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Kit |
Grades |
Summary |
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Balloon Plants
(1 lesson or more)
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2-8 |
Students work in teams to explore what plants need to grow. They fill balloons with potting soil, seeds, water and carbon dioxide and watch as the seeds sprout and grow inside the balloons over 1-2 weeks. As part of the experiment each student will change one variable in their seed balloon to see how it affects their seeds' growth in comparison to the class's balloon that acts as the control. |
30-45 minutes |
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K-6+ |
Students explore and identify small insects that often go unnoticed in leaf litter. Tiny beetle larvae and springtails can be found along with pill bugs, millipedes, centipedes, and more! |
1 hour |
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3-6 |
This activity is designed to help youth understand that plants have basic needs for life, just like people and animals do. Students will learn about xylem and phloem and how water flows through plants by watching food-coloring flow through celery. Students will then make their very own “plant person” to take home and watch grow! |
60 minutes |
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4-8 |
After a short introductory game explaining the role of fungi as decomposers, students will create their own “mold terrariums” (using common food items, water, and yeast). They will let these “grow” in a dark place for a week, and return to see the results! |
40 minutes |
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Protection
from Cornell 4-H.
In-Touch Science: Plants and Engineering |
3-5 |
These lessons introduce the idea of protection. Protection is an important concept to plants. Like people, plants use different materials, some soft and some hard, to protect against invitation of being eaten, from air that dries things out, or from fire. |
40 minutes each |
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Structure: Strong Stems and Broad Leaves from Cornell 4-H.
In-Touch Science: Plants and Engineering |
3-5 |
These activities show that some plant shapes are stronger than others. The shapes of plant parts are important; in some cases, the rigidity inherent in their shape keeps plants standing up. |
45 minutes each |
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Erosion: Hold it Together with Turf
from Cornell 4-H.
In-Touch Science: Plants and Engineering |
3-5 |
These activities introduce erosion, the wearing away of soil by wind, water or ice. Erosion is an important concern with respect to our environment. |
45 minutes each |
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Warming and Cooling from Cornell 4-H.
In-Touch Science: Plants and Engineering |
3-5 |
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4-8 |
Students learn how to identify native Oregon plants based on the habitat they are growing in. |
45 minutes |
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1-8 |
Students will be introduced to the key services that a diverse garden provides to it inhabitants and will be able to explore their gardens in search of its inhabitants. |
1 hour |
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Soil Science & Seed Starting |
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Contains everything you need to help get your soil ready for adding the necessary ammendments and planting. This kit contains a weater watch station, soil testing kit, a potmaker, and more! |
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3-8 |
Students will understand the water cycle, identify soil layers and the soil particles that make up soil texture, understand the type of environment living things need to survive and demonstrate different ways of propagating plants (seed, cuttings, etc.) | 1 hour |
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Kit |
Grades |
Summary |
TIME |
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1-5 |
Students make bug-catching devices out of coffee cups that act like mini vacuums. These bug catchers will help them in their exploration of insects. |
30 minutes |
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1-5 |
Students make picture frames with colorful, patterned fabric and card stock. They then color pictures of insects to blend in with the background fabric in the picture frame. These can be taken home to hang on the fridge as a reminder of camouflage! |
30 minutes |
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Bee Buzzer |
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1-8 |
Students identify plants, animals, and other organisms that damage garden plants. |
45 minutes |
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Insect Life Cycle |
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Youth use pasta to illustrate the adult, egg, larval, and pupal stages of an insect's life cycle. |
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Clothespin Flies |
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Kit |
Grades |
Summary |
TIME |
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3-8 |
Bird Olympics is a great outdoor activity with a primary focus to teach students about bird adaptations. Students compare their own physical attributes and skills with that of birds to understand the magnitude of modifications by adaptation within bird species. |
30-60 minutes |
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4-8 |
In this activity, students pretend to be different species of birds with different varieties of “beaks” (spoons, chopsticks, or tweezers, etc) and compete over limited sources of “food” (glass marbles, pennies, or toothpicks, etc). Students experience natural selection firsthand and learn the value of bird adaptations. |
30 minutes |
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K-5 |
Students make two kinds of bird feeders for attracting birds both at home and at school. Feeders give students a hands-on knowledge of ways humans can aid in the protection of birds, while feeding them and observing them at the same time. |
30 minutes |
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K-5 |
In this activity, students will play the role of Jays and Juncos, searching for seeds or hiding them from their competition! |
30 minutes |
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Web of Life |
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How Many Bears Live in a Forest? |
K-5 |
Students will identify how some animals gather and store food, defend themselves, and find shelter. |
40 minutes |
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Habitat Match
&
Whatta Web
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Kit |
Grades |
Summary |
TIME |
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Balloon Rockets |
3-8 |
Concepts of stored energy and the transfer of energy are gone over in this fun and exciting lesson. |
1 hour |
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Kit |
Grades |
Summary |
TIME |
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Forest Ecology Field Trip |
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3-8 |
Students learn how to identify trees by their leaves, research an "adopted" tree using a field guide, and estimate the height of their tree using the "Pencil Method" |
1 hour |
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Kit |
Grades |
Summary |
TIME |
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Water, Water Everywhere |
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Water Quality |
6-12 |
Students check water quality using a secchi disc and scope, dissolved oxygen kit, pH kit, and other tools. |
30 minutes |
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Kit |
Grades |
Summary |
TIME |
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4-8 |
Explore how a solar balloon and radiometer work. |
1 hour |
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4-8 |
Some chemical reactions produce light. |
20 minutes |
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4-8 |
Glow objects are made of a special materials that can store radiant energy. |
20 minutes |
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Kit |
Grades |
Summary |
TIME |
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4-8 |
These activities will reinforce the need for renewable energy resources while looking at the pros and cons of different energy sources. |
1 hour |
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Solar Tractor |
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Sailboat |
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Kit |
Grades |
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Simple Electric Circuits, Insulators and Conductors
from Iowa State University Program for Women in Science and Engineering |
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Students demonstrate that a battery is a source of energy that can turn on a lightbulb.
Students make a simple electric circuit to test objects to see if they are conductors or insulators. |
filler activities |
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Estimation Contest, Kalah, Tangrams, What's Your Wingspan? from Iowa State University Program for Women in Science and Engineering |
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Estimation Contest: Students use estimation to solve everyday problems.
Kalah: Students create their own problem solving game (also known as Mancala). Tangrams: Students explore spatial relationships using triangles, squares, and parallelograms. What's Your Wingspan": Students use math skills to compare wingspans.
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filler activities |
