May is First Green Month
May is First Green month, and golf courses across the U.S. and Canada are hosting local schools for First Green STEM* field trips. In a First Green field trip, golf course superintendents host students where they test water quality, collect soil samples, identify plants, design plantings, and calculate the square footage of parts of the golf course that the superintendents deal with every day.
Intro to First Green Video – view here
The students are also introduced to playing golf. Golf course superintendents need to be highly-trained in STEM to manage their golf courses; they share this knowledge with teachers and students, showing real world applications that inspire student interest in STEM, while exposing them to the game of golf.
* STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering and Math
About First Green
Social media: twitter.com/thefirstgreen | facebook.com/thefirstgreen
First Green is an innovative environmental education outreach program that uses golf courses as environmental learning labs – the only program of its kind. First Green provides extensive resources to golf course superintendents, including online lesson plans.
First Green has been providing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) learning since 1997. Supporters of First Green include the United States Golf Association (USGA), Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), Washington State Golf Association, Pacific Northwest Golf Association, the Northwest Turfgrass Association, Western Washington Golf Course Superintendents Association, local golf clubs, public and private school systems, and individual contributors who assist the organization through monetary grants and participation in field trips.
A tax-exempt nonprofit, First Green was founded in the State of Washington in 1997 and is expanding nationally and internationally. For more information on First Green, please visit thefirstgreen.org or contact Cathy Relyea at 425.373.9915 or cathyrelyea@thefirstgreen.org
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