Seeds
PK–2
Investigate seed diversity. Look “inside” a seed to see a baby plant. Sort, dissect, and plant seeds. (Good introduction to Seeds exploration at the Garden.)

Mystery Boxes
PK–2
Explore the five senses with these sensory awareness activities using scent jars, mystery boxes, and natural materials. Includes a new mystery sound activity.

Tropical Rain Forest Felt Board
K–3
Journey to the tropical rain forest with this felt board to see plants and animals that live there. Learn the structure of the rain forest and some of its special features.

The Tropical Rain Forest
K–12
Activities, resources, and displays illustrate rain forest ecology, products, deforestation, and the importance of biodiversity.

Sensational Seasons
1–4
Learn what causes seasons! Explore seasonal differences using three separate kits: Fall, Winter, and Spring.

Weather
4–8
Tools and equipment allow for classroom investigations of weather concepts, including temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, precipitations, and wind speed.

Missouri Mammals
5–12
Using pelts, skulls, hands-on activities and additional resources investigate Missouri’s many interesting mammals.
 

Frog Math: Predict, Ponder, Play
K–3
In an artful interweaving of mathematics and literature, this series of lively math activities jumps off from one of the well known “Frog and Toad” stories, “The Lost Button”. This story leads to free exploration of buttons, then sorting, classifying, design, and graphing of them. Students develop estimation skills by “guesstimation” and are introduced to probability and statistics in the Hop to the Pond Game.

Treasure Boxes
K–3
A veritable treasure chest of activities which interweave mathematics and literature with cooperative learning and the spell-binding interest generated by collections of small everyday objects. Designed to build real-life, practical understandings of graphing, sorting, and classification, this unit also stresses cooperation, sharing, and an appreciation for the many ways we can recycle and reuse materials.

Group Solutions: Cooperative Logic Activities
K–4
More than fifty cooperative activities designed for groups of four students are included in this kit. Each student receives a clue to a problem and the entire group is responsible for finding the solution which can ONLY be discovered by connecting the information from ALL the clues.

Group Solutions, Too! More Cooperative Logic Activities
K–4
More cooperative logic activities which take advantage of the same format as the original Group Solutions, but the content explored is distinct and logical thinking skills are focused in new ways. The mathematical strands of discrete mathematics and geometry are emphasized while cooperative and other social skills are nurtured.

Build It! Festival
K–6
This kit includes a wide assortment of classroom learning station activities that focus on mathematics, especially relating to construction, geometric challenges, and spatial visualization. Many activities connect strongly to the real world and potential careers.

Math on the Menu
3–5
This unit provides strong mathematics learning experiences in a real-world context. The Rosada family owns a Mexican restaurant and asks your students for help as they plan the menu, determine different combinations of ingredients, analyze costs, set prices, expand into combination plates, and figure out the best way to arrange tables and chairs in a new location.

In All Probability: Investigations in Probability and Statistics
3–6
Students investigate chance and probability with concrete materials, learn how to gather and analyze data, make predictions, and draw conclusions. These activities provide a solid basis for the development of much-needed (and often neglected) real-life understandings and skills. Cooperation is stressed and students learn that mathematics is fun.

QUADICE
4–8
This original, challenging, and fun mathematics game encourages students to perform mental calculations, handle fractions with greater confidence, and explore probability. The game format enables the practice in skills to take place within an exciting context.

Math Around the World
Grades 5–8
With a wide range of games and other challenges from many continents, this unit sets mathematics within a multi-cultural and international context. Geographical and other social studies connections abound. The fun and excitement of the eight games greatly facilitates learning, and complete presentation instructions help make the mathematical concepts more explicit and powerful for all students.
 

Animal Defenses
PK–K
In these activities, students add defensive structures to an imaginary defenseless animal. Then, in classroom dramas, their animals encounter a Tyrannosaurus rex. In the second session, the children learn about the defenses of modern-day animals. This unit is an excellent way to introduce biological concepts of predator/prey and help young students understand the distinction between defensive structures and defensive behaviors.

Eggs Eggs Everywhere
PK–1
Investigate eggs in all their variety while developing key concepts in biology and the life sciences. Children learn about the many different kinds of eggs and the creatures that hatch from them. The book Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones sets the stage for children to use small plastic animals for sorting, classifying, and graphing activities. They observe an assortment of real eggshells and compare size, shape, and color. Students also explore the movement of plastic eggs to learn how eggs are shaped to favor survival.

