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Watershed Walkabout: Cape Fear

Meet a real Marine Conservation Biologist with our signature in-school field trip program! In this interactive, inquiry-based opportunity, your students will learn all about marine science, ecology, and conservation from an expert in the field. These 28 grade-appropriate STEAM lessons are taught exclusively to students in New Hanover, Pender, Brunswick, Bladen, and Duplin Counties, NC.  They are all correlated to the Next Generation Science Standards, NC Essential Standards (new 2023), and Ocean and Climate Literacy Standards.  Check out how we meet the standards HERE.

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**We have expanded our Cape Fear program to Duplin and Bladen Counties! Stay tuned for more about this program in your district. Pricing is below, but will include travel fees to these counties.**

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Here's how it works:

Choose a lesson, contact our Director of Education to schedule a day that's suitable for you and the other teachers in your grade, and she'll bring the science to you! She doesn't need an auditorium or a gymnasium because her presentation style requires her to be in your individual classroom with your students. Each is hands-on, so students get the most out of the hour-long activities.

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Rates for 2025-26: $85 base fee (for one class) and $65 each additional class due on the day of the program. We use this flat rate so it's cheaper for your students. For example: 4 classes = $280 (plus tax). For 100 students total, that would be $3/student! Payments will now be made through ACH to better serve our schools in a way that works for everyone Registration must be made at least two weeks in advance and cancellations must be made within 24 hours of the scheduled date. (PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

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Drawing Time

K - 1st Grade:

     Available to Both:

  • Soil Sort (NEW FOR 2025-26!) -  It's all about soils in this messy, fun, and interactive activity. Students learn what soils are made up of, how they are formed, what types of soils are found in our coastal habitats, and how each filters water.

       NC Essential Standards: PS.K.1.1, ESS.1.2

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.K.1, SL.K.2, SL.1.1, SL.1.2

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  • Sea Jellies Among Us - Get up close and personal with sea jellies without getting stung, and see how similar our bodies are to sea jellies. Students learn all about the main body parts of jellies and how they function by creating their own to take home. (craft/art component)​

       NC Essential Standards: LS.K.1, LS.K.2.1, LS.1.1.1, ESS.1.3.2

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.K.1, SL.1.1, SL.K.5, SL.1.5, K.C.1.1, K.V.1.1, K.V.3, 1.V.1.1,

          1.V.3

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     Available to K ONLY:

  • Over, Under, Through (NEW FOR 2025-26!) - Discover how organisms move underwater and in different habitats along our coast. We'll travel over coral reefs, under sea grass and kelp forests, and through deep sea caves to learn how life exists at even some of the darkest depths.

       NC Essential Standards: PS.K.2, LS.K.1

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.K.1, SL.K.2, L.K.5

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  • Elasmo-Craze - Be an archaeologist and go on a fossil dig, while learning all about sharks, rays, and skates as cartilaginous fish.

      NC Essential Standards: LS.K.1, LS.K.2

      Cross-Curriculum Standards: K.G.1.2, NC.K.MD.2, NC.K.G.4

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     Available to 1st ONLY:

  • Rising Tides (NEW FOR 2025-26!) - Ever stand at the water's edge and just watch the water come up higher and higher around you? Get into orbit and down to earth with this stellar interactive activity that demonstrates the moon's gravitational pull on tides and the push of water up onto our shores during "king" tide events. 

       NC Essential Standards: PS.1.1, ESS.1.1

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.1.1, SL.1.2, SL.1.3

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  • The Great Terrapin Race - Being a terrapin turtle is hard when you need to find food and hide from predators in the marsh. This predator/prey game of tag shows students how to survive in one of the most biodiverse coastal ecosystems. (outdoor component)

       NC Essential Standards: LS.1.1.1, ESS.1.3

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.1.1, SL.1.2, SL.1.3, 1.B.1.1, 1.C&G.1, 1.G.2

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Biology Class

2nd - 3rd Grade:

     Available to Both:

  • Made From Land, Made From Sea - As marine geologists, students uncover sands around the world and determine where their origins are from. Using scientific inquiry, they describe samples by their size, texture, shape, color, and composition. (craft/art component)

