Education Programs & Resources

Blue Water Baltimore offers water education programs for all age ranges, from preschool to seniors.

Our water education resources include environmental school lessons, MWEE (Meaningful Watershed Education Experience) projects, university courses, and corporate or congregational events.

Water Education is fun!

Water connects us all.

Teach your students the value of water, nature and protecting our communities.

Fees listed represent the real cost to our organization for offering these workshop. Due to the nature of our work, we prioritize requests from our partner neighborhoods and organizations.

Contact us to book a program, or to inquire about our program details, costs, and availability.

Water Education Programs

How’s the Water, hon?

The mission of Blue Water Baltimore is to make our waterways safe for recreation (including fishing and swimming), to improve public health, and to improve the health of our ecosystem. This presentation shares information about the current health of our urban watershed and actions you can take to improve the health of our waterways. A 15 minute Q&A follows the presentation, and it can be customized to address issues like environmental justice, volunteerism, and local history.

  • 1 hour
  • Virtual or in person
  • Ages 16 up
  • Contact us for pricing

A History of Our Most Precious Resource: Watershed Ecology in the Human Era

This presentation explores the natural history of water and examines how animals (human and non-human) have interacted with this mysterious substance over geological time.

We will explore how human activities have impacted the Earth’s natural water cycle on an unprecedented scale and discuss solutions that individuals and communities can implement to mitigate the challenges we face.

This session is delivered in an entertaining storytelling format full of striking imagery that will get you thinking about water in a new way.

A 15 minute Q&A follows the presentation. Ideal for people aged 16 and up, but can be modified for younger audiences. $250 in person, $150 virtual. 

  • 1 hour
  • Virtual or in person
  • Ages 16 & up
  • Contact us for pricing

Pollinator Gardening: Designing a Sustainable Insect Habitat

Planting native plants strategically is an easy and inexpensive way you can help restore habitat for struggling pollinators.

This PowerPoint presentation walks you through the how and why of pollinator gardening and explains its connection to watershed health. The session covers information on site and plant selection, and how a pollinator garden is designed, built, and maintained. You will also be introduced to the pollinator plant options available at Blue Water Baltimore’s Herring Run Nursery.

This session is ideal for garden clubs and neighborhood associations — a special version is also available for educators interested in integrating pollinator gardening into school curriculum. This session is ideal for 6th grade students and up. Attendees will receive a discount coupon for a native plant at Herring Run Nursery.

  • 1.5 hours
  • In person
  • Ages 10 & up
  • $350

Storm Drain Adoption

In this workshop, participants learn about the connection between our streets and streams and how to lead a storm drain art event on campus or in their community.

Blue Water Baltimore offers donation-based storm drain adoption workshops periodically via Zoom that are geared towards community leaders and educators interested in running their own event.

In addition, we can deliver the program to schools and community groups directly on-demand for $250 in-person, or $150 virtually.

  • 1 hour
  • Virtual or in person
  • Ages 16 & up
  • Contact us for pricing

F.O.G Monster Mash Workshop

Help protect our city’s infrastructure with this fun and creative activity.

There are monsters lurking in our storm drains! Fats, oils, and grease (F.O.G.) can create beastly blockages in Baltimore’s pipes.

Participants will learn about the negative effects of F.O.G. and how to properly dispose of it by feeding the F.O.G. Monster they create. All supplies are included.

This session is ideal for students in grades K-8 (but adults love doing it too)! This program is $350.

  • 1 hour
  • In Person
  • Ages 5 – 13 +
  • Contact us for pricing

Wildflower Seedpod Making Workshop

Learn how to make native wildflower seedpods (aka seed bombs) while also learning about the role native plants play in ecosystem restoration and the urban water cycle.

This workshops is great for those looking to get their hands a little dirty.

Growing and helping native wildflowers proliferate is an important part of being a watershed steward. Native plants provide food and shelter to our region’s unique pollinators and birds.

The wildflower seedpods produced can be brought home by participants (to be scattered everywhere!) or donated to BWB for our outreach needs. Seedpods also make great gifts. This session can be tailored of people aged 8 and up. This program is $250 in person including materials or $150 virtually.

  • 1 hour
  • Virtual or In Person
  • Ages 8 & up
  • Contact us for pricing
Photo Courtesy Wikimedia

Watershed Wilderness Walk: Reconnecting with the Natural World

Our quest to protect our environment is a noble and necessary pursuit; however, without regular sensory experiences grounded in the natural world we can easily lose sight of what we are fighting for.

Engaging in frequent direct experiences in nature puts our environmental work into perspective.

During this session we will explore the more-than-human world through our senses, learn about urban watershed ecology, and have the opportunity to reflect upon and share the insights that nature-based experiences yield. The walks take place in Druid Hill Park, but can be replicated in a forested space within Baltimore’s watersheds (requires an additional fee).

  • 1 hour
  • In Person
  • Ages 9 & up
  • Contact us for pricing

Jones Falls Watershed Tour

This is the perfect field trip to give your organization or class a firm, place-based understanding of the water cycle.

We start at the headwaters of the Jones Falls and make various stops to discuss the history of water use in Baltimore City. We will discuss the modern challenges Baltimore City faces and the solutions Blue Water Baltimore and other organizations are implementing to make our waterways healthy.

This trip is a great way to prime your organization to take part in our various service learning and volunteering opportunities. The watershed tour takes approximately three hours and typically ends with a picnic lunch at the Inner Harbor. 

The hosting organization provides bus transportation and food. This is an excellent trip for groups of at least eight students, ages 11 years old and up. This program is $650, with additional fees depending on group size.

  • 4 hours
  • In Person
  • Ages 11 & up
  • Contact us for pricing

Some of our water education programs may be offered in connection with existing grant funding that subsidize associated costs, and we are happy assist with grant applications that incorporate our programs when possible.

Contact us with any questions at all!