Penguins and Their Young
PK–1
Children learn about the emperor penguin, its cold home of ice and water, its body structure, what it eats, and how it cares for its young. Children experience a penguin’s icy home by playing with toy penguins in a tub of “icebergs” and water. Important math concepts and skills are introduced when children pretend to be hungry penguins and “catch” fish. Life science, mathematics, and physical science are integrated with language activities throughout this unit.

Tree Homes
PK–1
These activities encourage appreciation for trees and animals that live in tree homes, stimulating children’s interest in the natural world and the biological need for warmth and shelter. After becoming familiar with a living tree, the class role-plays dramas about a mother bear and her cubs, raccoons, and a family of owls and their tree homes. Sorting, classifying, and measurement are also emphasized.
 

Investigating Artifacts: Making Masks, Creating Myths, Exploring Middens
K–6
Weaving together activities related to anthropology and archaeology and to diverse Native American and world cultures, students sort and classify natural objects, make their own masks, and “dig” through a midden. They create their own stories to explain natural phenomena and learn how ancient peoples used myths/stories to explain and represent the natural world.

On Sandy Shores
2–4
This unit fosters respect for the environment and deepens students’ understanding of biological and ecological interactions that take place on a sandy beach. Students explore what they would find on a sandy shore, investigate sands from around the world, recreate a sandy shore ecosystem, and discover the consequences of an oil spill.

Schoolyard Ecology
3–6
This unit uses your schoolyard to nurture curiosity about patterns and interactions in nature. Students learn biological sampling techniques and practice mapping skills. In addition to temporarily collecting samples in “shake boxes”, special investigations focus on ants and spiders. Students discover that a bush may be home to a “community” of interacting plants and animals.

Environmental Detectives
5–8
Students learn that fish and other wildlife near Synchrony City and its rural surroundings have been dying. By performing chemical and biological tests students figures out what is causing the problems. Factors considered include: chlorine pollution, acid rain, erosion and sediment pollution, predator-prey relationships, phosphate pollution/algal blooms, and oil pollution. Students become aware of the interconnectedness of the natural world, the complexity of environmental problems, and how major impacts can be triggered by one seemingly small change.

Hot Water and Warm Homes from Sunlight
4–8
Students are introduced to controlled experimentation as they build model houses and hot water heaters to discover more about solar power. They conduct experiments to determine the effects of size, color, and number of windows on the amount of heat produced from sunlight in a house.

Moons of Jupiter
4–8
Students recreate Galileo’s studies as they track the orbit of Jupiter’s moons using slides included in the kit. They experiment with crater formation, make scale models to better understand size and distance, and take a grand tour of the Jupiter system as viewed by the Voyager spacecraft. In the final session, students work together to create moon settlements from an assortment of common materials.

Stories in Stone
4–8
This is an earth science unit that deepens understanding of the main processes that lead to the formation of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. The kit contains rock and mineral sets which students use to distinguish between rocks and minerals, classify the samples, and to attempt to classify “mystery rocks“. A crystallization experiment models processes in the formation of igneous rocks, and unique clay modeling activities provide students with “hands-on” insight into the rock cycle and plate tectonics.

Earth, Moon, and Stars
5–8
Students learn about the Earth, gravity, and astronomy as they ponder such questions as: If the Earth is a ball, why does it look flat? Why does the moon change shape? How can I find a constellation and tell time by the stars? Activities include observing and recording changes in the sky and creating models to explain observations. This wide-ranging interdisciplinary unit can be connected to world cultures through its exploration of myths about the rising and setting of the sun.
 

Sifting Through Science
K–2
In this engaging physical science unit, students investigate properties of objects including materials that sink or float, magnetic and non-magnetic objects, and separation of objects based on size. Then the students are challenged to separate a mixture using the knowledge, tools, and techniques they have practiced in the previous activities.

Involving Dissolving
1–3
Students learn about the concepts of dissolving, evaporation, and crystallization. Using familiar substances, they create homemade gel-o, colorful disks, and crystals that emerge on black paper to make a “starry night”. Students gain experience mixing and observing different solutions, benefitting from their very positive early experience with chemistry.

Liquid Explorations
1–3
Students explore the properties of liquids by playing a classification game, observing how food coloring moves through different liquids, then creating secret salad dressing recipes and an “Ocean in a Bottle”. This kit is a fun and fluid way to introduce younger students to the properties of matter and is an excellent physical science unit for primary grades.

Oobleck: What Do Scientists Do?
4–8
Students investigate and analyze the properties of a strange green substance, Oobleck, said to come from another planet. The class holds a scientific conference to critically discuss experimental findings. Students then apply the knowledge they’ve gained to design a spacecraft to land safely on an ocean of Oobleck.

