Invasive plant education for schools in King County

3rd-5th grade, middle school, and high school classroom programs

Nature Vision's Right Plant, Right Place school program introduces students to the impact of invasive plants on Washington's ecosystems and wildlife. Students learn about the different categories of weeds and the importance of native plants, along with the actions they can take to remove invasive plants from our communities. Students learn to understand the competition between native and invasive plants through hands‐on experience and discover the adaptations invasive plants possess to survive and spread.

The Noxious Weed Control Program worked with Nature Vision to develop Right Plant Right Place to help teach students about invasive plants and noxious weeds. There are versions tailored for 3th to 5th grade, middle school, and high school levels. This program can be presented in the classroom, online, or virtually by Nature Vision naturalists to schools in King County, Washington. All versions of the Right Plant Right Place school programs support Next Generation Science Standards, WA State Standards, and STEM education.

Schools in King County are eligible to receive this program for free, while supplies last, through the sponsorship of the King County Noxious Weed Control Board. For information on the program (and other free school programs), visit the Nature Vision website.

How to register

Follow instructions at https://naturevision.org/program-registration. Under payment options, choose “Free Program (sponsored)” or write KCNWCP under total cost. Limited number of free programs available each year. If sponsored programs are all filled, additional programs are available for the regular classroom program cost. Contact Nature Vision for more details, 425-836-2697 or info@naturevision.org.

View and download materials

Right Place Right Place! 3rd to 5th Grade Curriculum Program by Nature Vision

• Naturalist Training Manual and Program Scripts (pdf format, 322 Kb)
• Right Plant Right Place Slide Show (MS PowerPoint format, 6.2 Mb)
• Plant Cards for Invasive Plant-Native Plant Activities (pdf format, 2.62 Mb)

Customized school programs

The Noxious Weed Control Program has noxious weed specialists who can provide presentations and other educational programs upon request for teachers and students of all levels customized to their curriculum needs. Also, teachers and parents can request brochures and noxious weed guides as needed, or access online versions on our resources and publications page. These resources are free and available throughout King County. To request materials or a customized educational event for your students, email the program or call 206-477-9333.

Additional teacher and school resources

There are also resources available through the internet that teachers can use to introduce their students to noxious weeds and invasive plants.

• A Noxious Weed Coloring Book - Art by Karen Peterson
• Noxious Weed BINGO - what weeds can you find in your neighborhood?
• Washington State Noxious Weed Coloring Book
• Washington Invasive Species Council School Curriculum
• Montana's Weed Education Curriculum
• Silent Invaders (National Version): Native,Non-native and Invasive Plants (short introductory video and teacher lesson plans)
• Florida Invasive Plant Education Initiative and Curriculum

Related information

• Environmental education resources and programs
• Agriculture in King County
• Yard and garden topics
• Animals, plants and habitats

Related agencies

• Dept. of Natural Resources and Parks
• Water and Land Resources Division

Program offices are located at 201 S. Jackson St., Suite 600, Seattle, WA 98104. To contact staff, see the Noxious Weed Control Program Directory, send an email, or call 206-477-WEED (206-477-9333).