Salmon in the Schools Program Booklet PDF

Every year from January to March, Pierce Conservation District and program partners help raise Chum and Coho salmon in Tacoma Public Schools through the Salmon in the Schools Program. Elementary school kids simultaneously watch salmon grow right before their eyes and learn about salmon and stream ecology. Their experience ends with a big field trip send off at Swan Creek that also includes macroinvertebrate observing, water quality testing, a nature walk, and a giant mock salmon obstacle course. 

We are thrilled to have finished another successful year of a program that creates lasting memories for Tacoma schoolkids. In 2024, we were able to serve 24 schools, which meant 1,500 students received a total 3,600 eggs (about 100 eggs per classroom tank)!

This year, we shared each week of the salmon education and raising process on our Instagram Story with a style inspired by "What to Expect When You're Expecting". We have combined and edited each of these posts to create a cute final booklet for you! We hope that you'll have fun reading about this amazing program and living vicariously through these students' joy. 

Throughout the booklet, you will also see sticky note tabs at the top of some pages that describe the content students address at that moment. These sticky notes use phrasing inspired by the language of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI). The booklet also features a summary page at the end which lists all possible DCI you can target through the Salmon in the Schools Program!

Happy reading!