Nature and Wildlife

274 Activities

Nature and Wildlife

Get outside and get curious! Through observation and discovery, learners explore ecosystems, animals, and environmental science. Nature becomes a classroom for inquiry, creativity, and care. This is great for adventurers and future eco-leaders!

Activities

Parachute Engineering

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 12

Parachute Engineering

OregonASK

K - 12

1 Hour

Students learn the engineering behind parachutes and how they work as they make and test their own.

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Parachute Engineering

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 12

Periscope I Spy

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 3 - 5

Periscope I Spy

Mizzen Education, Inc.

3 - 5

1 Hour

Students create their own periscopes using shoeboxes and mirrors. Then they use their periscopes to play a game of I Spy.

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Periscope I Spy

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 3 - 5

Guess the Purpose

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 6 - 12

Guess the Purpose

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 12

45 Minutes

Students who like both science and mysteries will enjoy this activity. The students study a gallery of 20 photographs spread throughout the room. Their task is to figure out the theme or purpose of the photo gallery. The surprising answer is that the photos illustrate 20 examples of elements of the periodic table.

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Guess the Purpose

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 6 - 12

Conservation Island

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 3 - 8

Conservation Island

California Academy of Sciences

3 - 8

30 Minutes

The imaginary location of Conservation Island teaches students about some of the real-world issues involved in making conservation plans to save endangered species.

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Conservation Island

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 3 - 8

Straw Rockets

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 6 - 8

Straw Rockets

OregonASK

6 - 8

30 Minutes

Students build and test a simple propulsion rocket built out of straw.

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Straw Rockets

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 6 - 8

Straw Bridge Design Challenge

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 6 - 8

Straw Bridge Design Challenge

OregonASK

6 - 8

1 Hour

Students work in teams as engineers to create their own straw bridges! By using only plastic straws and tape, students work together to see how many marbles their bridge can hold.

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Straw Bridge Design Challenge

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 6 - 8

Grow Where You’re Planted: Understanding Plant Hardiness Zones

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 3 - 8

Grow Where You’re Planted: Understanding Plant Hardiness Zones

Farm to Table Kids

3 - 8

1 Hour 5 Minutes

Every region has its own unique climate, and not all plants can grow everywhere! In this activity, students will use the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone map to identify their zone and determine which plants thrive where they live. By exploring plant cards, categorizing crops, and creating personalized garden plans, students will understand why it’s essential to “grow where you’re planted.”

This activity is 1 of 4 in the "Things to Know Before You Grow" module from Farm to Table Kids. Visit the module to view the full set of learning resource and learn more about Part 2 of the module series, "How to Grow Dahlias."

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Grow Where You’re Planted: Understanding Plant Hardiness Zones

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 3 - 8

Chemical Element Family Feud

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 9 - 12

Chemical Element Family Feud

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

It’s the alkaline earth metals vs. the halogens in Chemical Element Family Feud. In this engaging and educational activity, students act as contestants, announcers, and even the scoreboard of the famous television game show, but with the twist that the subject is the periodic table. Make sure that someone records the activity because it will be a hit with school science teachers.

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Chemical Element Family Feud

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 9 - 12

Raccoons

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades K - 8

Raccoons

National Wildlife Federation

K - 8

50 Minutes

Raccoons live throughout the continental United States in woods, wetlands, suburbs, parks, cities, and anywhere there is cover, food, and water. Predators of raccoons include the coyote, fisher, bobcat, red fox, and great horned owl.

Raccoons are omnivores, meaning they will eat both meat and vegetables. They like grasshoppers, nuts, berries, mice, squirrels, and bird eggs. They are nocturnal and search for food at night. Raccoons are opportunistic feeders and are well known by people for their skillful attempts at stealing food from garbage cans in parks and neighborhoods.

Raccoons can get food that other animals cannot because they have nimble, almost hand-like paws that can grasp tree branches, nuts, fruits, and even the lids of garbage cans.

Raccoons are solitary, except during the breeding season, which occurs from January to June. Females usually have one litter a year, with three to seven offspring per litter.

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Raccoons

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades K - 8

The Monarch Butterfly

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 3 - 8

The Monarch Butterfly

National Wildlife Federation

3 - 8

50 Minutes

The large and brilliantly-colored monarch butterfly is among the most easily recognizable butterfly species that call North America home. Monarch butterflies are found across North America wherever their habitat’s needs are being met. They are broken into two populations separated by the Rocky Mountains, called the eastern and western populations.

Monarchs lay their eggs on milkweed. As caterpillars, monarchs feed exclusively on the leaves of milkweed, wildflowers in the genus Asclepias. North America has several dozen native milkweed species with which monarchs coevolved and upon which they rely to complete their life cycle.

The monarch migration is one of the greatest phenomena in the natural world. Monarchs know the correct direction to migrate even though the individuals that migrate have never made the journey before. They follow an internal “compass” that points them in the right direction each spring and fall. A single monarch can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles.

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The Monarch Butterfly

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 3 - 8

S.INQ Up History of Earth

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 6 - 8

S.INQ Up History of Earth

OregonASK

6 - 8

1 Hour

Students learn about Earth's history and create a timeline that represents the Earth's history. Students also learn about the wonders of evolution.

