Students discuss how to protect oneself from the sun.  In this sun safety lesson, students explore the movement of the sun throughout the day by tracing their shadows periodically using outdoor chalk.  Students discuss how the...

Monarch butterfly populations have decreased by 90 percent over the past 20 years due to misuse and ineffectiveness of some pesticides. Given the challenge to increase pesticide safety and effectiveness, the class, through discussion,...

Students explore wildlife plants and summer activities. In this natural science lesson, students identify plants and animals and create a scrapbook of their findings.

Students explore biology by participating in an environmental role-play activity. For this animal waste lesson, students identify the appropriate way to dispose of human and animal waste when staying outdoors. Students conduct an outdoor...

Dressing for success is not always about looking sharp. Sometimes it is about staying warm and dry. Present your class with an activity that challenges groups of pupils to design a layered material for blizzard conditions. The teams test...

Students explore the benefits of staying active by going on a hike.  In this physical education lesson, students discuss the concept of a hike, where a good place to hike is and what types of foods are necessary to stay nourished....

Fourth graders investigate elements of physical adaptation in insects and organisms. They discover how adaptations can select an insect for survival and make an insect that be used in an outdoor discovery activity.

Healthy invertebrates mean healthy ponds. An outdoor activity has scholars collect samples of invertebrates from local lakes or ponds. They identify and count different species and use the information to estimate the level of pollution...

Students discover what an arthropod is and how they survive in our world.  In this insect lesson, students read the book, A House Is A House For Me, and compare a home for a person with the type of habitat an arthropod lives in....

Students watch a video clip about German submarines lost during World War II. They work together to create their own submarine out of a plastic bottle. They test the buoyancy of the submarine in different activities.

Students explore canoes and kayaks. In this canoe and kayak activity, students research the history, parts, and sport of the canoe and kayak.  Students then practice how to use a paddle for each boat, and go on a field trip in order...

Students examine the potential health dangers of mountain climbing in high altitudes and deep-sea diving. They write a health and safety column for a fictional magazine about extreme outdoor sports that explains the risks involved in...

Students conduct an experiment to determine what type of clothing would be most suitable for outdoor activities. They determine the temperature changes of the skin under various wet clothing materials and graph the temperature changes. ...

Students photograph five objects from a bag and five objects from the outdoors. Students categorize things by living and non-living and by properties such as color, size, structure and needs. Students draw conclusions about the basic...

Students examine the importance of good quality safety gear. In this investigative lesson, students will tests various polymers, collect data, and analyze the data to determine which polymer is best for safety helmets. They will design a...

Students study insects. They go on an outdoor insect outing and look for insects in a variety of places--in the air, under rocks, on leaves, in water, etc. They record information about the insects they find, including habitat, weather...

Students participate in an outdoor activity in which they make direct but safe observations of the Sun. Students use a solar cell and voltmeter apparatus to collect data on the amount of DC voltage produced by the solar cell during a...

First graders identify vegetables and flowers that can be grown from seed.  For this seed sowing lesson, student learn the correct spacing and planting of various types of seeds. Students label plants. 

Students share with the class how they think plants are classified and are assessed on their prior knowledge. They use a packet to complete throughout the week at their own pace, which includes various activities to familiarize...

Students make a chart with columns for water, food, shelter, fire, and other needs.Then list whatever each person thinks they might need in each column to survive for at least a week in the outdoors during that season.

Militaries throughout history have used topography information to plan strategies, yet many pupils today don't understand it. Scholars use Legos and a contour gauge to understand how to construct and visualize topographic profiles. This...

Does the angle of a solar panel change the output? Emerging engineers find out! Demonstrate for your class how they can angle a straw to match the angle of light rays coming from a source. Then turn them loose to experiment with the...

In this convection currents worksheet, learners draw, cut and decorate a spiral snake on a sheet of paper. Students attach a piece of thread to its head and hang it over a hot radiator and watch the snake spin as the warm air rises.

Play the game of Tag and differentiate between plants and animals. Explore the characteristics of plants. Identify the major parts of plants (e.g., seeds, stem, pistil) and describe their basic functions. Compare the requirements of some...