EnviroChallenger Lessons
All EnviroChallenger lessons are free to Tacoma kindergarten through 12th grade public schools and alternate learning programs. Explore the grade level dropdowns below for a list of lessons, resources, and instructions on how to book an EnviroChallenger lesson for your classroom.
How to Book a Lesson
- Notify Administration: Please inform your school administration when inquiring or booking a lesson.
- Safety First: EnviroChallengers follow all safety protocols for on-site visits.
- Lesson Duration: Standard in-person lessons are 50 minutes.
- Coordination: We recommend designating one teacher per grade to coordinate the visit.
- Availability: EnviroChallenger lessons are offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays (unavailable Wednesdays).
- Booking Requests: All bookings are subject to availability. We strive to accommodate as many requests as possible.
Elementary School Lessons (Grades K - 5)
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Tacoma RecyclesDid you know that all of our stuff is made from planet Earth? In this lesson students will learn about the awesome connections between Earth’s unique habitats and everyday items like paper, cans, and plastic bottles. Through hands-on games and activities students will discover that recycling is a great way to give our stuff a new life and protect our beautiful planet.
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It’s a Solid Waste Mystery!The Key to the City has gone missing and we need your help to find it! The Key makes sure our garbage is collected, recyclables are recycled, and food waste turns into compost – without it Tacoma will become a stinky mess!
In this lesson students will explore the City’s solid waste streams by becoming super sleuths. To solve the case students will interview experts, search for hints, and crack codes. Where is the Key to the City and how did it go missing? Let’s find out together!
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More Litter, More ProblemsLitter impacts the health of our neighborhoods and local waterways, like Swan Creek and Puget Sound. In this lesson students will learn about the connections between litter, stormwater, and surface water pollution. Through an interactive mapping activity, data collection, and hands-on activities students will learn that science can help us make decisions to solve real-world problems.
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2-5-Tree: Why Plant a Tree?What do trees do for our environment and urban spaces? What happens when trees are not around? Students learn trees clean our air, impact climate issues, filter and help manage our rain/storm water as well as provide food and habitats for many living things. Also, they are fun and beautiful to have in our yards and play places.
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Clean-Go-BINGO! Can You Clean without Chemicals?Through an interactive game of Clean-Go-Bingo, students learn about the caution, warning, and danger labels on hazardous household products as well as greener, more natural alternatives. As students play, the EnviroChallenger educators will answer questions and share stories to help them understand new vocabulary and concepts.
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If It Hits the Ground, It Hits the Sound: Down the Storm DrainFind out what goes down the storm drains in Tacoma and how it affects water quality. How do our actions affect water quality? Where do the chemicals we use on our lawn and garden go when it rains? While playing an interactive matching game, students will see how their actions affect water quality.
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S.O.S.: Save Our Salmon – Is Something Fishy Going On?Where have all the salmon gone? During this lesson about salmon and water quality, students hypothesize reasons for the decline in salmon populations, play a game about the salmon life cycle and brainstorm ways to help save the threatened and endangered fish. While playing the game, students encounter factors that are critical to salmon survival. After the game, students express actions they can take to help salmon survive and thrive.
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Choose to Be Idle Free!What is idling? Idling is when the car is parked but still running even though it’s not going anywhere! Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more emissions than stopping and restarting the car! That means more smog and more climate change!
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Toxic Toilets & Sick Sinks: What’s in Our Sewers?Find out what causes problems in the sewers. What gripes your pipes? Are you putting things down the drain that don’t belong there? Be careful. Some items like chemicals, oils and medicines can cause problems for your pipes, the treatment plant and the environment. In this lesson, students play a game where they are water drops traveling through the sewer lines. As they play, they find out what should and should not go down our drains. Students will learn about alternatives and proper disposal for things commonly flushed down or rinsed into the sewer.
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Water, Water Everywhere: How Can We Keep it Clean?Learn how pollution affects the water cycle. Â Students will unearth the importance of protecting and preserving this natural resource by learning about the water cycle and how pollution affects it. In this activity each student becomes a drop of water and collects different colored stamps as they flow through the water cycle. Putting their new aqua-information to work, the class discusses how to keep water clean and the environment healthy.
EnviroArt Lessons (Grades K - 5)
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Cardboard CreationsArtists will learn about reducing waste and reusing materials to create an individual art piece. By using cereal boxes and other found materials, the artists will connect environmental health with art and finding their voice. With imagination and realistic examples, students will create their very own cardboard creations!
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Gyotaku: Saving Salmon with ArtArtists learn the value of our salmon population and how clean water leads to healthy environment. Learn about the traditional Japanese art of Gyotaku (Gyo = fish, taku = rubbing)! Students will create their own fish, paint it, and then press the fish on to paper to create a gyotaku print. No salmon will be harmed during this project!
Middle School Lessons (Grades 6 - 8)
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It’s a Solid Waste Mystery!
The Key to the City has gone missing and we need your help to find it! The Key makes sure our garbage is collected, recyclables are recycled, and food waste turns into compost – without it Tacoma will become a stinky mess! In this lesson students will explore the City’s solid waste streams by becoming super sleuths. To solve the case students will interview experts, search for hints, and crack codes. Where is the Key to the City and how did it go missing? Let’s find out together!
