Archives: Resources

Volcanic activity is the most powerful force in nature. Some volcanic eruptions are much more powerful than the largest nuclear explosion. Volcanoes have killed thousands of people and … learn more

The Alaska Volcano Observatory updates activity continuously. The contents can be adapted to several age groups.

In case extra-terrestrial life is encountered The SETI Institute – a seriously scientific site – has prepared a set of protocols which will help your students respond. They … learn more

The Stardust Education page was designed to enhance the breadth, flexibility and knowledge of science, mathematics, and technology between higher education and K-12 education, recognizing and supporting a … learn more

Why limit exploration to Mars? NASA’s Cassini Mission looks at our unmanned expedition to Saturn! Includes lesson plans for all grades from K thru 12! Stardust looks at … learn more

The Space Telescope Science Institute site has scores of satellite images, such as the revived Hubble mission data, and other surprises, such as Amazing Space, a comet simulation … learn more

Posters from interstellar destinations. Strange worlds like Lava World and Egg World. Check out posters from some of the planets scientists have found outside our solar system.

Learn the latest on planets outside our solar system. This NASA JPL web site looks at the search for planets outside our solar system. It includes current news, … learn more

While there are a number of tour videos of the ISS available, this is one of the most detailed. Steven Swanson takes us on a relaxed and informal … learn more

Tracks NASA’s current missions to the red planet. Includes All About Mars, News, videos, and even 3D & interactive images of Mars. Everything you ever wanted to know … learn more

This site includes a stunning collection of 64 videos and essays from women across the agency who contribute to NASA’s mission in different ways. Includes a section for … learn more

Living History Farms in Urbandale, Iowa is an interactive, 500-acre outdoor museum that tells the amazing 300+ year story of how Iowans transformed the fertile prairies of the … learn more

The discovery of the monumental Lascaux cave in 1940 brought with it a new era in our knowledge of both prehistoric art and human origins. Today, the cave … learn more

The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago is now the home of “Sue”, the largest-ever fossil of a T-rex. The Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago … learn more

The Oregon-California Trails – Learning Center helps to educate people about the westward emigrant trails. The story of the emigrant trails is immensely rich and spans not only … learn more

The Galapagos Conservancy site has a wide range of resources, with information on the history of the Islands, biodiversity, conservation challenges and “Sustainable Tourism”. Check out their “wallpaper” … learn more

Since Darwin’s time, the natural wonders of the Galapagos Archipelago have inspired and awed its visitors. This 23 minute YouTube adventure follows Fred and Peggy Hillman’s journey from … learn more

Ethnologue is a comprehensive reference work cataloging all of the world’s known living languages. Since 1951, the Ethnologue has been an active research project involving hundreds of linguists … learn more

This page lists the official language of each country as well as other major languages spoken. For some countries, the percent of the population that speaks each language … learn more

There are lots of interesting features in other languages, some of which English would really benefit from having. Tom Scott talks about four of them: time-independence, clusivity, absolute … learn more

A fun song for younger students showcasing how to say hello in nine different languages.

The EPA has compiled a list of environmental games and find other activities to play online, including crossword puzzles and word searches. Topics include recycling, water, and sunburns.

At The Franklin Institute, we help people understand science and technology in ways that empower them to make decisions about critical issues that affect their lives. Stay connected … learn more

This short video shows the difference between natural and built and explains why we build.

How do people interact with and change the natural environment? A major focus of urban ecology is comparing how ecosystems function in nature and how they are changed … learn more

This video contrasts natural and built environments in the Philippines.

Great Lakes Now brings along students on a virtual field trip to learn more about the importance of coastal wetlands, the danger of algal blooms and a deep … learn more

Ecology Explorers is an example of how universities are teaming up with the K-12 community to give teachers and students opportunities to learn through real scientific research. We … learn more

Lesson plans and activities are created or gathered from throughout COSEE NOW projects and listed by Topic Categories.

Compare the 1908 earthquake to images of a “recent” earthquake in the same area.

The impact of the San Francisco earthquake in 1906 was the first national disaster of its scope recorded through photography.

Understanding Earthquakes, from U.C. Santa Barbra, includes first-hand accounts of earthquakes by classic writers, an Earthquake Globe plotting earthquakes for a 5 year period, and animations of each … learn more

Did You Feel It allows those in the vicinity of an earthquake to help scientists identify the strength and reach of the quake.

