National Park Service
The Young Naturalist
Beginning with a brief history of our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt, then followed by a discussion of his interest in nature, young scientists take to the outdoors to locate and observe local plants and insects....
Curated OER
Fall Lesson Plans
Students participate in various fall activities. In this fall lesson, students take a trip to a farmers market and purchase the ingredients needed for vegetable soup. Students paint fall scenes and create a fall story. Students discuss...
Curated OER
Outdoor Survival
Young scholars are introduced to basic outdoor survival concepts. They identify the seven basic needs for survival. Students describe the symptoms and treatment for frostbite and hypothermia. They compare and contrast the value of...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
More Tribal Homelands
Here is a very fun idea that introduces young learners to how geographical location affects cultural development. They are introduced to four areas where Native Americans have lived in the past by reading stories and examining images....
Curated OER
Strawberry Girl: Outdoors in Florida
Students explore nature by researching the state of Florida. In this animal identification lesson, students read a children' story and research the Internet to discover the difference in animal life between the early 1900's and present...
Curated OER
Boxes & Blocks: Puffer Bellies and Box Cars
Students turn cardboard boxes into outdoor dramatic play. In this early childhood visual arts lesson, students explore cooperative and dramatic play outdoors by challenging children to create a train from cardboard boxes.
Curated OER
Street Cows
A light, and humorous lesson on "street cows" is here for you. Learners listen to the story, "Street Cows," which is embedded in the plan. On a map of the US and the World, they locate the cities where the "Cows on Parade" exhibit was...
Scientific American
Life-Sized Drawing
Ocean explorers or mathematicians research the wreck of the CSS H.L. Hunley. They investigate the actual dimensions of the Hunley using math and measuring skills. Afterward, they sketch a large scale drawing of the submarine outdoors on...
Curated OER
Navajo Pottery: Beautiful Objects
Young potters make their very own version of the classic Navajo Pottery. With helpful worksheets and applicable cross-curricular activities, the lesson is an enriching way to mold both your clay and the multicultural...
Curated OER
Home Design
Students investigate house structures by examining photographs. In this architecture lesson, students read the book Houses and Homes, analyzing the different structures and materials. Students utilize mud to create model huts...
Curated OER
Activity Plan Mixed Ages: Community Cooperation
Students learn how members of communities work together. In this early childhood lesson plan, students explore their neighborhood and discover the people and places that comprise it.
Curated OER
Sand & Water: Shape Search
Students act as amateur archaeologists as they participate in their own "dig" to explore and record unusual shapes. In this shape exploration lesson, students use trowels and shovels to dig, and learn to sift the dirt with screens to...
Curated OER
Weather: A Global Awareness Tour
Upper graders and middle schoolers make up a scenario of planning outdoor concert locations for their favorite musical group. They do this by looking into the weather patterns in a variety of tropical regions. They research where and...
Curated OER
Louisiana Crafts and Domestic Arts
Discuss with the class the reasons for identifying and defining the term material culture as refering to a vast array of objects and activities that people make and do traditionally. Your class can identify diverse crafts and decorative...
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Geocaching
Using GPS units, small groups participate in a scavenger hunt to find an object that you have hidden. They use coordinates for stopping points along a pre-planned path to get to the final cache. This is a terrific activity to include in...
Curated OER
My Important Place
The story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce Indians of Oregon is told here. Pupils are shown pictures of the ancestral lands of the Nez Perce, and they learn about how they were forced to leave it. Students complete an essay which...
Curated OER
Faux Fossil Fun
Elementary schoolers investigate how fossils are created by reproducing the process of creating an impression and filling it with a hardening material. The art lessons from this source are just fantastic! The lesson plan is well-written...
Curated OER
Summer Camp in the Classroom
Students explore wildlife plants and summer activities. For this natural science lesson, students identify plants and animals and create a scrapbook of their findings.
Curated OER
Australian Christmas Stamps
Research Christmas traditions and the December climate in Australia. Discover Australia's custom of lowering postage rates at the holiday season and creating a yearly stamp. Realize that Christmas in Australia is during the summer season...
Curated OER
Winter Carnival!
Students research about outdoor winter activities that include sports and the arts. They gather information about weather conditions and winter carnivals in Canada and the United States. Each student then visually depicts their findings...
Curated OER
Getting to the Point
Students determine location by using the technique of triangulation. They imagine that they are out in the wilderness and have come to the top of a ridge. How can one identify the ridge on the topo map? How can one figure out where you...
Curated OER
Cowboys
Students analyze cowboy literature. In this United States history and literacy lesson, students listen to a variety of cowboy songs and poetry, view the video "Rediscovering America: The Real American Cowboy," and view related websites....
Curated OER
Traditional Crafts and Decorative Arts in Louisiana Worksheet
This resource outlines an extensive list of websites about different kinds of material culture in Louisiana. The list covers five categories: outdoor and indoor crafts, Louisiana folk life articles, quilt making, house types, and general...
Curated OER
Get Out, Get Active: Three Social Studies Activities Your Students Will Love
Three recommendations to help keep your students engaged via outdoors social studies activities.