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Plastic PlanetSingle-use plastic products are ubiquitous in our society. Disposable bottles, utensils, and bags are cheap, convenient, and widely used products. They also have a large impact on the environment. In this lesson, students learn the science of plastic – how it is made, how it is used, and how it is disposed. Students explore ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastics to protect our planet.
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Climate Change ConnectionsClimate change impacts nearly every aspect of our daily lives. In this hands-on lesson, students explore the science of global warming, the local impacts of climate change, and how these issues intersect with social justice, health, economy, and more. Students also discover some of the climate change solutions included in City’s Climate Action Plan, which aims to help our community significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030. Together we can build a more climate-resilient, healthy Tacoma!
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More Litter, More Problems
Litter impacts the health of our neighborhoods and local waterways, like Swan Creek and Puget Sound. In this lesson students will learn about the connections between litter, stormwater, and surface water pollution. Through an interactive mapping activity, data collection, and hands-on activities students will learn that science can help us make decisions to solve real-world problems.
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Clean-Go-BINGO! Can You Clean without Chemicals?
Through an interactive game of Clean-Go-Bingo, students learn about the caution, warning, and danger labels on hazardous household products as well as greener, more natural alternatives. As students play, the EnviroChallenger educators will answer questions and share stories to help them understand new vocabulary and concepts.
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Flush Out the FactsIs it really flushable? Students learn the history of toilets, Tacoma’s sewer system and why it is important that only appropriate items be flushed. Students identify, investigate, and create hypotheses for four products that are often labeled, “flushable.” Through experimentation, students outline and test the controlled, manipulated, and responding variables. The students will conclude what items are actually flushable using the results of their scientific experiment.
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Our World is in Jeopardy: What Can You Do to Help?When you throw something away, where does it go? It does not just disappear. Garbage gets packed up and moved to a landfill where it will stay…buried… forever. What can you do to keep trash out of the landfill and save natural resources? It starts with the 5 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Respect, Responsible. In this lesson, students learn where Tacoma’s garbage goes, what happens to it, and what they can do to reduce the amount of garbage they generate. Student contestants hit the daily double by playing our Jeopardy board to check their new-found garbage, recycling, and food and yard waste knowledge for points and fun!
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Storm Water Investigation: SWI – Can you Find the Source?Find out what’s in the City’s storm water. What’s going down the storm drain? Is it oily? Does it have bubbles? Is it a funny color? It’s not just water! Everyday habits like taking care of our lawns, washing and maintaining our cars, and disposing of pet waste affect the water that goes down the storm drain and then flows – untreated – to rivers, lakes, and Commencement Bay. The EnviroChallengers encourage Student Storm Water Investigators make predictions based on investigative questions, learn how to test the quality of the storm water, how to locate points of pollution, and how to prevent pollution from entering the Storm Water System.
High School Programs
The EnviroChallenger program works directly with the Tacoma School District to offer experiences in the Environmental Services Department for high school students.
Benefits can include:
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- 40+ hours of job training and experience
- High school credit
- An academic completion bonus
- Basic work readiness
- Resume/interview skills
- Increased self-confidence and personal growth
Explore our High School programs and opportunities below. Please contact us if you have further questions.
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The Next Move Internship CohortThe Next Move Internship Cohort at Tacoma’s Environmental Services allows student to learn workplace skills, tours the facilities at ES and work alongside various employees at the department. If your student is interested in engineering, field work, driving truck, working in the lab, construction, maintenance, or other hands-on careers, the internship cohort is a great way to explore them!
Learn more and apply at: Next Move Internship – Tacoma Public Schools
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Environmental Service Certificate Program (ESCP)This program focuses on topics including: diversity, green jobs training, earning industry recognized certifications, field experience, career building and personal development.
This program is an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with the City of Tacoma’s environmental scientists and develop skills necessary for a career in environmental sciences. The Certified Erosion & Soil Control Lead (CESCL) certification trains students in erosion and sediment control that safeguard natural habitats. In addition, participants will be offered a few days of training related to water plant operations.
Instruction & training areas: tree stewardship, collection and sampling, chain of custody, field note-booking, plant identification, field and tool safety, public speaking, leadership, personal financing, and team building
Field experience examples: raingarden maintenance, Lincoln Tree Farm, treatment plant, transfer center, City lab, City parks, Washington Conservation Corps worksites, Foss Seaport, Tacoma Sea Scouts
- 0.5 FTE High School Credit
- College accreditation through Clover Park Tech – 4 credits for this course towards Environmental Sciences and Technology Program
- One of four classes in alignment with Environmental graduation pathway for district
- $500 stipend
Learn more and apply at: Summer Credential Programs – Tacoma Public Schools
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Summer Experiences with Environmental ServicesCheck out this opportunity with the Environmental Services Science & Engineering Lab, offered in partnership with Tacoma Public Schools. This hands-on internship will allow you to work closely with senior-level laboratory staff and learn the intricacies of environmental analysis.
Learn more and apply at Jobs 253 Opportunities – Tacoma Public Schools