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

Rock Cycle Roundabout

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 3 - 8

Rock Cycle Roundabout

California Academy of Sciences

3 - 8

1 Hour 20 Minutes

After playing a board game to learn how to differentiate the three ways rocks can form, students analyze maps of local topography, water sources, and volcanic activity, to better understand how geology affects a given region. They also experience scale, recognizing geologic processes as fast or extremely gradual.

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Rock Cycle RoundaboutSTEM, Nature and Wildlife

1 Hour 20 Minutes•Grades 3 - 8

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering Self Propelled Cars

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 5

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering Self Propelled Cars

OregonASK

K - 5

30 Minutes

In this activity, students have the opportunity to build, test, and modify self propelled cars using an engineering design grid. Students will build cars with sails, testing them with a fan to see what kinds of sails work best to propel their vehicle.

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S.INQ Mechanical Engineering Self Propelled CarsSTEM, Nature and Wildlife

30 Minutes•Grades K - 5

Minimize Your Footprint

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 3 - 8

Minimize Your Footprint

National Wildlife Federation

3 - 8

50 Minutes

A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other carbon compounds emitted due to the consumption of fossil fuels by a particular person, group, etc. Since the industrial revolution, more CO₂ is being emitted into the mix of heat-trapping gases (greenhouse gases) than can be absorbed by what is known as carbon sinks — places where carbon can be absorbed instead of trapped in the atmosphere. Carbon sinks include trees, the ocean, and soil. Every little action makes a change, and therefore, It is vital to reduce our carbon footprint to reduce the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Focus on the positive. Do not use scare tactics (doom and gloom) to encourage behavior change. What children should know:

● Carbon dioxide is put into the atmosphere, mainly when we burn fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas), primarily the result of our transportation needs and energy use.

● Industry, agriculture, and tree burning also contribute to CO₂ in the atmosphere.

● Carbon that is not absorbed in sinks (oceans, trees, and soils) stays trapped in the atmosphere making the global temperature warmer.

● Each action we take has a positive or negative impact on the environment, think cause and effect.

● You can change your habits and behavior to reduce the amount of CO₂ you contribute to the atmosphere.

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Minimize Your FootprintNature and Wildlife, STEM

50 Minutes•Grades 3 - 8

Designing a Garden

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 6 - 8

Designing a Garden

The Nature Conservancy

6 - 8

1 Hour

Youth design a garden paradise for the purpose of growing fruit and vegetables.

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Designing a GardenNature and Wildlife, STEM

1 Hour•Grades 6 - 8

How Well Can You See?

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 9 - 12

How Well Can You See?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

In this activity, students conduct several eye tests. First, groups conduct a simple test to check their visual acuity. Then individuals conduct several online tests. Each person conducts the test twice under different conditions to compare the results. This activity builds understanding of how vision tests work and the differences in how people see.

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How Well Can You See?STEM, Nature and Wildlife

45 Minutes•Grades 9 - 12

S.INQ Sound: Sound Travels

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 5

S.INQ Sound: Sound Travels

OregonASK

K - 5

30 Minutes

In this lesson, students will use a tuning fork and place it on different objects in order to find out through which material sound travels best, and through which material sound doesn’t travel well. These experiments in sound conductivity will help them visualize sound as a wave that travels through matter as a vibration.

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S.INQ Sound: Sound TravelsSTEM, Nature and Wildlife

30 Minutes•Grades K - 5

What Can You Hear?

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 9 - 12

What Can You Hear?

Mizzen Education, Inc.

9 - 12

45 Minutes

In this activity, students conduct tests of their hearing. First, groups conduct a simple test to check the upper range of their hearing. Then, individuals conduct a second test to identify their complete hearing range. Students then compare and graph the results for their group. Finally, they have the option to conduct additional tests to find out more about their hearing. This activity builds understanding of how the ear works and the frequencies at which humans can hear.

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What Can You Hear?STEM, Nature and Wildlife

45 Minutes•Grades 9 - 12

What’s an Adaptation?

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades K - 8

What’s an Adaptation?

National Wildlife Federation

K - 8

50 Minutes

An adaptation is any trait that helps an animal or plant survive in its habitat. Adaptations are helpful only in the habitat for which an animal is adapted. A freshwater newt, used to living in or near water, wouldn’t survive long in the desert.

Diet, behavior, physical anatomy, and even physiology (internal mechanisms), are ways animals adapt to their surroundings. Many living things have evolved unique ways of dealing with the problems of survival. An animal’s adaptations develop over a very long time and can pass to their children, such as an eagle’s keen sense of sight or a hummingbird’s long beak

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What’s an Adaptation?Nature and Wildlife, STEM

50 Minutes•Grades K - 8

Does the Current Climate Change Pose a Threat to Humans?

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 9 - 12

Does the Current Climate Change Pose a Threat to Humans?

The Nature Conservancy

9 - 12

1 Hour

Students research trends within a state’s climate and determine how those trends will impact humans.

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Does the Current Climate Change Pose a Threat to Humans?Nature and Wildlife, STEM

1 Hour•Grades 9 - 12

Water Quality Testing

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Grades 6 - 8

Water Quality Testing

City Parks Foundation

6 - 8

1 Hour 10 Minutes

Understanding whether water is clean or polluted requires more than just what the naked eye can see and therefore gives educators like you the opportunity to dive into chemistry with students!