Microscopic Explorations
4–8
This unit features 10 learning stations at which the students investigate different types of magnifiers and then use hand lenses and microscopes to explore objects such as salts, fabrics, fingerprints, sands, and “bugs” up close. You provide the microscopes.
 

Color Analyzers
5–8
Students investigate light and color while experimenting with diffraction gratings and color filters. They use color filters to decipher and create secret messages. By taking part in these activities and drawing conclusions from their experiences, students gain further insight into questions such as, “Why does an apple look red?”

Paper Towel Testing
5–8
In a series of experiments, students rank the wet strength and absorbency of four brands of paper towels. Based on their findings and the cost of each brand, they determine which brand is the “best buy”. These activities provide a stimulating introduction to both consumer science and the concept of controlled experimentation.

Dry Ice Investigations
6–8
This unit features student investigations into dry ice, whose intriguing and “sublime” behavior makes for a totally memorable learning experience. This unit is designed to meet the dual educational challenge of providing compelling student-centered experience in scientific investigation and experimentation, while introducing aspects of the particulate theory of matter, phase change, nature of gases, chemistry, and the history of science. You provide the dry ice (names and addresses of local vendors are included).

More Than Magnifiers
6–8
In this ingenious unit, students use the same two lenses in different ways to create optical instruments, and in so doing find out how lenses are used in magnifiers, simple cameras, telescopes, and slide projectors. They learn that lenses have certain measurable properties that can help determine which lenses are best suited for specific purposes.

Mystery Festival: Mr. Bear Mystery
2–3
Students observe a make-believe crime scene as they try to solve the case of “Who Borrowed Mr. Bear?”. The distinction between evidence and inference is emphasized as students conduct forensic lab tests at classroom learning stations, analyze the results, and try to solve the mystery.

Crime Lab Chemistry
4–8
Challenged to determine which of several black pens was used to write a ransom note, students learn to use paper chromatography as they explore the concepts of solubility, pigments, and separation of mixtures. Several mystery scenarios with intriguing characters are suggested.
 

Fingerprinting
4–8
Students explore the similarities and variations of fingerprints in these “fingers-on” activities. Using their own fingerprints, students devise their own classification categories and then apply their classification skills to solve a crime.

Mystery Festival: Felix Mystery
4–8
Students observe a make-believe crime scene as they try to solve “The Case of the Missing Millionaire”. They conduct forensic lab tests on the evidence at classroom learning stations, analyze the results, and try to solve the mystery.

Discover Plants: From Top to Bottom
K–1
What is a plant? Are plants alive? This unit explores these questions and allows students to discover plants and their parts through fun activities like playing “Plant Twister”, germinating seeds, and “beating a leaf”. Students learn that not only are plants alive, but they are also a critical part of our ecosystem.

Plants and Me: Living Together
K–1
This unit gives young children direct experiences to enable them to link their food and clothing with the green plants that are used to create them. They gain an understanding of the basic needs that all plants have, and put this understanding to work as they raise a variety of plants in the classroom.

Life Cycles of Plants: Growing Through Changes
2–4
Students explore the pattern of change that occurs during the life cycle of a plant. Students plant Wisconsin Fast Plants^© and peanuts to compare the length of their life cycles. They dissect flowers, fruits, and seeds, and make a sandwich bag garden.

Plant Growth: A Partnership of Parts
2–4
Students observe root and stem systems up close with seeds they germinate, and design an experiment researching plant growth. Several hands–on activities allow students to learn about water movement in plants. Students “become” a tree during the field trip to learn how plant parts must work together to obtain the resources each plant needs.

Diversity of Life: Plants Alike and Different
2–4
This unit encourages exploration of North American biomes in a new way. Students follow Sasparillo, the “armadillo from Amarillo” on a trek through deserts, prairies, woodlands, and temperate forests using plant specimens and travel brochures. The field trip provides the students with an exciting view of plant diversity. They see examples of plants from the four communities they have studied and use their senses to hunt for diverse colors, textures, and shapes in the plant world.

Interdependence: Links Between Plants and Animals
2–4
Through an investigation that begins in the classroom and moves into the forest, students explore the interdependence of life in a deciduous forest community. They discover how animals use and depend on the plants as well as ways woodland plants depend on animals for survival.

Plants, People, and the Environment
2–4
Students explore plant needs and methods of gardening. They sprout seeds to place in a garden of their own design. Students discover that a garden is a place to learn the ways plants are a part of our lives, how plants grow, and the actions we take to care for them.

