April 9, 2020

As we shelter at home to help stop the spread of Covid-19, staff at the St. Johns River Water Management District are pouring extra effort into helping support our region’s educators and parents keep our students of all ages engaged in learning about water.

While you #stayhome, following federal and state directives to keep yourselves safe — washing your hands, practicing social distancing and only going out when absolutely necessary — the District has free resources to help your child learn about our water in fun and practical ways.

Some of our beneficial online educational resources have been around a while and some are new. We are producing various educational videos and helpful items geared toward our current circumstances, using supplies you’re likely to have around the home. For example, one of our newest videos is an engaging lesson about Florida’s aquifer system using jars, sand and pebbles to demonstrate where our Florida water comes from.

Here’s a sampling of what else is available to you and your children on our website through our main education landing page: www.sjrwmd.com/education

• An interactive look at the water cycle and states of matter for elementary school-aged children (The Great Water Odyssey): www.sjrwmd.com/education/odyssey
• An introduction to District mascot Raleigh Otter, a tour of the St. Johns River and overview of water management in Florida: www.sjrwmd.com/education/raleighs-den
• A tour of the Indian River Lagoon from the perspective of lagoon natives Sebastian and Lucie Snook, with info on seagrasses, mangroves and other unique lagoon tidbits: www.sjrwmd.com/education/snooks-cove
• A collection of activity and coloring sheets to download, reading lists, lesson plans with videos: www.sjrwmd.com/education/teacher

We’ll continue to add fresh videos and materials to our website and social media platforms in the coming days. We hope they will be useful as teachers, parents and students strive to make the best of these challenging times and help to enhance everyone’s appreciation for Florida’s precious water resources.