The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center announced two pilot educational programs for elementary school kids: the Explore the Coast program, and an after-school archaeology program.
Explore the Coast, which began on Jan. 18, gathers more than 150 fifth grade students from Mary Buren Elementary to take hour-long classroom lessons focused on ecosystems, the watershed, pollution, and human impact.
The three-month program will also include field trips to “enhance classroom learning and allow a deeper learning experience and connection to the natural world,” according to a Dunes Center news release. Students will take daytrips to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Channel Islands National Park, and Rancho Guadalupe Beach.
The archaeology program will take place over 10 weeks at local elementary schools and Boys and Girls clubs. The free after-school lessons, run by local college interns, will teach about excavation and artifact analysis, and feature archaeologists as guest speakers.
This article appears in Jan 26 – Feb 2, 2017.