Virtual Classroom

St. Johns Riverkeeper is bringing the St. Johns River into your classroom through our virtual learning educational programs. These videos and activities are designed to introduce the River and key scientific concepts to support your in-classroom lessons and our hands-on activities. All materials are provided to you by St. Johns Riverkeeper and will be picked up following program completion. A virtual visit into the classroom is available upon request to lead the lesson with assistance from the teacher to ensure students stay on task and follow the protocols.

Watch associated videos to round out your students’ learning experience!

Education

EcoWeb (2nd-5th Grade)

Let’s explore the ecology of the St. Johns River and learn about the native plants and animals that live there, including manatees, blue crab, osprey, tape grass, and mullet. Your students will learn about habitats and food chains that exist in our local environment. We will also explore the ways we can each do our part to take care of our waterways and preserve a home for river organisms.

NOTE: This program currently requires each student to have their own laptop (not provided) to interact with the lesson. Great for classes with at home learners!

Visit the Ecosystems page for associated videos, activities, and more information about our virtual program.

Education

Salinity (4th-6th Grade)

What types of water do we have in our St. Johns River? We’ll find out! Using real scientific instruments (refractometers) students will measure how much salt is in a range of water samples taken from our river. They will develop and test their own hypothesis as we introduce students to vocabulary such as salinity, brackish water, freshwater, and refraction. It all comes together as we tie in the water cycle and tidal impacts as well as how salinity influences the ecology and overall health of our St. Johns River. Max 25 students per program.

Visit the salinity page for associated videos and activities.

Water Quality (6th -12th Grade)

Test the quality of the St. Johns River or one of its tributaries. Students will test several parameters including nitrates, pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen and then analyze the data to get an understanding of the water’s overall health. Discuss how human activity impacts our waterways and how we can avoid the repercussions.

Check out our water quality videos to learn about each test and the river issues associated with each one. *The equipment you are provided might be different than what you see in the videos.

Rock Porosity (9th – 12th Grade)

Rocks can hold oil, natural gas, and water due to physical properties called porosity and permeability. Students will investigate the porosity of limestone, sandstone, and basalt to calculate percent porosity. This is a 24 or 48 hour lab.

Watch ‘Troubled Waters‘ to learn about our impact on the Floridan Aquifer through nutrient pollution, population growth, and over pumping.

Immerse your students into the Aquifer through Jenny Adler’s ‘Walking on Water‘ with the first 360 degree virtual tour of the Floridan Aquifer.

St. Johns RIVERKEEPER is a privately-funded, independent and trusted voice for the St. Johns River and the public to whom it belongs. We are a 501(c)(3) organization and rely on the support of our members, donors, and volunteers to accomplish our mission. Please consider making a donation to support our educational programming.

Suggested donation, $5 per person