Learn
Learn With Central San
Preventing Pollution & Protecting The Environment
For the ‘20-21 school year, we will have a slate of different options available to support the myriad of school designs that might exist this year.
As always, all of our programs are free of charge to teachers, schools, and families
Please see the different options available below. We are more than happy to accommodate your particular circumstances.
If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact Ben Lavender: blavender@centralsan.org or (925) 768-2857.
Virtual Support
We are happy to support your students
remotely through any number of teleconference apps. Our
educators can provide a variety of virtual lesson options
for you to choose from.
We have several of options available, including a hosted Virtual Treatment Plant Tour, as well as several hands-on lessons that can be done remotely using simple household supplies. Please see our Distance Learning Resources to see what options are available.
If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact Ben Lavender: blavender@centralsan.org or (925) 768-2857.
In-Person Support
If your school allows for guest
presenters, (either in class or outdoors) we will send one of our
educators to your site to support students with rich,
hands-on science and engineering lessons.
All of our lessons can be done outside on a school blacktop or inside a classroom space, whichever makes the most sense for your context.
Please check out our Pipe Protectors Page for more information about the kinds of lessons we offer. Or fill out our Pre-Visit Form (coming soon) to help us learn about what you are looking for.
If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact Ben Lavender: blavender@centralsan.org or (925) 768-2857.
Classroom Materials Lending
We have lots of different hands-on
materials for you to borrow and use with your students. All of
our materials are sanitized and quarantined between uses
We will happily drop materials off at your site and pick them up when you are finished. Our materials come in sets large enough for a full classroom of students.
To see some examples of what materials we have available, check out our Class Materials Webpage (coming soon).
If you have any questions or would like more information, feel free to contact Ben Lavender: blavender@centralsan.org or (925) 768-2857.
Guiding Principles
Our Foundational Thinking
Central San designs all of our classroom education and outreach programs using our core Guiding Principles as the foundation.
Distance Learning
Hands-On Science While Sheltered In Place
In the days before the pandemic, we used to travel to K-12 classrooms in order teach students the hands on science and engineering of wastewater and wastewater treatment.
Nearly all of the supplies we use are solid wastes diverted from landfill, including donated biotech supplies and repurposed household materials. This design is on purpose. As an agency that sits on the receiving end of one kind of waste stream, we are sensitive to the realities that affect all waste streams.
Pipe Protectors
Elementary Lessons for Grades K-5
Below you can find Kindergarten through 5th grade classroom lessons. All of our lessons have been developed to support hands-on science and engineering for students.
The goal of every Central San lesson is to help students think more critically about “what happens to our dirty water after it goes down the drain?”
Everything is organized by grade level standards. All of the lessons can be done at almost any grade level. Feel free to choose the lesson(s) that work for you.
Delta Discovery Voyage
Field Trip for 5th Grade
(More info about our virtual 2021 program coming soon!) Classroom science lessons come alive for fifth graders on the RV Robert G. Brownlee, a 90-foot-long research vessel that provides a safe and stable floating laboratory for students. The ship is owned and operated by the Marine Science Institute of Redwood City. Central San co-sponsors a three-and-a-half hour excursion on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta where students learn about the source of their drinking water and the importance of pollution prevention.
Water Wizards
Classroom Program for Grades 3-5
This program was designed to tie into Contra Costa County’s elementary school water environment unit. Water Wizards is a partnership program designed and produced by Central San. It includes various hands-on classroom activities and a take-home assignment for students in grades 3 through 5.
Sewer Science
5-day Classroom Laboratory for High School
The Sewer Science program is a five day wastewater treatment lab for high school students. Developed with the aid of a science teacher, this hands-on lab lets students make, treat, and test wastewater. Developed specifically to meet the needs of grades 9-12, the curriculum integrates chemistry, physics, and microbiology. Almost all the materials required for running the lab – including the necessary tanks, pumps, testing kits, and perishable materials – are provided by Central San.
Wastewater Based Epidemiology
Or As We Are Sometimes Called, Poop Sleuths
Wastewater Based Epidemiology is the study of water that comes down the drain in order to get a snapshot of the health of the community. It’s a field that’s gaining a lot more attention recently and it works for two very simple reasons:
1. In any given community: Some people get tested. Others go to the hospital. Everyone goes to the bathroom.