       NC Essential Standards: ESS.2.3

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.2.1, SL.2.3, SL.3.1, SL.3.2, 3.G.1.3

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  • Turtles, Turtles, Everywhere - Three different turtle species, three distinct coastal habitats. Students discover who lives where through a series of clues based on predators, prey, and nest locations. (craft/art component)

       NC Essential Standards: LS.2.1, LS.2.2, ESS.3.2.1

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.2.1, SL.3.1, SL.2.2, SL.3.2, SL.2.5, SL.3.5, 3.G.1.6, 2.V.2.3,

          2.V.3.1, 3.V.2.3

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     Available to 2nd ONLY:

  • Sound Off (NEW FOR 2025-26!) - Sounds are all around us, but when we go underwater, sound seems muffled or unclear. Whales and dolphins hear much clearer underwater, and students will experiment with sound vibrations to demonstrate their communication and echolocation. (water component)

       NC Essential Standards: PS.2.2, LS.2.2

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.2.1, SL.2.2, SL.2

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  • Something Fishy (same great activity, new name!) - There's "something fishy" about these species and students discover and identify who they are and what they need to survive. (craft/art component)

       NC Essential Standards: LS.2.2

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: RI.2.3, RI.2.4, RI.2.7, SL.2.1, SL.2.3

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     Available to 3rd ONLY:

  • Runoff Relief (NEW FOR 2025-26!) - Everyone wants to live in a healthy ecosystem, but how do we determine how healthy it is? Students will experiment with water flow and how different sediments play their part in keeping pollution out of our waterways. (water component)

       NC Essential Standards: PS.3.2, ESS.3.2

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.3.1, SL.3.2, SL.3.3, SL.3.4​

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  • Ecosystem Survivor - Resources for survival, such as food, shelter, air, and space, can become limited with increased population or human interference. Students demonstrate limited resources in this fun tag game of survival. (outdoor component)

       NC Essential Standards: LS.3.2.1, ESS.3.2

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.3.1, SL.3.2, SL.3.3

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4th - 5th Grade:

     Available to BOTH:

  • Baseflow Buffers (NEW FOR 2025-26!) - Let's role play as wildlife rescuers and rehabilitators in this interactive activity, where students work together in rescue teams to learn what care injured and sick marine species need. They will then take what they learn and design wildlife protection posters. (craft/art component)

       NC Essential Standards: ESS.4.3, PS.5.2.1, ESS.5.1.4

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.4.1, SL.4.2, SL.4.3, SL.5.1, SL.5.2, SL.5.3

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  • Alternate Route - Find the best way to save sea turtles at every stage of their life cycle from hatchling to adult. Discover how human have been impacting their populations in both positive and negative ways. (craft/art component)

       NC Essential Standards: LS.4.1.3, ESS.4.3, LS.5.2, LS.5.3.1

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.4.1, SL.5.1, 4.G.1.2, 5.G.1.2

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     Available to 4th ONLY:

  • Deep Dive Illumination (NEW FOR 2025-26!) - Light is refracted in different wavelengths and those colors are absorbed faster the deeper you get in the ocean. As students investigate what happens to light at greater depths, they will explore organisms' ability to "see" using their own form of bioluminescence or body adaptations.

       NC Essential Standards: PS.4.3.2, LS.4.

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.4.1, SL.4.2, SL.4.3

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  • One Scute or Two (NEW FOR 2025-26!) - Did you know you can identify different sea turtle species by the markings on their shells and head? Students follow along a basic dichotomous key to learn how scientists classify organisms based on their morphological features

       NC Essential Standards: LS.4.1.1, ES.4.3.1
       Cross-Curriculum Standards: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RI.4.7, SL.4.1, SL.4.2

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     Available to 5th ONLY:

  • Climate Change Cause and Effect - There are causes of climate change, effects of climate change, and things humans can do to slow this process. Students use what they know about metaphors to identify these climate change factors and discuss ways they can contribute to slowing its process individually.

       NC Essential Standards: LS.5.2, ESS.5.1.4

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.5.1, SL.5.3, SL.5.6, 5.G.1.1

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  • Animal S.O.S. - Let's role play as wildlife rescuers in this interactive activity, where students work together in rescue teams to learn what care injured and sick marine species need. They will learn what skills are needed to become veterinarians and rehabilitators.

