Lesson Plans Links
Bat Conservation International. www.batcon.org. Provides information on bats, building bat houses, and ordering bat-related educators’ guides.
Be Out There: Experiential Learning that connects Kids and Community
Butterflies of North America. http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/about Excellent source of region-specific information about butterflies, complete with county checklists, distribution maps and photos.
Classroom FeederWatch. http://feederwatch.org/learn/educational-and-homeschool-resources/feederwatch-in-the-classroom/ Great program run by Cornell University that allows classrooms to participate in ongoing ornithology research projects. Includes curriculum ideas and National Science Education Standards links.
Climate Classroom
Address topic of global climate change through knowledge and action.
Dig In! Standards-Based Nutrition Education from the Ground Up for Grades 5 and 6
http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/dig_in.html Explore a world of possibilities in the garden and on your plate using ten inquiry-based lessons that engage 5th and 6th graders in growing, harvesting, tasting, and learning about fruits and vegetables.
Eco-schools; Greening U.S. Schools, Inside and out http://www.nwf.org/Eco-Schools-USA.aspx
prepare students for increased emphasis on environmental stewardship and participate in new energy and environmentally sustainable economy.
Farm to School Showcase Toolkit
http://www.ecotrust.org/farmtoschool/showcase-toolkit.php
The Great Garden Detective Adventure: A Standards-Based Gardening Nutrition Curriculum for Grades 3 and 4 http://teamnutrition.usda.gov/Resources/gardendetective.html
Discover what fruits and vegetables are sweetest, crunchiest, and juiciest through a series of investigations and fun experiences connecting the school garden to the classroom, school cafeteria, and home. This eleven-lesson curriculum for 3rd and 4th grades includes bulletin board materials, veggie dice, fruit and vegetable flash cards, and ten issues of Garden Detective News for parents/caregivers.
Journey North. www.learner.org/jnorth/. Free online program through which classrooms can track the spring migration of various animal species. Students share their information with other
classrooms across the hemisphere and work directly with scientists. The site also provides lesson ideas and a forum for online teacher discussions.
The Lady Bird JohnsonWildflower Center. www.wildflower.org. Regional native plant lists, as well as educator kits, which contain plant information and posters for use in the classroom, can be purchased on the site.
MonarchWatch. www.monarchwatch.org Site has a great deal of information related to teaching about monarchs in the classroom. Included on the site are details on the monarch life cycle,
instructions on how to rear monarchs and grow milkweed, and opportunities for students to participate in research projects with scientists.
Plants and Wildlife. American Horticultural Society www.ahs.org Plant related information and links to a national list of children’s gardens (under the Gardening Connections section).
Species 2000. www.sp2000.org Great starting point for learning about specific plant and animal species. Includes in-depth information and a variety of helpful web links.
USDA Farm to School Resources and Fact Sheets
http://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool
The USDA Farm to School Program has compiled a series of resources to assist schools and school districts in implementing Farm to School programs. The USDA has also developed a series of fact sheets to help connect schools with more local foods.
National Wildlife Federation Resources
k-12 programming
The Wild Ones. https://www.wildones.org/hotlinks.html International program that offers curriculum ideas, resource lists, free newsletters, information on research projects that classrooms
