Make your school an environmental leader!
Schools can be a place for inspiration and change. By becoming a River-Friendly school you can immerse students in water related lessons and projects such as stormwater mapping exercises, planting pollinator gardens, or exploring the creatures in your local waterways. We can offer guidance on lessons that meet NGSS standards and assistance in hands-on projects to do with students.
Join more than 30 schools who have become River-Friendly residents since 2010 by filling the applicationbelow and contacting your local River-Friendly Coordinator to get started!
See an example of what a school could do to get certified! This is just an example, but yours may look different based on your grade level and interests. The program is very flexible in what is accepted.
Using Macroinvertebrates to Determine Stream Health
Understanding Your Water Footprint
Aquatic Plant Adaptations to Habitat
Bird Box Lesson
Rain Garden Installation
StreamWatch Schools
K-12
Both
Erosion Erasers
2
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute
Stormwater Solutions
4
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute
EcoSpheres
5
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute
Dam Engineers
Middle School
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute
Downstream: A Watershed Game
5 – 12
In-class (1 hour)
—
Engage students and parents in water conservation discussion using the interactive survey
Plans for middle and high school to make the survey into a full lesson (Spanish translation materials available too)
One of the biggest water comsumption categories is from the foods we eat – have a lesson about how much water our favorite food require our about eating more locally and seasonally
NASA – Precipitation Education
Penn State- Water Conservation
Learn more about rain barrels
Natural Connections
K
Field trip at The Watershed Institute
Habitat Survivors
3
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute
Dam Engineers
Middle School
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute
Monarch and Migration
1 – 8
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute (Only available in September)
Butterfly Magic
Pre K – K
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute (Available May-Sep)
Beautiful Butterflies
—
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute
Animal and Habitats
—
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute
Insect Safari
K – 12
Field Trip to The Watershed Institute
Insects All Around
2 – 6
In-class
Reptiles Are Fun
Pre K – 2
In-class (Available Dec-Feb)
Nature’s Winter World
Pre K – 1
In-class (Available Dec-Feb)
Watershed Academy for Teachers | River-friendly Teacher Academy
Outreach actions from River-Friendly certified schools
Watershed Institute – Annual Stream Cleanups
CWAP – For High School students and beyond
A Guide to planting Native Plants in NJ – Colorful and a good printable document for classroom use
Jersey-Friendly Yards – The go-to source to learn about NJ Native Plants with a robust, searchable database of plants and many educational resources
Get free plants from the Xerces Society – with their Northeast Monarch and Pollinator Habitat Kit Program
Learn about rare species in NJ and what your class can do to restore their habitat
Talk about local and national wildlife restoration success stories like the Bald Eagle by viewing the Duke Farms live Bald Eagle cam
Get lesson plans, PowerPoint, and even borrow “Eagle Kits” from Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ
Alexander Elementary School: Baseline Level
Arthur P. Schalick High School: River Level (SJL&WT)
Bear Tavern Elementary School: Baseline Level
Ben Franklin Elementary School: Stream Level
Bernards High School: Stream Level
Bridgewater-Raritan High School: River Level
Carroll Robbins Elementary School: Baseline Level
Chapin School Princeton: Watershed Level
Christina Seix Academy: Stream Level
Far Hills Country Day School: Watershed Level
Franklin Elementary School (Trenton): Baseline Level
Franklin Elementary School: Baseline Level (RRWA)
Holland Brook School: Stream Level
Hopewell Elementary School: Baseline Level
Hopewell Valley Central High School: River Level
Madison Elementary School: Baseline Level (RRWA)
Montgomery High School: Baseline Level
Princeton Day School: Watershed Level
Princeton Friends School: Watershed Level
Rahway High School: Baseline Level (RRWA)
Rocky Hill Cooperative Nursery School: Baseline Level
Roosevelt Public School: Baseline Level
Slackwood Elementary School: Baseline Level
South Orange Middle School: Baseline Level (RRWA)
Stony Brook Elementary School: Stream Level
The Bridge Academy of New Jersey: River Level
The Lawrenceville School: Baseline Level
The Laurel School of Princeton: Baseline Level
The Newgrange School: Baseline Level
The Pennington School: Watershed Level
Three Bridges School: Watershed Level
Timberlane Middle School: Baseline Level
Toll Gate Grammar School: River Level
Waldorf School of Princeton: River Level
Whitehouse School: Watershed Level
** Schools in bold were certified by us.
Olivia Spildooren
River-Friendly Coordinator
Site by Scout Digital