In this lesson students will learn about the way pollutants are introduced into the water cycle and how these pollutants can impact ecosystems and human health. They will then learn how to perform water quality testing on several water samples, identifying the sources of contamination. Students will also learn how green space, specifically street trees in urban areas can be used to reduce contamination events in local ecosystems.

This is activity 2 of 3 in the "Sustainable Cities" module from City Parks Foundation.

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Water Quality TestingNature and Wildlife, STEM

1 Hour 10 Minutes•Grades 6 - 8

Make an Eclipse Viewer

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 3 - 12

Make an Eclipse Viewer

NASA

3 - 12

45 Minutes

Students create a simple pinhole projector. Also, students have the opportunity to test their projectors and view the sun safely!

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Make an Eclipse ViewerSTEM, Nature and Wildlife

45 Minutes•Grades 3 - 12

Habitat Planning

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades 3 - 8

Habitat Planning

NASA

3 - 8

45 Minutes

Students think about and discuss the basic needs and activities that astronauts might partake in while living on the moon, and draw a habitat that can accommodate those activities.

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Habitat PlanningSTEM, Nature and Wildlife

45 Minutes•Grades 3 - 8

Collections

5 Activities

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Grades 9 - 12

Urban Runoff: Solving the Issue of Impact

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Collection

Urban Runoff: Solving the Issue of Impact

The Nature Conservancy

9 - 12

6 Hours

Youth evaluate the design of outside spaces to determine whether the space is set to contribute or minimize runoff – a climate issue, especially in urban areas. They design a solution to uncover design flaws with green infrastructure.

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Urban Runoff: Solving the Issue of ImpactNature and Wildlife, STEM

6 Hours•Grades 9 - 12

Collection

4 Activities

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Grades K - 12

Setting Up Science Notebooks

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Collection

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 NotebooksNature and Wildlife, STEM

3 Hours 30 Minutes•Grades K - 12

Collection

8 Activities

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Grades K - 5

S.INQ Invisible Forces

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Collection

S.INQ Invisible Forces

OregonASK

K - 5

10 Hours

S.INQ Invisible Forces explores state, magnetic, and other invisible forces that youth can engage with simple materials. This curriculum offers activities that guide youth through STEM concepts using the engineering design process. Every lesson includes time for brainstorming and reflection and allows ample opportunity for hands-on exploration.

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S.INQ Invisible ForcesNature and Wildlife, STEM

10 Hours•Grades K - 5

Collection

5 Activities

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Grades 3 - 8

How to Grow Dahlias

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Collection

How to Grow Dahlias

Farm to Table Kids

3 - 8

6 Hours 50 Minutes

“How to Grow Dahlias: A Full-Season Garden Guide”

Once your learners know “Things to Know Before You Grow,” it’s time to dig into the garden and get their hands dirty with one of the most beloved and magical plants of all—dahlias! In this joyful, in-depth module, youth follow the full life cycle of a dahlia, from inspecting tubers in spring to harvesting show-stopping blooms, and finally saving those tubers for next season’s magic. Along the way, they’ll learn how to identify healthy tubers, prep and plant with confidence, care for their plants organically, and participate in the fall tradition of cutting back, dividing, and overwintering their garden’s gold.

The “How to Grow Dahlias” collection includes five hands-on lessons and a library of interactive worksheets, journal pages, and planting-day checklists—plus several engaging “how-to” videos from Farmer Steph herself. Whether you’re growing dahlias in a schoolyard bed or in containers on a sunny windowsill, this module turns your classroom into a bloom-filled lab where kids learn to nurture life, track seasonal change, and celebrate every stage of the growing cycle.

By the end of this series, students won’t just grow flowers—they’ll grow confidence, observation skills, and a lifelong appreciation for the natural beauty they helped bring to life.

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How to Grow DahliasSTEM, Nature and Wildlife

6 Hours 50 Minutes•Grades 3 - 8

Collection

3 Activities

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Grades 6 - 8

Indicator Species

STEM, Social and Emotional Awareness, Nature and Wildlife

Collection

Indicator Species

City Parks Foundation

6 - 8

2 Hours

Indicator species are integral to evaluating the health of ecosystems. They are early indicators of changing environmental conditions that may prove detrimental to other species in the same region. Insects, including dragonflies, are climate sensitive species since much of their growth and development depends on temperature.

In this lesson, students will learn about dragonflies as indicators of climate change. They will become familiar with the life cycle of a dragonfly, learn to identify different species of dragonflies, and assess dragonfly biodiversity. At each of these learning milestones, students will engage in a discussion about how rapid changes in climate conditions can be detrimental not only to dragonflies but to the success and survival of wildlife around the world.

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Indicator SpeciesSTEM, Social and Emotional Awareness, Nature and Wildlife

2 Hours•Grades 6 - 8

Collection

3 Activities

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Grades 6 - 8

Caring for Urban Forests

Social and Emotional Awareness, STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Collection

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 ForestsSocial and Emotional Awareness, STEM, Nature and Wildlife

2 Hours•Grades 6 - 8

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4 Activities

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Grades 3 - 12

Learning Scientific Sketching

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Collection

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 SketchingNature and Wildlife, STEM

4 Hours•Grades 3 - 12

Collection

6 Activities

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Grades K - 5

S.INQ Mechanical Engineering

Nature and Wildlife, STEM

Collection

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 EngineeringNature and Wildlife, STEM

4 Hours•Grades K - 5

Collection

4 Activities

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Grades K - 8

Pollinators

STEM, Nature and Wildlife

Collection

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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PollinatorsSTEM, Nature and Wildlife

Grades K - 8

Collection