Educators from throughout the country explored strategies for incorporating climate change into educational activities during a two-day workshop at the South Carolina Aquarium in August.
E.V. Bell, the S.C. Sea Grant Consortium’s marine education specialist, and Elizabeth Fly, the Consortium’s coastal climate extension specialist, received funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Stewards Program to host the “Rising Tides and Changing Times” workshop.
Formal and informal educators from South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and U.S. Virgin Islands attended. Partners in the effort included the Consortium, the Aquarium, NOAA, and the National Park Service.
Educators discussed the past, present, and future of Fort Sumter during a trip to the national monument in Charleston Harbor. They scurried through Charleston on an “Amazing Race”-style scavenger hunt that showcased the challenges associated with sea-level rise. And they learned from Aquarium staff members about the impacts of climate change on marine wildlife.
Each activity included connections to lesson plans and other resources to pass along the knowledge to students. Educators who didn’t attend the workshop can find educational tools focused on climate change at www.climate.gov/teaching .