New Funding for the 2023-2024 School Year
For 2023/2024, our calendars are now open for the entire school year if you would like to schedule programs.
Please read the guidelines carefully, as some of the requirements may have changed. New opportunities are added as grants are awarded to Inside the Outdoors. Check this page often for new grant opportunities.
We strongly suggest that you do not register for a program until you hear from us about the status of your grant application. When your program is approved, our contract process with your district begins. Once your district contract is signed, then your school is bound to the terms and conditions.
For questions, contact us at insidetheoutdoors@ocde.us or (714)708-3885.
Traveling Scientist Grants - Elementary Schools in Orange County
Drip Drop - Grade Level Assembly
**Priority scheduling given to schools that register for 3rd, 4th, 5th grades on the same day.**
Drip Drop - 3rd Grade
NGSS Standards Supported: NGSS 3-ESS2-1
Students will participate in hands-on activities and collaborate with their peers to find clues and uncover patterns to solve the mystery of water challenges in their community. Students will also compare and describe diverse weather and climate data from different regions in California and explore personal choices to protect our local water resources.
Drip Drop - 4th Grade
Standards Supported: HSS 4.4.4 and HSS 4.4.7
Through discussion and hands-on activities, students will learn about the key role water plays in California’s history including the growth and expansion of towns and cities. Students will also collaborate with one another as they use maps and historical artifacts to move through the timeline of California's water resources and infrastructure.
Drip Drop - 5th Grade
NGSS Standards Supported: NGSS 5-ESS2-1
Students will conduct experiments to determine how urban surfaces can affect their local water resources. Students will examine existing water management solutions such as aquifer recharge, run-off collection, and stormwater recycling, as well as determine choices that can be made to conserve and protect local water resources.
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Scientists of the Sewers - Fifth Grade
NGSS Standards Supported: 5-ESS3-1 & 3-5-ETS1-1
Fatbergs, massive clogs in the sewers, are a menace to public health, the community and the local environment. Students will investigate to discover the sources of these colossal clogs. Then using criteria and constraints, students will work together to design a solution to prevent fatbergs from clogging the sewers, all while developing an understanding of Orange County's sanitation process and how they can help safeguard community and environmental health.
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Traveling Scientist Grants - Middle School & High Schools in Orange County
Wonders of H2O - Middle School
NGSS Standards Supported: NGSS MS-ESS3-3 Health: 7–8.6.2.P, 7–8.1.10.P
Students will think critically about connections between human land uses and water quality through exploration of a fictional watershed. Students analyze water samples to identify sources of potential pollution and brainstorm strategies to monitor or minimize pollution.
Wonders of H2O - High School
NGSS Standards Supported: NGSS HS-ETS1-3, HS-ESS3-1
Students will learn about the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and its connections to our local water resources. Students will engage in projects to collect and analyze data and explore this real-world complex intersection of human and natural systems.
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Scientists of the Sewers - Middle School/High School
Scientists of the Sewers - Middle School
NGSS Standards Supported: MS-ESS3-3 or MS-LS2-4
Students will learn about the fragile ecosystem of the microorganisms which play a critical role in Orange County sanitation system. Students will collaborate and investigate a mock problem which will take them up stream from OC SAN as they test the sewer line to discover where the contaminant is originating. Students will then design a method to safeguard the system or create an argument explaining how changing factors can affect populations within an ecosystem.
Scientists of the Sewers - High School
NGSS Standards Supported: HS-LS2-7, HS-ESS3-4
Students will be walked through the process of the Orange County Sanitation District (OC San) uses to separate our enriched domestic waste water from it's trash and valuable biosolids. Students will be presented with an opportunity to test different solutions to reduce the weight and quantity of truck loaded need to transport the biosolids. Students will take their test results and evaluate which solutions will decrease human impact on our local environment and it's natural systems.
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Field Trip Grants - Elementary Schools in Orange CountyNone at this time. Please check back periodically.
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Curriculum Resource for Fifth Grade Teachers in Orange CountyEco Challenge Fifth Grade Curriculum
NGSS Standards Supported: 5-ESS3-1, 5-LS2-1
The Eco Challenge fifth grade curriculum was created to increase countywide consciousness and awareness of landfill processes, organic waste diversion, and resource recovery through academic standards-aligned classroom lessons, student activities, and family engagement materials.
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