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S.INQ Up History of Earth

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 6 - 8

S.INQ Sound Pitch

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 5

S.INQ Sound Pitch

OregonASK

K - 5

30 Minutes

Students use bottles of water, tuning forks, and other instruments to learn about pitch as the quality of sound. This hands-on activity gives students the opportunity to experiment with pitch and order instruments from highest to lowest.

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S.INQ Sound Pitch

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 5

Collections

14 Activities

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Grades 6 - 8

Amazing Bodies Invention Camp

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Module

Amazing Bodies Invention Camp

OregonASK

6 - 8

15 Hours

The Amazing Bodies Invention Camp Curriculum explores the human body and the creative ways that we can invent to improve quality of life. This module includes hands on exploration leading up to the six activity invention process, where invention prototypes are created and shared.

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Amazing Bodies Invention Camp

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

14 Activities

•

Grades 6 - 8

Module

4 Activities

•

Grades 6 - 8

Garden Lesson Plan: Food and Carbon

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Module

Garden Lesson Plan: Food and Carbon

The Nature Conservancy

6 - 8

4 Hours

Empower youth to explore the fascinating world of food, sustainability, and environmental impact. Through hands-on activities, creative expression, and insightful discussions, youth identify their favorite seasonal fruits and vegetables, delve into the carbon cycle and its significance, design a vibrant didactic art piece, and master the art of garden planning, all while gaining a deeper understanding of how our choices shape the world around us.

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Garden Lesson Plan: Food and Carbon

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

4 Activities

•

Grades 6 - 8

Module

11 Activities

•

Grades 6 - 8

Outdoor Activities for Middle School at Home

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Playlist

Outdoor Activities for Middle School at Home

Mizzen Education, Inc.

6 - 8

9 Hours 45 Minutes

This Playlist is all about getting outside and trying some STEM outdoors or in for Middle-School aged kids, and has been mixed especially for having fun at home or in small groups!

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Outdoor Activities for Middle School at Home

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

11 Activities

•

Grades 6 - 8

Playlist

6 Activities

•

Grades 6 - 8

Farm to Table Prototype

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Module

Farm to Table Prototype

OregonASK

6 - 8

2 Hours

Take youth through a journey of innovation and invention with this step-by-step guide to creating their very own prototype! Focusing on improving food production or consumption, youth work through the process of prototyping, starting with a creative brainstorming session, using their construction skills to build a prototype, and presenting their final prototype.

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Farm to Table Prototype

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

6 Activities

•

Grades 6 - 8

Module

4 Activities

•

Grades K - 8

Pollinators

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Module

Pollinators

National Wildlife Federation

K - 8

Pollinators are critical to the very fabric of existence. In this module youth will learn what a pollinator is and why they are important. Then they'll look at pollinators and flower preference. Last they'll design a pollinator garden.

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Pollinators

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

4 Activities

•

Grades K - 8

Module

3 Activities

•

Grades 6 - 8

Caring for Urban Forests

Social and Emotional Awareness, STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Module

Caring for Urban Forests

City Parks Foundation

6 - 8

2 Hours

Our local ecosystems provide many ecosystem services that endow us with resources, opportunities for recreation and cultural expression, and support the safety quality of life for all living things, including humans. Street trees perform a number of ecosystem services for both humans and wildlife. They filter our air, provide passive cooling and heating, capture carbon, take up storm water (a vital aspect in cities prone to flooding due to climate change— see our Sustainable Cities module for more information on this topic), reduce noise, provide food, shelter, and provide abundant beauty.

In this module, students will learn about each type of ecosystem service: Provisioning, Regulating, Cultural, and Supporting, and research the ways they are being threatened in their local communities. They will also participate in air temperature to better understand the ecosystem services trees provide which are especially important in urban environments. This research will conclude with a service learning opportunity in which students will restore tree beds.

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Caring for Urban Forests

Social and Emotional Awareness, STEM, Nature and Wildlife

3 Activities

•

Grades 6 - 8

Module

6 Activities

•

Grades K - 5

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Module

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering

OregonASK

K - 5

4 Hours

This set of lessons will prepare teachers to explore mechanical engineering with their students using Engineering Design Grids. Simple materials like cardboard and rubber bands provide the power to build and test tops, vehicles, catapults, and safety devices in the classroom. Students will be exposed to mechanical engineering, and how they brainstorm, build, test, and modify devices with moving parts.

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S.INQ Mechanical Engineering

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

6 Activities

•

Grades K - 5

Module

4 Activities

•

Grades 3 - 12

Learning Scientific Sketching

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Module

Learning Scientific Sketching

California Academy of Sciences

3 - 12

4 Hours

This collection of activities teaches students how to sketch like scientists. Students learn techniques for observation, data collection, and analysis. After learning and practicing these introductory sketching techniques, they will then be able to confidently use their skills for scientific inquiry.

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Learning Scientific Sketching

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

4 Activities

•

Grades 3 - 12

Module

4 Activities

•

Grades K - 12

Setting Up Science Notebooks

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Module

Setting Up Science Notebooks

California Academy of Sciences

K - 12

3 Hours 30 Minutes

This collection of activities helps students set up science notebooks for the beginning of your science lessons for the year, semester, term, or week. By learning to establish systems, organize information, and sketch like a scientist, students learn and practice processes of analysis, note-taking, and scientific inquiry.

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Setting Up Science Notebooks

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

4 Activities

•

Grades K - 12

Module