* Also U.N. Sustainable Development Goal #15: Life on Land Read More
Days to Celebrate in May:
9th (2nd Saturday): International Migratory Bird Day
16th: Endangered Species Day
22nd: International Day for Biological Diversity
23rd: World Turtle Day
Guides and Curricula
Ecosystem Matters Curriculum– Assembled by the US Forest Service. Contains activities and information appropriate for all grade levels. Created in 1999 is beginning to show its age, but, still great resources
Science and Technology Concepts Curriculum– With support from an NSF grant, the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC), a division of the Smithsonian Institution, developed The STC™ Program, a basal, science and engineering practices centered program for grades K–10.
4-H Outdoor and Environment Curricula – Includes specific curricula such as Butterfly, Entomology, Forestry, Gardening, Exploring your Environment, Backyards and Beyond…
Ocean Literacy Principles and Fundamental Concepts – The Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences for Learners of All Ages
Bridge Ocean Science Education Resource Center – An ocean of teacher-approved marine education resources
NAPPC Pollinators – The North American Pollinator Protection Campaign
Biodiversity Counts! – This resource collection takes students into the field and engages them in life science research: the inventory of plants and arthropods outside their own backdoors.
Deep Sea Vents – The deep sea vent communities are weird enough to convince your students that this is one science topic well worth studying! These resources from AMNH will help your students make real-world connections to biology, geology, and chemistry.
National Geographic Marine Ecology, Human Impacts, & Conservation- This project-based learning experience culminates with students using their new knowledge about marine ecology and human impacts on the ocean to create and propose a management plan for a Marine Protected Area.
Captain Planet Project Hero Pollinator Quest- This interactive experience helps students learn about the vital role pollinators play in our food chains and ecosystems, how to identify the pollinators in their region, and the threats these pollinators face. Students can also design a project to help their pollinator species survive and thrive.
Apps
Life of a Monarch Butterfly – an interactive application for teaching the life cycle of a butterfly. The lesson can be done as a whole class or one-on-one.
Audubon Field Guides – If it crawls, slithers, wiggles, flies, swims, bites, burrows, hops, it can be found in one or more of the Audubon Nature Guides. Great for birdwatching, hiking, and exploring the outdoors, guides feature high quality photographs, range maps, animal sounds and and the ability to create your own lifelists and record sightings.
Leafsnap– Leafsnap is the first in a series of electronic field guides being developed by researchers from Columbia University, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institution. This free mobile app uses visual recognition software to help identify tree species from photographs of their leaves.
iNaturalist- This app helps you identify the plants and animals around you. Use the app to record your own observations and connect with scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature.
Merlin Bird ID- This app helps you identify birds you see and hear. Merlin is unlike any other bird app—it’s powered by eBird, the world’s largest database of bird sightings, sounds, and photos.
TreeSnap- Contribute to the study of tree health by tagging trees you find on your property, community, or out in the wild. The data you collect helps scientists locate trees for research projects like studying genetic diversity of tree species and building better tree breeding programs.
Games
Teacher Collection of Food Chain Games
Biobots Under Sea Rescue– Design an underwater rescue robot inspired by nature’s super animals.
Videos
Ecosystems on Brainpop – Tim and Moby explain what an ecosystem is and what makes one up.
“Share the Love” (The Pollinator Song) – by Brooke Leifer
Useful Links
Children and Nature Network – Amazing collection of outdoor initiatives across the country as well as a resource for thoughts and research about the benefits of children in nature
Energy Flow in Ecosystems– Interactive investigation of Ecosystems and Energy – may require account setup
World Biomes – In this site you will discover facts about our planet, its complex patterns of biomes, plants, and animals, and how climates ultimately determine the biomes of our Earth.
Bugguide.net – Using the best resources we have access to, we are creating a knowledgebase to help each other and the online community.
