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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!

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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

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Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.

Copyright © 2026, Mizzen Education, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit on a mission to empower, uplift and support out-of-school time educators.