All upper elementary units include a “real world” problem that students investigate and then apply their knowledge toward solving. They offer students an opportunity to take positive action on a related environmental issue.

Plant Reproduction: Saving Endangered Plants
5–7
Students investigate the endangered Alula, a plant endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. This species has most likely stopped producing seeds because its native pollinator is extinct. Students grow and pollinate their own Wisconsin Fast Plants^© as part of their investigation. The trip outdoors allows students to observe pollinators at work, see examples of real endangered plants, and investigate floral characteristics that attract pollinators.

Photosynthesis: A Lifeline for the World
5–7
Through an introduction to the real world problem of world hunger, students learn about the process of photosynthesis—the unique ability of plants to produce their own food from the sun’s energy, They uncover some of the environmental reasons for hunger and look at current agricultural research that may help to increase food production. Student investigations and experiments develop their skills in seeking out new information and critical thinking.

Plant Adaptations: Key to Survival
5–7
Students examine special features that allow plants to survive in dry or wet conditions, in poor soil, in shade, and through the winter. As they study these tough environments, they discover that every living organism must meet certain basic needs to live, and that each has a unique set of adaptations that allow it to survive in its environment. Students investigate the real world problems of city trees, which have a special set of human-induced challenges.

Systems: Investigating the Delicate Balance
5–7
Students explore ecosystems through a variety of hands-on activities while learning the value of producers (plants), consumers (animals), decomposers, and abiotic elements (sun, water, and soil) within an environment. Students apply the knowledge they have gained to build a model of a space outpost which they design to support life in a balanced, sustainable ecosystem.

Keeping our Heritage Alive
5–7
Students explore the effects of large-scale natural disasters (such as volcanic eruptions) and human activities on the environment. They begin to understand that humans make choices every day that affect the Earth. They explore vegetation native to the area of the school prior to human settlement. Other investigations involve examining pillbug behavior in harsh conditions, digging to explore the seed bank, and classification activities.

Pollen Detective
4–9
Become a pollen detective along with University of Nebraska paleontologist Peg Bolick. Peg seeks clues from microscopic pollen in the air we breathe that affect allergies as she collects daily pollen counts for physicians. But her passion is detecting clues to the ancient past left by pollen in the remains of fossil animals. Meanwhile you can dissect a flower, identify parts and analyze the pollen you find.

African Plant Explorer
4–9
Discover the amazing number of poisons in everyday foods, examine chemical properties of starch, use cassava to batik African symbols onto cloth and explore the world travels of everyday food. Biological anthropologist Fatimah Jackson takes viewers on an exotic journey from her lab at the University of Maryland to Uganda in central Africa as she studies how one of the world’s most popular food crops, cassava, can be used as both food and medicine.

Parasite Sleuth
4–9
University of California-San Francisco parasitologist Judy Sakanari explores the world of parasites and how their life cycle is linked to our food supply. Judy sleuths for parasites at unusual locations: a fish marked, eating sushi with her parents, consulting with marine biologist Frances Gulland as she studies seals at the Marine Mammal Center, testing water at a stream, catching ticks, and visiting paleontologist George Poinar to discuss ancient parasites preserved in amber.
 

Sea Otter Biologist
4–9
U.S. Fish and Wildlife biologist Brenda Ballachey travels Alaska’s Prince William Sound to study the living habits and survival of sea otters following the catastrophic spill of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker. While Brenda takes you on a research boat to observe otter behavior, make a kelp forest community in your classroom. Participate in an oil investigation and learn how scientists track sea otters.

Urban Ecologist
4–9
Get dirty and muddy with wetland ecologist, Carmen Cid as she explores species diversity in wetland areas of Connecticut. Carmen studies plants in wetlands, but to do so she also works with insect, wildlife, and water specialists to understand the interactions that keep wetlands healthy.

What Seed Is It?
1–12
Students describe and classify seeds by their type of fruit, their means of transport and their germination. Students grow sprouts from seeds and observe and record growth. Kit includes teacher’s guide with six classroom activities, 39 tree seeds representing 13 urban tree species, and a sprouting seed kit.

How A Tree Grows
4–12
Students use actual tree parts to learn about chlorophyll, photosynthesis, water absorption, and transpiration. Kit includes 21 tree parts: roots, stems, leaves, bark, and cross sections as well as teacher’s guide and magnifying glasses.

What Twig Is It?
5–12
Students lay out and identify winter twigs by their color, size, shape, buds, and thorns. Kit includes teacher’s guide, eight hands-on activities, 39 winter twig specimens from 13 different species, twig key for unknowns in kit, 58 page Winter Tree Finder book, and three magnifying glasses.