Bay Backpack THE source for Chesapeake Bay education resources for teachers and watershed educators.

Learn some creative ways to integrate the Chesapeake Bay and environmental issues into your classroom lessons. Search through the Bay Backpack's books, multimedia, curriculum guides, individual lesson plans and online data sources about the subjects you are teaching in class.

Check back often for new and innovative resources to help you teach environmental topics.

Get your students' feet wet and hands dirty. Use the Bay Backpack to find a place to take your students on a field trip to learn about the Chesapeake Bay and its streams and rivers.

Search our database of field studies to find a location near you, or read our blog entries about field studies taking place at schools throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Prepare yourself to teach about the Chesapeake Bay and environmental issues, from climate change to water pollution.

Use the Bay Backpack training calendar to find an upcoming training opportunity near you.

Looking for funds to build a schoolyard habitat or provide your students with a field study? The Bay Backpack includes lists of grant opportunities so you can find the right grant program for you.

Before you apply, check out our grant writing tips to learn how you can strengthen your proposal.

Geocaching January: The Captain John Smith Geotrail

January 23, 2012 by Sarah

Over 400 years ago, Captain John Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay... and now it is time for your students to do the same! The Captain John Smith geotrail allows students, teachers, and the public to become adventures in their own right as they search for the "hidden treasure" using a hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS) unit to plot map coordinates that lead participants to geocaches. [Read more]

US ED Green Ribbon Schools - Chesapeake Watershed Update

January 16, 2012 by Sarah

Since our last blog Green Ribbon Schools blog, the state departments of education in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed have been very busy developing new websites, timelines, and program applications for their individual competitions so they can select the top four green schools in their jurisdictions to nominate for the national competition. Find informational links and program deadlines listed by state/district in this blog. [Read more]

Geocaching January: The Star-Spangled Banner Geotrail

January 09, 2012 by Sarah

The Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail and geotrail were created to commemorate the people, places, and events of the Chesapeake Campaign of the War of 1812. Students, teachers, and participants who go geocaching on the Star-Spangled Banner geotrail have the opportunity to explore more than 30 forts, battlefields, ships, museums, parks and preserves, each with its own story to tell about the War of 1812. [Read more]

Geocaching January: Geo-what?

January 02, 2012 by Sandy Barker

Geocaching is an outdoor adventure game in which participants locate a geocache, a hidden treasure, by using a GPS device. Importantly, geocaching is a cross-curricular activity that can be tailored for all ages and learning styles. [Read more]