Take young naturalists on an exploration of the world's tropical rainforests with this extensive collection of lessons and activities. Whether its creating leaf and flower prints or investigating the absorption spectrum of...

Students turn cardboard boxes into outdoor dramatic play. In this early childhood visual arts lesson plan, students explore cooperative and dramatic play outdoors by challenging children to create a train from cardboard boxes.

Students explore things that are their size, literally. In this early childhood lesson plan, students use their bodies for measuring and comparing sizes as they work in pairs to complete the activity.

What can shadows tell us about the changing season? Over several months, astronomy learners record length and position of an outdoor object's shadow, such as a flagpole. They apply the data to a growing hypothesis and note the...

Students discover there's more than one way to move a heavy load. In this problem solving activity, students use observation and problem-solving skills as they experiment with simple machines in order to transport loads.

Students race to keep these balls rolling. In this early childhood physical education lesson, students experiment with cause and effect as they work with different heights of cardboard tubes.

Students explore their environment through a scavenger hunt. In this outdoor exlporation instructional activity, students use hunt cards and search for animal food, natural shapes, or both. Students share their finds. Students create ink...

Raise children's awareness about the importance of conservation with this hands-on science lesson. Start by breaking the class into groups and having them collect trash from around the school or local park. Students then use the provided...

Why read about it when you can watch it happen? Bird cams make it possible for learners to experience the life cycle of a bird in real time! An engaging set of lessons provides activities to connect their learning to bird cam...

Sometimes all you need to complete your perfect lesson plan is an awesome hands-on learning experience. Here is an extension activity that is sure to excite your learners. They'll head outside to observe the local insect community. When...

Take photos of human activities that impact air quality. Collaborative groups present one of the photographs, identifying how the activity contributes to air quality and what can be done to minimize the impact. As one in a series of...

Students build their math skills outdoors. In this early childhood math lesson, students use comparative language as they chart and graph the items on their playground.

Students use the body as a sensory laboratory to explore their five senses, heartbeat, bones, and even size. In this early childhood science lesson, students build science and critical thinking skills as they take part in up to 6...

Students invent outdoor activities. In this early childhood lesson plan, students practice cooperation and large motor skills while they engage in and invent a variety of organized outdoor play activities. The activities encourage...

Students celebrate the summer by preparing a picnic together. In this early childhood lesson plan, students word together to prepare a picnic and develop fine motor and cooperative skills.

Students play together and learn together. In this early childhood lesson plan, students partake in any of the 10 listed here in order to explore healthful activities and foods.

Learners investigate reading, cooking, and planting activities that teach that a carrot is the root of a plant. In this early childhood science lesson, students explore the world around them as they read The Carrot Seed and complete the...

Students examine the world of nature. In this early childhood lesson plan, students develop observation skills as they bird-watch and make rainbows, experimentation skills as they explore seeds and carrots, prediction skills as they...

Students read Native Plants and Early Peoples and explore the plants in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and find how the Native Americans used them.  In this Native American plant and people lesson, students...

Who needs a compass to find cardinal directions? Just place a stick in the ground and record the movement of its shadow over the course of a day. Then, measure the shadow lengths in order to determine a north-south line. A simple...

Elementary schoolers sharpen their listening skills as they use sound maps, tallies, and line plots to organize and interpret data. Everyone takes a "sound walk," and focuses on the sounds around them. They chart and tabulate the sounds...

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 take a field trip to a local prairie. Using identification books, they identify various forbs and grasses in the prairie. As a class, they discuss the importance of forbs and grasses to the ecosystem and review the various types...

At first glance, grassland ecosystems might seem dull and uninteresting, but once you start to explore it's amazing the things you'll find! Through this series of engaging lessons, activities, and experiments, elementary students examine...