As summer break winds down, students are stepping into a new school year: reconnecting with friends, meeting new teachers, and discovering what they’ll be learning. Many students are also seeing real-world impacts of climate change in their own communities: extreme heat, wildfires, power outages, and poor air quality.
Teachers are eager to guide their students through these challenges, but they have lacked access to California-specific instructional materials on these topics. That’s why Ten Strands and the San Mateo County Office of Education, alongside a wide network of community partners, developed Seeds to Solutions instructional materials: free, solutions-focused units for grades K–12 designed to empower students with the knowledge and agency to protect the people and places they love. The units are available for free download at seedstosolutions.org.
What Teachers Are Saying
Teachers across California are preparing lessons that connect directly to students’ lived experiences, from the food they eat to the electricity in their homes. Seeds to Solutions units are trauma-informed, solutions-oriented, and age-appropriate. Each unit focuses on a California-specific environmental challenge and culminates in a project that invites students to design a solution.
Over the past year, teachers across the state have field-tested the lessons, and their feedback has been both encouraging and inspiring.
| I tested the Seeds to Solutions Second Grade lesson on food waste last year…The students were absolutely engaged in the exploration of our school lunch waste, the compost, the food buckets, the worm bins and all the pieces that drive the lunch program. —Elementary Garden Coordinator |
| This lesson brought in cultural stories from the original people who inhabited California. This is a perspective that is not often taught in science. I think that the kids liked having science be a little less facts and figures and more story. —Middle School Educator |
| “I have learned ways to improve my teaching, and I have been at this for 38 years. The students are gaining a deeper understanding of what climate change is: what causes climate change, and the impact of climate change on crop yield.” —Middle School Educator |
| Thank you for the terrific presentation on the wildfire unit. —Sonoma Water Workshop Attendee |
Teachers’ enthusiasm was especially clear during the Sonoma County Water Teacher Workshop, where Ten Strands introduced Seeds to Solutions instructional materials to elementary and middle school teachers. Teachers participated in hands-on activities, reviewed grade-specific units, and engaged in thoughtful discussions about classroom applications. They emphasized the value of having comprehensive resources—such as detailed lesson plans and slide decks—that allow them to focus on student engagement and differentiation.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with teachers expressing both excitement about the curriculum and a strong interest in bringing it into their classrooms. Teacher feedback is already shaping refinements to the materials and additional professional learning support, helping ensure that educators can scale lessons up or down to fit their instructional time.
Looking Ahead
With support from teachers, districts, and community partners statewide, Seeds to Solutions instructional materials are designed to empower students in the classroom and beyond. By connecting classroom lessons with real-world environmental challenges and solutions, the lessons help students see themselves as leaders and problemsolvers who can shape a more just and sustainable future.
As the 2025–26 school year begins, Seeds to Solutions lessons are ready for teachers across California to use and for students to grow from. Together, we’re planting seeds of empowerment and hope that will grow into solutions led by the next generation.
Join Us at These Upcoming Conferences!
Learn more about how to empower your students with solutions-oriented environmental lessons. Come say “hi” at our Seeds to Solutions sessions at:
- California Science Education Conference, October 17-19, 2025 in Palm Springs
- Green CA Schools and Higher Education Summit, November 13, 2025 in Pasadena
