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The Magical Lives of Trees
Take a virtual field trip where you venture to understand the magical lives of trees. This engaging multi-media virtual fieldtrip includes video lessons, animal videos, hands-on activities, local bird and tree guides, ideas for nature journaling, and neighborhood nature discovery. Grades: K-3. For Spanish, please copy & paste this link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/4v4v893f
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Plant and Animal Survivors: Habitat Matchup
Part 4 of 4 in the Plant and Animal Survivors Series. Animals have special body parts and behaviors called adaptations that help them survive in their unique habitats. Join Ranger Mark with JeffCo Open Space to explore a habitat in your own neighborhood. Grades: 1-5
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Plant and Animal Survivors: Predator & Prey Adaptations
Part 2 of 4 of the Plant and Animal Survivors Series. Join Ranger Alicia from Jefferson County Open Space to discover how predator and prey animals are adapted for their roles as the hunter and hunted. Grades: 1-5
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Plant and Animal Survivors: Adaptations Field Guide
Part 1 of 4 of the Plant and Animal Survivors Series. Learn more about the habitats and adaptations of the living things in your neighborhood by creating your own field guide with Ranger Ree from Jefferson County Open Space. Grades: 1-5
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Heil Ranch Virtual Field Trip
Virtually explore the Heil Valley Ranch Trail with Boulder County Open Space in this video! Subjects covered include wildlife, geology, water, plants, forest ecology and more. Includes suggestions for discussion or activities within the video that you can do with your students. Grades: 2-4
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How to Make a Sundial
Before clocks were invented, using a sundial was a common way of estimating time. Use materials found in nature to build a sundial. Grades: 3-5
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Map My Yard
Learn to create a map of your yard/home/neighborhood. This activity introduces important components of a map and will have you exploring places familiar to you in a unique way. Grades: 1-5
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Primitive Water Filter
The human body needs three main things to survive: Air, Food, and WATER! Learn how to make a primitive water filter out of household items. Grades: 1-5
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Neutral Buoyancy
Ayla with Ocean First Institute helps us understand how to achieve neutral buoyancy, the fundamental aspect of ocean exploration. Includes activity sheet. Grades 3-5. For the activity sheet, copy & paste this link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/y2den36b
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Feasting Fish
Ayla with Ocean First Institute helps us understand species adaptations and diversification by building our very own coral reefs at home. Includes activity sheet. Grades: 3-5. For the activity sheet, copy & paste this link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/y5bvqn8x
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Sea Level Rise (Including play dough making)
Ayla with Ocean First Institute walks us through an experiment that helps us understand how land and sea ice influence the rising of water levels worldwide. Includes activity sheet. Grades 3-5. For the activity sheet, copy & paste this link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/y5p9u4kb
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Ocean Currents
Ayla with Ocean First Institute walks students through an experiment that teaches how and why ocean currents occur. Includes activity sheet. Grades: 3-5. For the activity sheet, copy & paste this link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/y4fros6x
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Why Don’t Sharks Sink
Ayla from Ocean First Institute walks students through an at home science experiment to understand how sharks & fish stay afloat. Includes an activity sheet. Grades: 2-5. For the activity sheet, copy & paste this link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/y2naxroz
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Trout Life Cycle Puppet Show
Part 2 of 2 of the About the Trout series. Miss Mary Jo of Bear Creek Nature Center demonstrates the life cycle of the Greenback Cutthroat Trout using puppets. Grades: Pre-K-3
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About the Trout Intro
Part 1 of 2 of the About the Trout series. Ms. Mary Jo, supervisor of Bear Creek Nature Center, talks about Colorado's state fish - the Greenback Cutthroat Trout. Grades: Pre-K- 3
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Bird Buffet Puppet Show
Part 2 of 2 of the Bird Beaks series. Miss Mary Jo of Bear Creek Nature Center puts on a puppet show that shows the different types of beaks that birds have and how they've adapted to eat the diets that they have. Grades: K-4
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Bird Beak Adaptations
Part 1 of 2 of the Bird Beaks series. Miss Mary Jo of Bear Creek Nature Center talks about the adaptation of bird beaks. Learn about the varying shapes of birds beaks, and how they help identify different birds diets. Grades: K-4
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Days of Our Hives: The Waggle Dance
Part 3 of 3 of the Days of our Hives series. Miss Mary Jo of Bear Creek Nature Center describes the fascinating way bees communicate with each other when they find a rich source of food. Grades: K-4
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Days of Our Hives: She Works Hard for the Honey
Part 2 of 3 in the Days of our Hives series. Miss Mary Jo of Bear Creek Nature Center talks about the different jobs honey bees have within the hive. Grades: K-4
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Plastic Solutions Engineering Challenge
Part 4 of 4 in the Kiva Centers' “Our Waste, Our Responsibility” series. Review what we've learned about single-use plastics, discuss what problem matters to each student most, and begin the engineering challenge to invent a creative solution! Grades: 3-8
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Plastic Free Cooking Challenge
