Connect Students to Milwaukee’s Waterways, Solutions to Protect Them, and the Wonders of Water.
Looking for fun and easy tools to support your water-
and science-focused lessons for 3rd-12th grade students?
The Freshwater Tool Kit’s multidisciplinary activities are free, and easy to implement and align with state and NGSS standards.
The Journey Begins….. Design a real-world project and take your students on a journey of discovery of their local waterways, watersheds, and history. You can start with a 1.5 minute drone video of Milwaukee’s waterways and add in the “Investigation” that fits into your lesson plans and classroom activities.
– Drone Video of Milwaukee’s Waters –
Watch on YouTube or download for use in your classroom or Milwaukee Waters Investigation projects.
WE’RE SO LUCKY! We live on the shores of the great Lake Michigan and three rivers that flow through the city:
the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers.
Download this PDF of the Simple Solutions Guide for more information on how we each play a part in the protection and conservation of our waterways in the Milwaukee area!
Here is a curated list of phenomena-based questions focusing on Milwaukee’s local waterways, water
use, history, watersheds and stormwater.
A combination of content in the Freshwater Tool Kit can be used to teach these educational topics to help meet NGSS standards and connect students to their local waterways and community.
This engaging and interactive presentation is the perfect start to a strong foundational understanding of how precious and limited freshwater is for all living things. Students will begin or continue their journey learning about water with a renewed enthusiasm and appreciation. This “30,000-foot view” of the Big Blue Planet’s waters can be tailored in content and duration and brings the message right back to their local waterways.
This 24×36” poster can be used on its own or with the watershed model to connect students to local waterways. The Milwaukee’s Waters map is easy to understand showing local rivers, their watersheds and places of interest. You’ll also receive a teaching aid that highlights general facts on our waterways and environmental and historical information.
This useful guide can be used on its own or as a next step after the MKE WATERS & BEYOND presentation or watershed model. Each tri-fold guide has a map of the Great Lakes, a stormwater graphic and a fold-out poster with over 50 easy solutions to protect and conserve water. There is also an activity guide available to find ways to use the guide in the classroom and at home with their families. The Guides are in English and Spanish and can be provided for each student.
Ignite student’s interest in water with these quick and easy hands-on activities adapted from Project Wet. These are perfect fill-in activities that show the 3 states of water and their density, adhesion, cohesion, capillary action and surface tension and explains the behavior of water’s unique molecules. Each activity can stand alone, or students can rotate through stations of all 3 activities.
Immerse students in the path water takes in the water cycle with this interactive and on your feet activity in the classroom. This classroom activity moves students through stations of each phase of the water cycle as they learn how all the elements are interconnected
These activities help students understand how we use water every day and gives them tools to reduce water and energy use. They will track water use at home and be able to share what they learn with the rest of the family.
![Water Art [All Grades]](https://www.freshwatertoolkit.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/water_art.png)
This activity guide will direct you to ideas to spark visual creativity in students to design posters, cartoons, comics, collages, and more projects with water themes.
NOTE: If you’d like to explore a deep art and water experience, check out the Water Across the Curriculum program through the Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University.
Get your kids out of the classroom to a beach or river near you! You’ll receive instructions on how to coordinate a beach or river cleanup with other activities that groups of students can rotate through. It’s fun to rotate a picnic lunch on the waters. The cleanup can be a data collection event or a general cleanup. Gloves, bags and a data form can be provided by a MKE Water Partner. Transportation to the beach or river and chaperons need to be provided by the school.
The Water Log is a multi-disciplinary tool to assess each student’s knowledge and retention of information learned on water resource lessons.
The EcoLiteracy Challenge provides a variety of resources, activities, and curricular connections that engage youth in environmental education and sustainability-focused learning opportunities while building a culture of environmental stewardship.
Funders: Fund for Lake Michigan, Griffin Waters Collaboration, KMD Consulting,
the Shorewood Waters Project, the Nature Conservancy and the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.
© 2016 – 2026 Freshwater Tool Kit
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Discovery World, EarthEcho International, Friends of Lakeshore State Park, Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, Milwaukee Water Works, Milwaukee World Festivals, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Reflo, Riveredge Nature Center, Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, Shorewood Waters Project, The Nature Conservancy, UWM School of Freshwater Sciences, UW Extension, Veolia Milwaukee, Wehr Nature Center, WI Department of Natural Resources and Xylem Inc.
