Background/Question/Methods Environmental Education is of the utmost importance to ensure an ecologically literate population who will have the tools necessary to conserve and protect the world's natural resources. We are told to “think globally and act locally” and yet few can describe aspects of local ecosystems with as much fervor and enthusiasm as they can an exotic environment, such as tropical rainforests with their rich diversity of flora and fauna. Many K-12 students never experience their local ecosystems first hand and thus may never learn to appreciate them. I designed an environmental education program for elementary schoolchildren using tardigrades to foster a desire to learn about the local environment and to increase the students' awareness of their local biodiversity. One assessment was that microorganisms could foster excitement and learning about local ecology for schoolchildren, just as effectively as programs that generally deal with charismatic megafauna (larger animals that can be considered cute and cuddly). Using smaller, cryptic organisms represents a different approach to learning about ecology. The personal connection with a specific organism and/or natural setting encourages students to value natural ecosystems long into their adulthood. I also hypothesized that a unit could be created that would be easily implemented in schools regardless of the monetary assets or time restraints.

Results/Conclusions The result of the program is elementary school children who enjoy hands-on experiences with nature, develop an affinity for the natural world, and improve in their observational skills. The students learned from the tardigrade science unit, and were enthusiastic to discover them in the field. Hands-on ecology inspires students to enjoy nature study, can help them develop respect for the natural world, and carry with them the specific knowledge upon which to become better stewards of the earth's ecosystems. A continuation of the pilot study would include more time spent outside as well as hands-on experiences. The advantage to the teachers includes the utilization of a low maintenance and very charismatic organism that is easy to manipulate to discuss ecology with students.