Coshocton SWCD offers resources on environmental education to teachers, educators, summer camps, scout troops, or other organizations. Our education program aims to engage teachers and students on how to protect our county’s soil and water resources. We accomplish this through the following available models and events. For more information, contact Michaela Savage at michaelasavage@coshoctoncounty.net.
Enviroscape Model
This model is available for Classroom Demonstrations for grades K-12. It is used as an educational tool to demonstrate how everyday activities can result in Non-Point Source Water Pollution (NPS). Non-Point Source pollution refers to pollution which does not come from one single identifiable source, however it includes runoff from lawns, streets, farms and other surfaces. With the model, students are able to see and discuss the cause and effect of daily activities within the watershed. The model is designed for grades K-6, however high school students can benefit from the presentation as well. The model involves a hands-on approach for students.
Watershed Sandbox Model
The Watershed Sandbox Lesson Plan is available for classrooms grades 4-12. It is an interactive, hands-on educational tool that demonstrates how water moves across land within a watershed. By simulating rainfall over a 3D landscape, participants can see how water flows downhill, forms streams and rivers, and eventually drains into larger bodies of water. The model also helps illustrate how everyday activities and land use—such as farming, construction, and urban development—can impact water quality through runoff and pollution movement. This visual demonstration makes complex water concepts easy to understand, helping users see how watersheds function in real time. It is commonly used in environmental education programs, classroom lessons, workshops, and community outreach events. Best suited for upper elementary through adult audiences.
Groundwater Model
The groundwater model is available for classroom demonstrations for grades 4-12. The model is designed to help teach principles of groundwater movement and contamination. The model is a cross-section of a soil profile, highlighting the different textures (sand, silt, clay and rock) which make up our soils. Dye is added to the model to demonstrate various types of groundwater pollution. Students can see how pollution can enter into the groundwater supply and how it travels.
Youth Events
Field Discovery Day (Earth Day)
Each year Coshocton SWCD assists with the annual Earth Day Celebration. More than 400 students from area schools grades 6-8 take part in several different activities throughout the day. In the past, this event has been held on AEP Conesville’s reclaimed acreage and at the Muskingum Valley Boy Scout Camp. With the SWCD, students collect samples for stream monitoring. Depending on macroinvertebrates found, students can determine the quality of water.
Macroinvertebrates are identified and listed on a stream assessment in groups. Group 1 are pollution-sensitive organisms found in good water quality. Group 2 are somewhat pollution tolerant and can survive in good or fair water quality. Group 3 includes pollution tolerant organisms and can be in any quality of water. Students learn how people can make a difference in the environment by using conservation practices to help protect the environment from pollutants.
4th Grade Ag Awareness Day
Coshocton County Farm Bureau sponsors an Ag Awareness Day for all fourth graders in Coshocton County every fall. Several volunteers from Coshocton County Farm Bureau, agricultural related businesses and agencies as well as individuals participate. The Farm Bureau puts the program together for the day with stations set up to give students a chance to participate in activities directly related to farming. Some stations include honeybees, food production, dairy cattle, fish, forestry, goats, grain production, greenhouse, llama, safety and 4-wheelers, sheep, soybean uses, swine, GPS technology, watershed education and soil conservation.
Due to limited school funding for special events such as Ag Awareness Day, Coshocton SWCD and Coshocton County Farm Bureau work together to generate funds for the schools’ transportation costs.
5th Grade Poster Contest
Coshocton SWCD sponsors a 5th Grade Poster Contest in conjunction with our display at the Coshocton County Fair. Coshocton city and county fifth graders receive a classroom presentation titled “Have You Eaten Any Soil Lately?” Students are then asked to draw a poster about something they learned from the lesson that everything we eat can be traced back to a plant grown in the soil. Teachers select the best poster for their classroom. All entries are displayed in the Coshocton SWCD Fair Booth, and the fair going public takes it upon themselves to decide a winner. First place receives $25 and a pizza party for their class, second place $15 and an ice cream party for their class, and third place $10 and an ice cream party for their class.
Junior Fair Hay Show
The Coshocton SWCD sponsors the Junior Fair Hay Show every year as part of the Coshocton County Fair. Five classes are judged – Alfalfa, Clover, Grass, Light Mixed Hay and Mixed Hay. The top winner in each class is given a complimentary ticket to the Coshocton SWCD Annual Banquet, a rosette for their class and a $25 cash prize for attending the banquet.
Project Wet Workshop For Teachers
The goal of Project Wet is to facilitate and promote awareness, appreciation, knowledge and stewardship of water resources through classroom resources and a Project Wet Curriculum Guide for grades K-12. For more information on Project Wet in Ohio go to ODNR’s webpage.