Extend learning through summer with these activity ideas! Individuals can choose one or all nine of the activities, which range from a summer reading goal to an examination of local insects (with accompanying story prompt). See the...

The sun is shining and the birds are singing, what better time to teach young learners about the fun season of summer. In this week-long science series, children learn how the rotation and orbit of the earth influence...

Support your end-of-year instruction with planning kits from PBS. Five planning kits are provided: Special Lessons and Collections; Planning Sheets for Pre-K through 5 and 6-12; Summer Bonus Resources; and Relevant Professional Learning...

Students develop working knowledge of common plants and awareness of plant diversity by starting a school herbarium.

Students 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 learn along with Ms. Frizzle's class. In this Magic School Bus lesson plan, students explore the world of spiders as they travel into a science fiction film to learn the truth about spiders.

Students discover how to identify trees.  In this research lesson students use dendrology to decipher what a trees classification is and explore each trees traits. 

This instructional activity is designed after research done on the ecology of soil lichen in the Tucson Basin area during the summers of 1997 and 1998. Its purpose is to guide students into adopting the problem solving thinking of...

How can December 21 be the shortest day of the year when all days are 24 hours long? Pupils see how to build a model showing the differences between winter and summer solstices and equinoxes. Using this model, classes can then discuss...

Students celebrate the great outdoors and the coming summer break by studying the natural world. In this seasons lesson, students engage in bark rubbing and operate a digital camera to capture outdoor imagery for a collage to help them...

Before iPhones and calendars, how did humans determine the seasons of the year? Middle school scientists discover how to use shadows to determine the time of year in an enlightening interactive. Pupils manipulate the sun and examine the...

In this school energy worksheet, students read the questions about school's energy sources, the way school's can recycle, and how energy can be wasted or saved in schools.

Get your class outside to observe their surroundings with a lesson highlighting weather patterns and seasonal changes. First, learners take a weather walk to survey how the weather affects animals, people, plants, and trees during...

First graders, in groups, discover which colors absorb heat and which colors best reflect heat. They do this using the scientific method.

When Captain John Smith visited the Chesapeake Bay in the summer of 1608, what types of animals and habitats did he encounter? Your young historians will analyze primary source documents to answer this question, as well as compare...

Lead young scientists to discover insects outdoors. After investigating, students will record observations, learn about these fascinating creatures, craft, and role play.

The life of a tree is the focus of a packet consisting of several activities all covering a different subject. Second graders measure shadows, make pinecone critters, write poems, count rings, complete a word search, play tree tag, and...

A gorgeous collection of photographs take viewers on a virtual tour or Glacier Bay National Park with a focus on the seabirds living in the area. Adaptations to the polar climate are highlighted, different species of birds are displayed,...

Stimulate interest in ocean currents with a simulation. The first installment of a five-part middle school series teaches future oceanographers about the forces that interact to cause ocean currents. A simulation shows how wind and...

Students engage in a study of nanotechnology that is meant to be an enrichment to the already established chemistry curriculum of high school. They are encouraged to make connections to daily life. The lesson includes background...

Students examine how variations in temperature are due to the Sun and length of day.  In this solar lesson students complete a lab activity using thermometers and artificial sunlight to see how the earth is heated.