Project WILD Aquatic Activities

Cool School!

Activities are available through our Project WILD workshops.

Fashion a Fish – Students design a fish adapted for various aquatic habitats. Upon completion students describe adaptations of fish to their environments; describe how adaptations help fish survive; and interpret the importance of adaptations to animals. Requires body shape, coloration, reproduction, and mouth card set for each group of students.

Fishy Who's Who – Students complete an inventory of fish habitats that exist in their area; obtain information about the various fish species that occur in their area; and locate the fish species on a map. Upon completion students recognize and identify the major species of fish in their area; describe various values of fish in some aquatic communities; and locate places where fish species occur. Requires paper; pencils; large piece of paper for wall map; map of the state; overhead projector; art supplies; colored string or yarn; thumbtacks or pushpins.

Marsh Muncher – Students use body movement and pantomime to simulate the feeding motions of marsh animals. Upon completion students identify components of a food web in a salt march; and identify their interconnectedness in the food web. Requires timer; construction paper for tokens; predator feeding behavior cards; detritus eater cards; and one envelope per student.

Hooks and Ladders – Students simulate Pacific salmon and the hazards faced by salmon in an activity portraying the life cycle of these aquatic creatures. Upon completion students describe how fish migrate; identify states of the life cycle of salmon; describe limiting factors affecting Pacific salmon; and generalize that limiting factors affect all populations of animals.

Sockeye Scents – Students participate in map and simulation exercises that help them understand the migration of the sockeye salmon. Upon completion students trace and label sockeye salmon migration routes; describe one theory about how salmon find their birth stream; and explain how adaptations enable some species to survive and maintain their populations. Requires map of the Columbia River in Oregon; 40 paper cups; paper towels; 40 rubber bands; 25 to 75 yards of blue ribbon or chalk; and four samples of scents.

Net Gain, Net Effect – Students conduct a simulation to explore the evolution of fishing and the effects of changing technology on fish populations. Upon completion students describe the evolution of fishing techniques; and interpret the changes in technology on fish populations. Requires nets of different mesh sizes; onion bags, potato bags, fruit bags, or netting from a hardware store; one pound each of lima beans, rice, pinto beans, black beans, lentils, rice; writing material; four large containers deep enough to hold one-fourth of the beans and grains.

Water Wings – Students visualize a simulated field trip and then create artwork and poetry. Upon completion students illustrate the water cycle; describe how the worlds waters are related; and state the importance of water to people, plants and animals. Requires tape recorder and tape of water sounds; water colors; brushes; writing materials.