USGS’ Earthquake Hazards Program displays real time maps of earthquake epicenters in the U.S. and world wide. You’ll also find maps and articles and more.

The Chicago Botanic Garden offers a variety of resource kits for educators to use in the classroom. The kits are free, with a refundable deposit to make sure … learn more

Many museums and botanical gardens have an on-line section with educational material. Here is an example from the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, which exhibits an extensive collection of plants … learn more

Created by Henry Shaw and given as a gift to the city of St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden opened to the public in 1859. It combined horticultural … learn more

Wish for a paradise or the Garden of Edens? The Living Edens is an inspiring natural history available from PBS, opening magical vistas through the expertise of world-acclaimed … learn more

Wildlife of Hawaii features photos, links, and information about Hawaiian wild animals and plants. Hawaii has an interesting mix of species, many of which are endemic to Hawaii and … learn more

The United States Botanic Garden (USBG) is a living plant museum that informs visitors about the importance, and often irreplaceable value, of plants to the well-being of humans and to … learn more

John Uhler has assembled a list of all known U.S. National Park, National Monument, National Recreational Area, and National Seashore webcams available on the Internet. He also includes … learn more

Webcams images can be used to create time lapse videos. In this example, a years worth of images from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center webcam at Lassen National … learn more

Some web cams, like Seattle’s Space Needle, allow you to move the camera. On this cam, just click on the image and drag it around. You can also … learn more

Windy.com is normally used to check the winds around the world. But, if you click the camera icon in the lower right Layers section, it will bring up … learn more

EarthCam allows you to type in just about any location on earth and display a list webcams in that area.

Opportunities and resources from across NOAA for students, educators, and curious people everywhere. The NOAA Education Portal is your one-stop shop to connect with learning and teaching resources … learn more

Colossal Cave is a large cave system in southeastern Arizona. It contains about 3.5 miles of mapped passageways. If tight squeezes, narrow ledges and crevasses are your thing, … learn more

See how the little green spheres are built in this wordless documentary look at the mass production of tennis balls, from glop to globe, in just over three … learn more

This compilation of field trips from The Haphazard Traveler looks at everything from the Great Wall of China to The World’s Largest Cave and the Boston Children’s Museum.

There’s nothing like a field trip to bring classroom concepts to life. Kentucky Field Trips take students across the state to historic sites, natural wonders, and high-tech facilities, covering the … learn more

The author of this post looked at the wide variety of electronic or virtual field trips (VFT’s) available on the Internet and came up with some pro’s and … learn more

Electronic field trips provide opportunities and experiences that are similar to those of traditional field trips: exposure to “real” people and events, a compelling context for required school … learn more

The Earth Sciences & Map Library at U.C. Berkeley is sufficiently comprehensive that is can be used as a test-bed for secondary students to learn research skills. This … learn more

Librarians have a weird sense of humor. This was the old joke: “The internet is like a library with no catalog where all the books get up and … learn more

With so many information sources now at our fingertips, knowing where to start, sorting through it all and finding what we want can be overwhelming! Perdue’s Online Writing … learn more

Big6 is a six-stage model to integrate information search and use skills along with technology tools into a systematic process to find, use, apply, and evaluate information for … learn more

Steve Long looks at the Paraffin Paradox. Steve shows how to hide a sheet of aluminum foil between two blocks of paraffin, then uses it to teach how … learn more

WITI helps women advance by providing access to – and support from – other professional women working in all sectors of technology. They have an extensive Resources section … learn more

The American Association of University Women goal is to empower women as individuals and as a community. Their resources section includes education material designed specifically for girls.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts highlights contributors by field.

Society of Women Engineers provides projects, events, and the ability to connect with women engineers in your area. Whether you’re a teacher searching for lesson-planning content or a … learn more

A great video to use as an introduction to Women’s History. See how many women you can identify in the video.

