were planning on throwing away into bird feeders, bracelet or necklace beads, or doggie bag carriers.
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Watershed, Water Supply and Conservation Resources – Other helpful resources that explain the water cycle, water supply and sources, watersheds, impact of stormwater pollution, and tips for pollution prevention include workbooks, flyers, coloring books, posters, interactive games and models, and quizzes.
The County wishes its residents and their families a fun, safe, and pollution-free summer! Educate your kids even further by encouraging them to identify additional sources of pollution in your neighborhood such as irrigation runoff, improper vehicle washing, and illegal dumping of trash, litter, and green waste on County roads – and the importance of reporting storm drain pollution.
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