Vermiculture (Worm Composting) for the Classroom
This site
provides an excellent set of resources about worm composting.
Worm Bin Unit and Lesson Plans
This
thorough unit on worm composting takes the class from setting up a worm farm to
harvesting worm castings. The lessons
take advantage of the possibilities for classroom action research, data
gathering, and reporting.
This
website documents the activities of a first grade class in
N. Trubble and the Environauts
N. Trubble and the Environauts provides an opportunity for
students to expand their critical thinking skills by solving a series of
questions related to solid waste (or trash) management. It encourages students
to gather information, formulate answers, and learn whether they have answered
questions correctly. Other parts of the site also enable students to apply what
they have learned through a variety of hands-on activities and worksheets. Students can interact with the site
individually and in groups, as well as in a classroom, afterschool, or home
setting. It can be integrated in science, language arts, or math classes and
takes approximately 25 minutes to complete. You can review the information contained
in the site on the Text Only pages.
The Adventures of Vermi the Worm
Come and
join Vermi the Worm and all his friends on an adventure into the world of worm
bins and vermicomposting! The Adventures of Vermi the Worm is an animated,
interactive game that teaches the basics of vermicomposting and its benefits,
plus other waste management strategies like the 3Rs--reduce, reuse and recycle!
Go on an adventure with Vermi the Worm as he visits a school garden and hooks
up with his buddies, Bubba the Worm, Hugh Hammer, Sunny Flower, and Trashcan.
At each stop, you will learn something about vermicomposting or the 3Rs and
have a chance to help your new buddies. At the worm bin, you’ll help regulate a
worm’s habitat; at the garden you’ll do an experiment using vermicompost; with
Trashcan you’ll make choices on how to reduce, reuse, recycle, and vermicompost
items that sometimes end up in the garbage; and there's lots more! You can play the Vermi game either online
over the Internet or by downloading the game and playing it on your network or
computer hard drive.
Short but
kind of nice to show other kids, this site documents a classroom
vermiculture/vermicomposting project.
This site
from Cornell includes several links to resources, the most intriguing of which
is Weird and Unusual Composting
The Worm Guide: A Vermicomposting Guide for Teachers
This guide, on the California Integrated Waste Management
site, explores vermicomposting—the practice of using worms to transform food
waste into a nutrient-rich finished product called vermicompost. In a school
setting, vermicomposting can set the stage for a variety of fun,
interdisciplinary activities. Vermicomposting
can utilize school cafeteria waste for the worm bin, provide a variety of
interesting experiments while maintaining the bin in the classroom, and can
culminate in a school or classroom garden using the finished product.
Teaching with Worms: Scope and Sequence
This site aligns
with the Yucky Worm Site, but is useful whether or not the teacher uses that
site. It is well designed, and could be
implemented pretty much as is with goals, lesson plans, connections to national
standards, et cetera
The Adventures of Herman: The Autobiography of Squirmin' Herman the Worm
This site
is really cool – it provides good, factual information about the critical role
worms play in recycling, how they got here, and so on, and does it in a very
kid-friendly format. Also included is
the Teacher’s Bin where all the questions a teacher might have about starting a
worm bin in the classroom are answered.
Yucky Worm World – the Yuckiest Site on the Web
This site
is full of great information, intriguing games, and cool graphics all about
worms.
This site is developed and maintained by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences. It includes good information on vermiculture (worm composting) as well as music (The Worms Crawl In . . .) and games. It would be great for younger kids and a good adjunct to classroom vermiculture.
Other Animals
The Endangered Species Website
Click on a
state on a map of the
Check out
this site for everything you ever wanted to know about Monarch butterflies and
their migration.
This site
from
Follow
investigative reporter Wendell the Worm as he learns about roaches (eewww . .
.)
EEK! Environmental Education for Kids
Created and
maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, this electronic
magazine is for kids in grades 4 through 8.
It’s all pretty cool, but I love the Critter Corner, which includes a
section on classroom vermiculture (worm composting) among other things. There is also a teacher page with great ideas.
Instructables HowToons
How cool is this . . . The Instructables website, which is fun to surf through just to see how to do a whole bunch of things you never thought about wanting to do but will suddenly find attractive, has HowToons – cartoons drawn in graphic novel style that give step by step instructions for building things, like the Bugeye lens (a very simple single lens microscope), and a turkey baster flute.
If you learned to recite “How much wood would a woodchuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” you will probably enjoy this site dedicated to those who are “marmoteers and marmotophiles” . . . more facts here that you probably knew existed about woodchucks!
Other Science Topics
The WET Website - Water Education for Teachers
The mission
of Project WET is to reach children, parents, educators, and communities of the
world with water education. We invite you to join us in educating children
about the most precious resource on the planet – water.
The very
best in environmental education – this site provides Top Ten lists of links
that provide resources appropriate to this topic.
