Do you teach 4th grade students? Every Kid Outdoors was created so fourth graders and their families could get a chance to experience our federal parks, lands, and waters and discover our wildlife, resources, and history for free. Educators can visit https://everykidoutdoors.gov/educators.htm to get passes, download activities, or plan a life-changing field trip for your… Read more »
Who doesn’t like blue jeans? The indigo dye that provides their distinctive color holds up to detergents, but ages into that soft, worn look. Indigo is one of the oldest dyes used for coloring textiles. For thousands of years it was extracted from tropical plants in Asia, the Middle East and the Americas, with various… Read more »
This informative documentary, Sustainability in Bioenergy: A Nation Connected, produced by the US Department of Energy, highlights ongoing efforts in communities nationwide to develop, produce, and provide bioenergy. From farmers and families in the Midwest to researchers and business owners on the coasts, the video provides firsthand views and personal stories describing bioenergy-related projects and… Read more »
Blue Raster and Bear Trust International’s interactive world map shows students and educators in grades 9-12 where eight different species of wild bears live. The map includes photos and facts on American and Asiatic black bears, brown bears, giant pandas, polar bears, sloth bears, and sun bears.
The Alternative Fuel Foundation provides grants of $250-500 to forward-thinking schools with projects that use alternative fuels and promote sustainability. Those that encourage parent involvement and build community spirit are preferred. Nonprofit public and private K-12 schools and their associated parent groups are eligible.
Connect your students with conservation professionals using the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s new broadcast series. Visit the FWS website to pick one of an existing dozen videos to use in your education and conservation programming. Approximately 8 additional videos will be added over the next 8 months. New broadcasts take place at 2pm Eastern… Read more »
Are you looking for new literature connections to support your favorite PLT lessons? This growing Epic! online library offers thousands of picture books, chapter books, early readers, and even nonfiction books (think Common Core Connections!) that elementary teachers can access free of cost. Registered users receive unlimited access to books and customized recommendations for readers’… Read more »
Check out the Oregon-based website LearnForests.org for a compilation of nearly 30 videos targeting Grades 4-12 about careers in the forest sector. In addition to valuable career insights, the videos contain various forest facts that are both interesting and informational. The first-person accounts of those who currently have forest careers provide an insightful resource for… Read more »
Are you looking for support in investigating fracking and other energy issues with high school students? Russell Gold, senior energy reporter for the Wall Street Journal, chronicles the history and rise of the fracking industry in his 2014 book, The Boom. This informational text delves into the pros and cons of the controversial energy extraction… Read more »
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website provides an interactive carbon footprint calculator designed for use by students in middle or high school. The calculator begins by asking students to investigate some baseline data points, such as their average home energy usage, transportation habits, and waste disposal process. Then, the calculator offers ways impact reduction… Read more »