Elementary Grades 3-5 Resources
Resource Guides, Lesson Plans, and Teaching Activities
- 4-H Curriculum: Books and online resources for Grades 3-12 on topics ranging from outdoor adventures to water conservation to entomology
- 12 Nature Walks: Activities (in English and Español), from Project Learning Tree, that will ensure nature walks are an engaging and enriching learning experience for students of all ages
- Adventures in Learning Series: From Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center (MN), free standards-based lessons for experiencing nature from a variety of perspectives, including science, history, culture, art, and literature
- All About Birds: Guide to identifying birds and bird calls, live cams, feeder information, and more
- American Rivers—Freshwater Resource: Freshwater educational resources for parents and teachers
- Beetles Project: Resources for outdoor science program leaders
- Camp Nu-hop “At-Home” Outdoor Education: Lessons from an Ohio outdoor science school that combine videos and home-appropriate outdoor activities
- Captain Planet Foundation—Resources for Learning at Home: Searchable collection of recommended resources for learning at home
- Department of Energy Education Toolkit: K–12 lesson plans, hands-on activities, and videos to help teach about clean energy
- Earth Day Network: Earth Day and environmental education lesson plans and stewardship activities that can be adapted for home use
- Elementary GLOBE: Modules on air quality, climate change, clouds, earth systems, seasons, soils, and water that include storybooks, activities, and teacher's notes
- Environmental Volunteers: Links to hands-on NGSS-correlated activities that are printable or easily done with household items, plus a guide for parents on educational nature hikes
- Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation: Searchable resource database with lesson plans, copy sheets, and more
- Leave No Trace: Curriculum, activities, and caregiver/educator's guide to teaching outdoor stewardship and Leave No Trace ethics
- MSU Extension—84 Easy Science Lessons You Can Do at Home: Science lessons and procedures for home-schooling
- National Eagle Center—Online Resources: Free lesson plans for K–12 with eagle related content
- Nature Activities for Families: Activity guide from Project Learning Tree with 30 activities that connect families with nature
- PBS Kids: Sign up for a daily newsletter offering activities, tips, geams, and apps to help kids play and learn at home.
- PBS Learning Media Homeschool Collections: Interactive lessons, videos, media gallery, and blended online student-driven lessons on a wide variety of topics for home schooling
- Plant A Seed Day Toolkit: Ideas for seed planting projects along with related activities and crafts
- PolarTREC Elementary Lessons: Resources and lesson plans for teaching about the science of the Arctic and Antarctica
- Population Education: K–12 lesson plans and activities on human geography, sustainability, climate change, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, for science, math, and social studies classes
- Project Learning Tree Activities to Do With Children at Home: Free activities (in English and Spanish) that families can do at home—both inside and close-by in a safe space outside—to learn about nature and ways we can lessen our environmental footprint
- Project Learning Tree Backyard Activities: Fun, free, and easy-to-do backyard nature activities that allow children to discover nature’s diversity just outside their door
- Project WET Home & Telecommuting Resources: Water-related home-schooling training, resources, and tutorials for educators and parents
- Remote EE Hub: Online lessons and activities from Alliance for New Jersey Environmental Education (ANJEE)
- Sci Starter: Guide to citizen science projects from PBS Kids, plus free daily nature newsletter
- Sierra Nevada Journeys at Home: NGSS-based activities in various science disciplines intended to be done at home or in a yard or park
- Skype A Scientist: Free opportunity to match classes or families with a scientist for a live Q&A sessions via Skype
- STEM Teaching Tools: Tips to help parents support science learning at home, available in multiple languages
- US Geological Survey: Maps and related lessons, resources for teaching all earth sciences
- WeatherSTEM: Slide modules and interactive weather activities for all ages free through April 2020
- Whole Earth Nature School: Facebook and Instagram pages with daily "Everyday Outdoors" posts to help make connecting with nature a core routine
- World Ocean Observatory: Compilation of home-study resources and distance learning opportunities for teaching and learning about the ocean
- WWF Wild Classroom: Weekly activity plans and lesson library with information guides and activities about some of WWF’s priority species and conservation goals
Interactive Websites
- ArcGIS Story Maps: Shared story maps to view and resources for creating maps that tell stories by combining text, interactive maps, and other multimedia content
- Ask Dr. Universe: Washington State University professor who teams up with experts to investigate questions from curious elementary and middle school students
- Discovery Water: Interactive water-related videos from the Project WET Foundation
- National Geographic Kids: Science experiments, videos, games, quizzes, explainers and a wealth of resources about animals, science, Native Americans, and more
- NOAA Ocean Today: Ocean-themed activities and games, videos, origami, outdoor challenges, and other projects
- Plum Landing: Nature exploration activities, games, videos, "missions," and daily lessons for kids aged 6 to 9 and families
- Ranger Rick Online: Free three-month digital subscriptions to Ranger Rick online magazines, games, jokes, videos, animal articles, and more
Apps
- iNaturalist - Explore Map: Citizen science projects and ways to explore and contribute to flora and fauna observations in your area
- PlantSnap: Plant ID using your mobile device
- Seek by iNaturalist: Image recognition technology that helps students and families identify and learn about local flora and fauna, with opportunities to earn badges
Podcasts & Videos
- 19 Great Science Podcasts You Can Listen To With Kids: Curated list of science podcasts suitable for listening to with kids
- American Rivers - Short Films about Rivers: Short award-winning films about different rivers and issues related to their protection.
- Brains On!: A science podcast for curious kids and adults from American Public Media, co-hosted each week by kid scientists and reporters from public radio
- EverWild Outdoor School YouTube Channel: Outdoor school currently posting short videos with activities that inspire nature connection
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