San Francisco Bay Delta

Teacher's Page

Graphic shows "Fish Kids" with a magnifying glass and three circles with different animals and titles: Shore bird - Glossary, Dolphin - Estuary Challenges, Fish - Games & Activities

San Francisco Bay Delta Watershed Resources for Kids & Families


Inspiration, Field Trips, Hands-On Education

The links on this page exit epa.gov.

Aquarium of the Bay — A unique nature center dedicated to inspiring conservation of the San Francisco Bay and its surrounding waters. Classes focus on inquiry-based, hands-on learning experiences that include scientific activities, games, and a guided tour of the aquarium.

The Bay Institute’s — STRAW project (Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed) provides teachers and students with the scientific, educational, and technical resources to prepare them for hands-on watershed studies outdoors, including ecological restoration of riparian corridors and wetlands.

The Bay Model — Offers a unique opportunity for teachers and students to learn about the geography, topography, ecology, and human and natural history of San Francisco Bay and the Delta. Education programs are specific to grade level and subject. 

Saving the Bay Education — Discover San Francisco Bay with the experts! Use their map to explore programs for school groups offered by local agencies and informal education organizations about the ecology and history of San Francisco Bay. Many wonderful opportunities exist—field trips, on-site programs, classroom visits, and teacher trainings. 

Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary — Learn scientific methods of inquiry while exploring local geology, watersheds, tides, and tide pools. Using nets, buckets, mud sieves, observations, and creativity, students uncover the diverse and fascinating habitats and animals living along the shore.

Shorebird Park Nature Center — Estuary education classes provide exciting, hands-on opportunities for students to explore intertidal and dock life along the East Bay shoreline. Sailing and research programs are offered for fourth through 12th grades. The City of Berkeley’s Shorebird Park Nature Center is the first municipal strawbale building in the United States.

Don Edwards S. F. Bay National Wildlife Refuge — Investigate the waters of the Bay, taste pickleweed in the salt marsh, and learn about birds and other wildlife. The experiential learning environment explores the topics of water use, wastewater treatment, and habitat preservation.

The Hayward Area Recreation and Park District — Operates a wetlands interpretive center specializing in salt marsh natural history. Hands-on experiential field trips along the Hayward shoreline for pre-K through 7th grade students highlight the plants and animals of San Francisco Bay.

KIDS for the BAY — Offers a variety of Bay-focused programs that are correlated to California state standards in science, math, and language arts. Programs include one-day Creek and Bay Field Trip Explorations and a yearlong Watershed Action program.

Save The Bay — Daylong programs consist of Canoes in Sloughs and community-based restoration in locations around the Bay. Canoe trips are offered for a fee based on a sliding scale; restoration programs are free. Optional one-hour, in-class presentations prepare students for field trips. 

Find a Local Wildlife Refuge and Take a Tour — National Wildlife Refuges are a great place to learn about California's threatened or endangered species and many offer guided tours of wetlands, estuaries and wild bird habitat.

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