Youth Ocean Climate Science Education Program
Ocean Climate Science Youth Education Program
STAY COOL for Grandkids is proud to offer San Diego area schools the STAY COOL Ocean Climate Science program to engage students and educate them about climate change and its impact on our ocean. Originally developed in 2017 in partnership with the Climate Science Alliance – South Coast, this multigenerational program unites volunteer elders/grandparents with young climate scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO). It is most appropriate for 5th and 6th graders. The goal of the STAY COOL Ocean Climate Science program is to encourage curiosity about our ocean and marine life while giving students the knowledge necessary to make educated decisions about how to protect against climate change in the future.
During the lessons, SIO graduate students explain how adding CO2 to the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels is making oceans warmer and more acidic. The series of dynamic lessons are consistent with Next Generation Science Standards. The program consists of two lessons, with two parts each, and is brought to the classroom setting (typically over two days). The program involves a hands-on science experiment* that teaches and inspires students about our changing ocean and natural resource stewardship.
Under the leadership of STAY COOL Advisors Sue Randerson, David Engel, and Geri Ingram, the Ocean Climate Science education program has reached more than 4,590 San Diego County students during the 2018-2024 school years. The Education Committee of STAY COOL, comprising members with diverse backgrounds that include a university librarian, a PTA board member, and a PhD marine biologist, informs the structure of the lessons and regularly updates the scientific content.
Request a visit
STAY COOL offers this in-class program for free, targeting middle schools and 6th grade class levels. To request the program for your class or school, please fill out this request form:
Would you like to volunteer to help us in the classroom?
Volunteers help with a fun experiment, interact with the students, answer questions, etc. We would love to share more about the volunteer duties for this 2-day program. If you would like to learn more, please email Geri at staycooleducation@googlegroups.com
During the pandemic, the Ocean Climate Science lessons were recorded in four videos and can now be accessed on YouTube:
STAY COOL Ocean Warming Lesson 1 – Part 1: the first video is presented by Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) graduate student Shailja Gangrade.
Video 1 https://youtu.be/Bxh17GzNd3o
STAY COOL Ocean Warming Lesson 1 – Part 2 presented by Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) graduate student Nathali Cordero Quiros.
Video 2 https://youtu.be/7Ss9_iLnmpI
STAY COOL Ocean Acidification Lesson 2 – Part 1 presented by Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) graduate student Vanessa Zobell.
Video 3 https://youtu.be/jcpw-Nf8Vag
STAY COOL Ocean Acidification Lesson 2 – Part 2 presented by Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) graduate student Erica Ferrer.
Video 4 https://youtu.be/OUtZGa85GTQ
We are grateful to our supporters! Thank you to the Engel Fund at The San Diego Foundation, the Ed & Mary Fletcher Foundation, and Sue Randerson for funding the Ocean Climate Science program.
*A science experiment is mentioned in the Ocean Acidification Lesson. Click here to view and download a safe, simple CO2 Breath Test / pH Indicator Experiment using cabbage juice to help students visualize how excess CO2 in the atmosphere contributes to ocean acidification.
Click here to view the online Carbon Footprint Calculator, which teachers can use to show students how to calculate their own household carbon emissions.