       NC Essential Standards: LS.5.2.3, LS.5.3

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.5.1, 5.G.1.2, 5.V.2.3

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6th - 8th Grade:

     Available to ALL:

  • A Little Crab on a Big Decline - The blue crab is part of a large fishing industry in NC, and as fishermen, students learn how to manage the fishery during times of natural disasters and human harvesting seasons. (non-allergy food component and math component)

       NC Essential Standards: LS.6.2.2, ESS.6.3, ESS.7.2, LS.8.3, ESS.8.2.1, ESS.8.3.2
       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.6.1, S.L.7.1, SL.8.1, SL.6.5, SL.7.5, SL.8.5, NC.6.RP.3,

          NC.6.SP.4, NC.6.SP.5, NC.7.SP.6, NC.8.SP.1, 6.C&G.1.4, 7.E.1.2, 8.E.1.1, 8.G.1​​

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     Available to 6th ONLY:

  • Migration Mayhem - In this interactive migration game, students demonstrate the obstacles birds and marine mammals face from their wintering to their nesting habitats. (outdoor component)

       NC Essential Standards: LS.6.2.2, ESS.6.3.2

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: RI.6.7, SL.6.1, SL.6.2

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     Available to 7th ONLY:

  • Beakology Decoded - Migrating shorebirds all have unique beaks that best serve them in finding the right food. Students engage in this lively activity to discover which beach is designed for which prey species.

       NC Essential Standards: LS.7.1, LS.7.2

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: RI.7.1, SL.7.1, NC.7.SP.1

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     Available to 8th ONLY:

  • Sea Turtle Salvation - Sea turtles can become injured or sick due to human interactions, and as wildlife rehabilitators, students learn how to diagnose and properly care for these injuries or diseases.

       NC Essential Standards: LS.8.2.1, LS.8.3, ESS.8.3.2

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.8.1, SL.8.5

Students

High School:

     Biology:

  • It's Getting Hot in Here - Global temperatures are rising and that has long-term effects on gender ratios of sea turtle species. In this experiment, students excavate sea turtle nests to describe these ratio changes as temperatures continue to rise. (math component) 

       NC Essential Standards: LS.Bio.4.2, LS.Bio.5, LS.Bio.7.3

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.9-10.1, SL.11-12.1, SL.9-10.4, SL.11-12.4, NC.M2.S-IC.2

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  • Biodiversity Bites (NEW FOR 2025-26!) - Do you have what it takes to survive in this interactive game of marsh madness? Students will use what they know about different species to find their food and stay alive during each tidal cycle in the estuary.

       NC Essential Standards: LS.Bio.4.2, LS.Bio.5

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: RL.9-10.2, SL.9-10.1, SL.11-12.1

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     Environmental:

  • A Diplomatic Island - Let’s have a debate! Students work in teams to decide best management practices on a barrier island and within a community of stakeholders.

       NC Essential Standards: ESS.EES.4.1, ESS.EES.4.4, ESS.EES.4.5, ESS.EES.5, ESS.EES.6

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: RI.9-10.1, W.9-10.1, W.11-12.1, SL.9-10.1, SL.11-12.1, SL.9-10.3,

        SL.11-12.3, SL.9-10.4, SL.11-12.4, AH2.H.2.3, FP.C&G.2.7, FP.C&G.3.6​

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  • Anatomy of a Beach *(LIMITED ON SUPPLIES)* - Students have the opportunity to model a barrier island system and demonstrate how storms can affect our coastline. They will determine the best ways to prevent erosion and save valuable wildlife habitat as our coastal storms increase in frequency and intensity. (water component)

       NC Essential Standards: ESS.EES.4.1, ESS.EES.4.4, ESS.EES.4.5, ESS.EES.5.1,

          ESS.EES.5.6, ESS.EES.6

       Cross-Curriculum Standards: SL.9-10.1, SL.11-12.1, SL.9-10.4, SL.11-12.4, AH.G.1.1​​

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**Marine CSI: Coastal Science Investigations and all its programs contained herein have no affiliation with UNCW, the Center for Marine Science, or their MarineQuest program.**

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