The National Women’s History Alliance celebrates is dedicated to promoting Women’s History and the goals of education, empowerment, equality, and inclusion. Their Resources section highlights the diverse and … learn more

The National Women’s Hall of Fame’s mission statement is “Showcasing great women… Inspiring all!” The site includes pictures and biographies on 100’s of inductees, from Abigale Addams to … learn more

The site, entitled Women On the Web/ElectronMedia, offers links and concept papers for women to take up careers which mingle humanities like music and art and new technologies. … learn more

This unique site is full of information and resources to help you learn about women’s history in a global context. Here teachers, students, parents, history buffs, and the … learn more

Maria Sibylla Merian was a Naturalist, an Entymologist and a Botanical Illustrator and is rated as being one of the greatest ever botanical artists. She is best known … learn more

Debra Sterling talks about a study that found “girls with worse body esteem engage more with the Disney Princesses over time, perhaps seeking out role models of what … learn more

History’s Women highlights contributors by field, such as literature and society. This site’s advantage is that it is accessible to different reading capabilities.

Major concepts and a history of time-keeping can be found at the NIST site.

There are a number of videos helping kids learn to tell time. This is one of our favorites.

This video looks at some of the world’s strangest time zones, including: China, Kiribati, Nepal, Australia and more.

A demonstration of gravity, featuring the “Spacetime Stretcher,” built mostly out of materials from the garage and hardware store. Click on the YouTube logo to view the About … learn more

Strangely, although we feel as if we sweep through time on the knife-edge between the fixed past and the open future, that edge – the present – appears … learn more

This site provides an overview of Time Zones, what are they and why we have so many of them. Who knew the International Date Line created 3 extra … learn more

This on-line essay on the history of timekeeping was conceived and written by Kent Higgins and illustrated by Darwin Miner, of the Program Information Office of the National … learn more

Thomas Kitching, a cosmologist and astrophysics lecturer, looks at questions like: Does time have a beginning? Time’s arrow? Will time end? Written in non-technical language, this post gives … learn more

The MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program and The Education Arcade focus on creating playful, powerful learning experiences using the affordances of new educational technologies. We leverage design-based research … learn more

Simulations have the potential to engage students in “deep learning” that empowers understanding as opposed to “surface learning” that requires only memorization. Simulations can be paused, giving time … learn more

Here’s an example of modeling a large, real world problem using a simple set up that can fit on a table. Erosion can occur in the subsurface as … learn more

Einstein – Image and Impact is another AIP exhibit that includes Einstein’s thoughtful philosophy, and his rise above a turbulent life. The exhibit contains many pictures, cartoons, voice … learn more

Werner Heisenberg was one of the greatest physicists of the twentieth century. He is best known as a founder of quantum mechanics, the new physics of the atomic … learn more

American Institute of Physics (AIP) has online biographies of famous physicists, such as Newton, Einstein, and Bohr, and the history of key developments, such as the discovery of … learn more

This was the original Phun video that started it all. Algodoo is the successor to Phun.

A series of short videos that teach you to use Algodoo, and how you can use it to teach physics.

A review of Algodoo by a 9th grade physics teacher in Atlanta. It shows how to get started and runs thru various demonstrations including videos. This review was … learn more

This video shows what you can do with Algodoo, a program that gives you the opportunity to play with physics. Apply a constructionists learning paradigm, learning by doing. … learn more

Algodoo is a unique 2D simulation software. Algodoo is designed in a playful, cartoony manner, making it a perfect tool for creating interactive scenes, and encouraging your students’ … learn more

In the Leidenfrost Effect, a water droplet will float on a layer of its own vapor. The physicists at the University of Bath used this effect to create … learn more

This video shows a simple way to create a compass. A great classroom demonstration project.

A string phone can be used to demonstrate critical concepts of physics.

A tone generator has a variety of uses. You can explore interference, waves, and the physics of music. Connect a bare speaker to your computer’s earphone jack and … learn more

Science4Fun from Abdul Wahab Malik in Pakistan includes an extensive section on simple Physics explanations. In addition, there a number of easy-to-do physics experiments in the Science Experiments … learn more

A true hand-on physics project appropriate for older, 6-8 grade kids.

Janet Hoekenga shows hot to build a simple steam engine, known as a aeolipile or Heron’s engine, using nothing more than a soda can, a needle and some … learn more

The Little Shop of Physics at Colorado State is not horrific at all. It contains 60 experiments which use hand-on materials and computers. Students can explore their “blind … learn more

Using a car to show the difference between mass and weight.

Developed by the Museum of Science in Boston, this site provides age appropriate engineering curriculum for grades 1 thru 8. Includes units like Designing Windmills to Aid Drop … learn more

Here’s an examples of a Hewitt-Drew-it! lesson, the one involving rainbows. Each lesson video is about 6 to 10 minutes long.