This site
has scores of links to pages on general science, astronomy, chemistry, physics,
life sciences, earth science, forensic science, measurement and tools, tech
tools, careers and money, science games and puzzles, fun and games, trivia
challenges, and a reference desk. The
links include visual models, as well as interactive pieces like a short graphic
movie on cell mitosis.
Inquiry-Based Science Project (IBSP) Challenging Problems
This site (developed through an Illinois Scientific Inquiry grant)
provides a set of challenging inquiry-based
science problems, developed from the COIILS Schoolyard Investigations, that
will allow students and groups of students to design and conduct their own
investigations. Links to the online investigation reporting forms are provided
to help students identify the data that must be collected in their
investigation.
Science and
technology education - Making science fun
Dedicated
to promoting science learning through projects
This
amazing site provides interactive sky photographs from the Hubble Space
Telescope and other sources. There are
some great “close ups” of some sectors of the universe, including some
identified as the “beauty spots”. A
feature allows zooming in on the third of the universe (outside our solar
system) that have been more closely mapped.
It is easy to get lost in the beauty of this site!
Children of the Earth United aims to help
people to develop a greater understanding and respect for animals, plants,
water, soil, air and energy systems; comprehend the positive and negative
environmental effects of our actions; acquire a knowledge of practical,
sustainable living strategies which consciously and carefully utilize our
natural resources; obtain information on nature programs, centers and
organizations; and share and learn from each other’s creative ideas and
knowledge. Children of the Earth United aims to
accomplish these objectives through a free comprehensive, interactive
educational information system accessible through the internet and through
specific educational programs geared towards mainstream society.
The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids
This site
has bunches of great activities. The
site also personalizes weather related information to the surfer’s zip code
area. There is a link to Old Farmer’s Almanac
for Kids on YouTube.
This site
from the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency is graphically attractive and
provides good information on several important environmental subjects. Kids can join the club or just click through
the activities. There is also a link to
resources to help teachers take advantages of the site.
As a Planet Protector, your mission is to improve the world
around you by making less trash. Planet Protectors also help other people learn
to reduce, reuse, and recycle. To carry out this mission, check out the fun
activities and games. The more you learn about reducing wastes and saving
resources, the better you become at carrying out the Planet Protector goals.
This site
is linked off of the Kids Gardening.org site, which also includes a
newsletter. This link provides well
developed projects on many topics related to gardening. If you have even a window box, this could
work for your class.
People who join Ology can create their own homepages, and if they collect all the Ology cards, they can also create their own little interactive quiz questions. Quiz creators can submit their questions to the Hall of Fame, and AMNH staff will judge which ones win. The language is perky and engaging, and there are also lots of hands-on activities (check out Rubber Blubber Gloves in the Marine Biology section). A great many resources for teachers.
The Microscope Imaging Station at the Exploratorium provides a unique opportunity to explore the microscopic world. The images on the site were created at the Station.
Like all great endeavors, gardening is both a science and an art. See how the plants we tend feed our bodies, our minds, and our senses.
What is science? Is birdsong music? How about the tap-tap-tap of a hammer, or the wail of a creating door? Is playing a garbage can different than playing a drum? Explore the science of music on this page, where you can compose, mix, dance, drum, experiment, and above all . . . listen.
Listen . . . Making Sense of Sound
This site allows the visitor to explore the art and science of listening. There are listening guides and online activities that allow the visitor to practice new ways of listening.
Quarked! Adventures in the Subatomic Universe
Adventures in the Subatomic Universe brings subatomic physics to life through a multimedia project including an interactive website. Targeted to kids ages 7–12 (and their families), the site’s animated segments focus on the adventures of Ushi (up-quark), Danny (down-quark), and Harold (up-quark) as they take on the invisible world of particle physics in their proton subatomic universe vehicle (SUV). Each Quarked character has an animated human counterpart who learns ways to solve everyday problems through the Quarked! micro-world adventures.
The Learn.Genetics website delivers interactive and print-based resources, free of charge, to Internet users worldwide. The website has two main components. Information and activities address standards for science education, and are accessible to all users from the homepage. Teacher Resources and Lesson Plans are accessible from the top right of any page. They include PDF-based Print-and-Go™ classroom activities and teacher guides for all materials.
The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual
four-day event that engages bird watchers of all levels in counting birds and
reporting their results to create a mid-winter snapshot of the numbers, kinds,
and distribution of birds across the continent. Participants count birds for as
little or as long as they wish during the four-day period and tally the highest
number of birds of each species that they see at any one time. At the Great
Backyard Bird Count web site, they fill out an online checklist to submit their
counts.
Informal Science: Everwhere, All the Time
Informalscience seeks to promote and advance the field of informal learning in science and other domains. This site is a place to share knowledge and support a community of learners to inform informal science learning standards and practices. Through creative partnerships with museums and other non-profits, the developers are exploring new ways to conceptualize and evaluate informal learning.
