History of the Elementary Program
It took many years and many hands to shape the Splash Elementary Program. From the beginning, it was designed to help children learn science and environmental stewardship by investigating and exploring the vernal pools at Mather Field.
The classroom materials prepare students for one of the highlights of their school year, a field trip to the vernal pool grasslands at Mather Field. Each year, more than 2,000 fourth- and fifth-graders come to this living laboratory to meet the critters and plants they've been studying in their classrooms.
With financial support from the Water Quality Consortium, a team of scientists and educators produced the first version of the elementary curriculum in 2000 and a second version in 2001. The curriculum was most recently updated to Version 3 in 2005. For more significant events in the development of the elementary program, check out Milestones in Splash History.
When the program began, little was known about vernal pools and the hundreds of species of plants and animals they support. Even less was written in language accessible to children and other non-scientists. While there is still much to learn, the stories in the curriculum represent the knowledge of the many scientists and educators who contributed to the telling of the tale.