Part 3 in Kiva Centers "Our Waste, Our Responsibility" series. Learn how to make 5 ingredient granola bars with the challenge of not using any plastic. Grades: 3-5
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Solar Oven Tutorial
Part 1 of 3 in the "Solver Oven Cooking" series from the Kiva Center. In this video, kids will learn about the power of the sun to cook food. Watch this video to learn how to make a solar oven, which can be used to heat up or cook food using only the energy of the sun. Grades: 3-Middle School
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Habitats of Bluff Lake
Students will learn what makes a good habitat, what types of habitats we have at Bluff Lake, and how plants and animals survive in these habitats. Spanish version here (copy & paste link into browser) - https://tinyurl.com/y5r6fuz3 Grades: ECE-3
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Bluff Lake Water Mission
Learn all about the three water sources at Bluff Lake, near Denver, Colorado, including: where the water comes from, what the habitats look like, and how we test to make sure the water is healthy for aquatic animals! Spanish version here (copy & paste link into browser) - https://tinyurl.com/yy3urnc8 Grades: 3-5
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Animal Signs
Students will learn about various animals signs such as tracks they make in mud or snow, and how to identify tracks themselves! Link to Spanish version here - https://tinyurl.com/y6bqx78e Grades: 2-5
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Explore Water Use at Home
This activity helps young learners explore how they use water at home. By counting every time they use a source of water in the home, learners are able to create a graph to compare where they go most frequently for water and how they might be able to change where they use water. Grades: 2-5
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Dream Habitats
Join a Bird Conservancy of the Rockies Educator for this virtual education program! In this interactive virtual class, students will learn what makes up a habitat. We will encourage creativity while students build or draw a habitat for an animal of their choosing. Spanish link (copy and paste into your browser): https://tinyurl.com/yxjscrxq Grades: 1, 2, 3
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Birding 101
Have you been wondering what those birds are in your backyard or park? In this video, we will be exploring bird adaptations, the steps to identifying birds, and ways to become a keen observer and an even better birder. Includes pauses and breaks for brainstorming and other activities. Spanish video (copy & paste link into your browser): https://tinyurl.com/y45d8l3q Grades: 3-8
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Map Your Groceries
Do bananas grow in your state? Could you harvest oranges from your garden? Where in the world do potatoes come from? In this activity, we’ll explore the food items you have around your house. You’ll learn where these products came from and then find those places on the map. Grades: 1-10
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Herban Geography
Explore the origins of the herbs in your kitchen! Turn this activity into a full-scale research project, or simply learn the name and taste of one new spice. Grades: K-12
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My Weather Report
In this activity, we’ll spend time outside, or near a window, every day for a week to observe the weather each day. We’ll also observe and learn about our own internal weather, or our feelings. For example, some days, or moments, you may feel happy and excited, while other times, you may feel sad. Grades: 1-7
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Soil Investigation
Whether you are new to gardening or are an experienced gardener looking for a deeper connection, investigating soil is a great learning opportunity for all ages! In this activity, you will explore the wonders of soil and learn its components by using your senses. Grades: ECE-8
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Kitchen Scrap Garden
Did you know that many of the fruit and vegetable scraps that get thrown away can be regrown and eaten right in your own kitchen? This activity provides directions for how to grow scraps (food waste). Grades: 2-8
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Seeds by Feel
In this game, your kids will learn about different seed types using their senses! They will also learn that different plants have different types of seeds. Grades: K-6
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Plastic Audit Tutorial
This lesson uses a combination of videos, slides, and activities to introduce students to single-use plastics and why we should care about them. Includes a challenge for students at the end! Grades: 6-12
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Sylvia’s Spinach
How did that get on my plate? Students will investigate the answer in this lesson series (video + activity options). Young learners will see how Sylvia’s food preferences change when she grows her own food. Older students will understand where various crops originated and currently grow and calculate how far the food travels before it becomes part of a meal. Starts with story time! Link to Spanish version at the top of the page. Grades: ECE-5
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We Can’t Live Without Adaptations
Interactive unit (slides + audio) walks students through activities to explore adaptations and how they help us survive including thumbs, hibernation, camouflage, & migration. Activities include imaginary Schoolyards Survival, Build a Habitat, & Build an Animal. Share all or part! Grades: 3-5. For Spanish versions, copy & paste this link into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/25p4f7va
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Pass the Energy
Learn how energy moves through an ecosystem. Mutimedia learning module includes information on food chains, decomposers, and the clues we can get about what an animal eats from looking at it's skull! Videos + instructions for an outdoor exploration and links to additional activities. Grades: 3-6
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Colorado Ecology
Video introduction of Colorado's life zones, multimedia learning module including games, videos, and outdoor exploration. Grades: 3-6
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