Extension Lakes K-12 Educational Resources
Dive deeper into your lake
Engage your students in citizen science!
Browse these Training Materials to find out how to monitor water clarity and check for aquatic invasive species in your local waterbody.
These Resources from the Clean Boats, Clean Waters program will help you get students engaged in Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) prevention. If you have a lake nearby with a public access, chances are there are opportunities for student groups to get involved.
Use real data from your lake!
Access Wisconsin Lake Data to teach students about limnology and life science in grades 5-12.
Need some printed resources for your library or classroom shelves?
Check out our Bookstore to purchase these educational resources. Don’t miss My Lakeshore Field Journal for those projects that encourage students to record their lake observations (available as a case of 140 for only $30).
Also, to keep current with what lake lovers from around Wisconsin are doing, sign up for our free quarterly newsletter Lake Tides. This webpage also lets you search through decades of Lake Tides articles for topics and creature features that you can bring into your classroom.
These 
free publications, focusing on Aquatic Invasive Species, are available for order. Browse the selection of posters, stickers and fact sheets. Note the Clean Boats, Clean Waters Story Hour DVD on page 12.
Access hundreds of presentations
Browse 15 years of presentations, including PDFs of slideshows and video recordings, from the annual Wisconsin Lakes Convention, a gathering of lake stewards and professionals. Search by category (examples include citizen science, climate change, and water quality) or by keyword. This is a great resource for students who are doing their own research or for educators who want to grow their own knowledge: Convention Archives - Extension Lakes
The Extension Lakes YouTube Channel has various playlists that contain hundreds of video recordings perfect for background information and research: Extension Lakes - YouTube
Kits/Hands-on Resources
Are you looking for hands-on teaching resources for a specific topic? The Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education provides an amazing array of educational trunks and kits available to educators. Many of these trunks can be borrowed for a few weeks at a time and contain fun hands-on props, posters, puppets, and activity guides
Find an expert speaker
If you’re looking for an expert to visit your classroom or join you at a waterbody for student activities, we recommend you reach out to your local Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator.
The Wisconsin Citizen Science Manual
The Wisconsin Citizen Science Manual aims to empower individuals in their roles as citizen scientists and to promote the practice of community-based citizen science as a vehicle for environmental justice.
Wisconsin Land & Water Youth Education
Wisconsin Land and Water Youth Education's many programs work to ensure that future generations continue to care for our beautiful state and empower future conservation leaders through unique and meaningful educational experiences.
Wisconsin Sea Grant
Wisconsin Sea Grant works with education partners throughout Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Basin to develop educational resources centered around promoting Great Lakes learning. Each resource enables educators to teach Great Lakes Literacy Principles in formal and informal learning environments. Browse the Resources for educators.
Interested in more UWSP K-12 Aquatic Education Resources?
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