Classroom Activities and Ideas

It is easy to be part of the Special Species Project. Just do something good for the planet (with the help of an advisor). Why not sponsor a school environmental science fair? Or hold a clean up our campus day? Here are some resources to get you started.

  1. Have your students write and draw what they learn from their experience.
  2. Send in their creations (along with parent permission slips). We will post them in the Kids Creations section for students everywhere to enjoy. Here are even more ideas and resources.
  3. Each section is hosted by a "special sponsor." Their support helps keep this project free, so please consider visiting them to purchase any needed supplies. (Just click on their banners. Then use your Back or Go button to return here. We form sponsorship associations carefully, so please give us your consumer feedback.)

These websites open in a separate window. Close each window to return here.

Plant a pesticide-free, native, butterfly, bird, and/or insect friendly garden on the school grounds

To find helpful gardening, botany, and horticulture books, go to our Botany books section.

 

Spring - Slugs - 3

Urban Gardener's Journal (a lovely site for creating gardens that attract butterflies)
Garden Planet
Garden Gate
GardenNet
Garden Web
KinderGarden (just for kids)
Native Plant gardening links (geared to schools)

Sites with Pest Management Information
Pesticide Action Network (North America: Find out about pesticides before you choose to use them)
BioControl Network (all about gardening's "good bugs" and allies)
Gypsy Moth (meet the baddest moth in the whole danged town)
Parasitic Nematodes Homepage (they may sound bad, but they are the garden's good guys)

Adopt or plant a tree, especially one that is native to your area.

LUSA 125_1 

 

National Arbor Day Foundation
Arboriculture, Trees & Timber
Tree Doctor

Start a recycling, clean-up or composting program at your school.

 

Recycling and Composting
RecycleWorks
WormWoman.com

(Thanks Jane for help with this section!)

Count birds, house birds, or feed birds: design a project that is really for the birds!

 

 

 

 

 

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American Birding Association
Audubon Society (excellent kids and education section with project ideas)
Birding (great outdoor recreation pages: best birding locations, latest news and birdwatching gear)
Birdlinks (links to even more Web sites about birds (from the United Kingdom))
BirdSong Links (sites with birdsongs you can hear)
Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (organizer of the great backyard bird count)
Migrating Birds Know No Boundaries (a very interesting, creative site from Israel
North American Wild Bird Feeding Preferences (satisfy the feathered diners near you)

Research socially responsible business and citizenship.

Sierra Magazine M/A $

 

 

 

 

 

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Co-opAmerica ("practical steps for using your consumer and investor power for social change")
Greenpages (links to green investing, green business, and green living)
International Environmental Information Network (a compendium of environmental companies, news and data)
Responsible Shopper (research products before you buy)
Center for Environment and Business on the Web (meet corporate leaders in sustainable business policies)
Shareholder Action Network (students can voice their opinions to publicly-held companies)
Net Impact (business students "using the power of business to create a better world")
Physicians for Social Responsibility (doctors who are committed to a more peaceful, less-polluted world)
Sustainable Development (Promotes environmentally and socially responsible businesses)
League of Conservation Voters (which legislators have the best (or worst) environmental voting records?)

Explore alternative, earth-friendly methods of housing and community.
Make bricks, build housing models, or design your very own town!

tankless-150x124-1Tired of running out of hot water? Replace your conventional tank water heater with the SETS Electronic Tankless Water Heater. Saves space at only 19.5" X 12" X 3" and its covered by a Lifetime Parts Replacement Warranty. Saves up to 50% on energy costs while providing an endless supply of hot water. 

 

 

Arcosanti (read about combining architecture with ecology)
Global Ecovillage Network (supports projects that demonstrate sustainable living practices worldwide)
Ecotopia (fantastic site devoted to alternative energy, transportation and housing ideas)
Mr. Solar Home Page (meet a man with a "sunny" outlook on energy)
Solar Design Associates (group of architects and engineers specializing in earth-friendly construction)
Rammed Earth (this Australian site offers a tour of a really "earthy" house)
Rocky Mountain Institute (get to know this respected institute specializing in alternative fuels and housing)
Straw Bale Construction (straw houses that no wolf can blow down)
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network (U.S. government site detailing info and resources)
Solstice: Sustainable Energy and Development (covers renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainable living)
SolarElectric.com (all about using sunpower for electrical energy)
Earthship (find out how to build a house from old tires!)
Sustainable Sources Environmental Web Site (links to all kinds of sustainable building resources and real estate)
What is Home Automation? (all kinds of customized ways to save energy)

Get to know a native, then write and draw what you learned. Send it to us!

Get to know a native (animal, plant or habitat)

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