This site holds links to an amazing diversity of more than 3000 video presentations on that explore research in several areas. ResearchChannel is a nonprofit media and technology organization that connects a global audience with the research and academic institutions whose developments, insights and discoveries affect our lives and futures. An intellectual community, ResearchChannel was founded in 1996 by leading research and academic institutions so they could share the work of their researchers with the public. These ideas are shared in their original form — unmediated and without interruption.
Exploring Planets in the Classroom
More than 25 hands-on science activities are provided in classroom-ready pages for both teachers and students for exploring Earth, the planets, geology, and space sciences.
This page is dedicated to and chronicles the friendship between the ancient aldabra tortoise and Owen, the orphaned baby hippo.
This interactive site from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute helps kids appreciate science with five activities adapted from science and children's museums.
Chemistry for Kids
Created by Andrew
Rader, this site provide clear and concise explanations for kids on scientific
concepts.
Physics for Kids
Created by Andrew
Rader, this site provide clear and concise explanations for kids on scientific
concepts.
The Cosmos for Kids
Created by Andrew
Rader, this site provide clear and concise explanations for kids on scientific
concepts.
Astronomy for Kids
The Universe is a
place that is vast beyond imagining, and what we will try to do is help you
understand a little more about it. There are several sections to the site, but
none of them takes a terribly long time to read, and all of them should be
easily understood by kids of all ages.
Amazing Space uses the Hubble Space Telescope's discoveries to inspire and educate about the wonders of our universe.
The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Has developed this cool site for kids. As they say, “come on in and check out our games, animations, projects, and fun facts about Earth, space and technology.
How about a family photo album of the universe? At this NASA site, you'll see images of the planets, look through the Hubble telescope at nebulae far beyond our galaxy, watch a video of the Mars rovers, and catch up on news of space surveillance technology. There's even a "solar system simulator" that offers visitors the option of viewing celestial bodies from above or below, from an orbiting spacecraft, or from another planet.
ABC Science
A site for adults
that many kids will find interesting as well. Definitely for accomplished
readers.
PBS Science
Designed for
adults, older kids with good reading skills may find a lot to like.
Bill Nye the Science Guy
Enabled:
Statistics Tracking
Nye Labs provides experiments you can do at home, e-postcards you can
email to friends, and more.
Xtreme Science
xtreme Science is the place online to find the
biggest, baddest, and the best in the world of extremes and learn
about the science behind what makes each the most extreme example of its
kind.
How Stuff Works
. . . it's
good to know. Examples on one day included Tourette Syndrome and quick
sand!
Songs of Insects
How cool is
this! This site has photographs and recorded songs of 77 insects from 10
species, and a section on keeping insects as pets.
Kaboose
Online science
games
The River City Project
MakeMeSustainable is a catalyst for change, empowering
individuals to reduce their environmental impact by connecting how we feel
about our environment with how we choose to behave. We provide users with
industry-leading energy management tools that allow them to fully understand
their carbon footprint and begin taking actions to decrease their environmental
impact and financial costs on a real-time basis. MakeMeSustainable also seeks
to foster the growth of communities concerned with the environment and the
rising cost of energy, helping individuals encourage their friends, and family
to be a part of this growing movement for change.
Hunkin's Experiments
Over 200
experiments with cool cartoons that will have you experimenting with food,
sound, light, math, clothes, and lots more
Graphic
Organizers for science
Choose from many models
of graphic organizers particularly appropriate for science concepts.
Create
your Own Frog-Friendly Yard
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums provides the backyard and a lot of plants and wildlife you can click and drag in to make the backyard wildlife friendly. This page is on the KerPoof site, where kids can click and drag graphics to create their own story, movie, or picture
This is a new section of the KerPoof site, just for teachers. Because they are still building it, it is incomplete (they plan to have lots of lesson plans, but currently there is only one), but they do have ideas for how the KerPoof site could be used in the classroom. They have a survey to find out what teachers would find most useful.
Optical
illusions are played out here, with explanations of why they work.
This site has links to lesson plans, games, a Young
Scientist Challenge, and other things
Although this site is no longer being maintained, there are
still many beautiful photographs of insects and bugs, with a search engine so
you can see if your favorite bug is on the site.
Animal
Planet’s popular show about Meerkats has been made into an entertaining
website. Kids can learn a lot about not only meerkats but also about
where they live and the other animals who also live there.
PowerPoint
Presentations for Science
This site
provides a number of PowerPoint presentations developed to teach concepts in
biology, chemistry, earth science, and physical science.
Winter
Sowing is an easy germination method that starts many seedlings for just
pennies. During Winter seeds are sown into mini-greenhouses that you make
yourself from recyclables. After sowing, the mini-greenhouse is placed
outside to wait for the end of Winter. The seeds will begin to germinate at
their own right time when weather warms. The plants do not need to be
hardened off, and can be transferred to small pots if you want to do a class
fundraiser.