AP Course Environmental Science
Geoscience Virtual Textbook Senior Students
Exogeology Website by a homeschooler, with video geology quizzes
Answers in Creation Online Geology Curriculum for high school students (this is Christian but it is old earth creationism) He also has lessons on the six days of Creation for 3rd-6th grade scroll down
Environmental Protection Agency’s Website for Kids
JASON Curriculum U interactive textbooks, video, worksheets, teacher’s guide, digital labs…earth and mars, weather, ecology, geology
Listen to creationist Ken Ham speak on issues of creationism There are links to a handful of his talks on this page.
Evidence of Young Universe articles from 4th Day Alliance
Ozone unit from Homeschool Learning Network
EekoWorld for kids the environment, recycling, air and water…
Design a habitable planet M/U NASA
Earth
(see Madam How and Lady Why on the “Ambleside” page, year 4, natural history)
Make an online Geography presentation
Air, Water, Land online quiz/game NASA
Geography4Kids Website
- Biomes
(See biomes on the Biology page)
Build your own ecosystem U online interactive
Biomes L/M Website
Biomes Lapbook (uses website listed directly above)
Biomes M/U graphic organizer
Eco System M/U graphic organizer–vocabulary
Ecology M/U graphic organizer — vocabulary
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Deserts also on the biomes website listed above
Deserts virtual field trip, grades 5-12
The Desert Digital Library L/M/U there’s info, web quests, experiments and more
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Rain Forest
Rain Forests Lapbook and more, comes with info (see rain forest animals lapbook under zoology)
Rain Forest M Learn about: Types, Endangered, Where, Explore younger, Explore older
Rainforest virtual field trip, grades 4-7
More Info M/U
Amazon Explorer Online Game (pbs)
Star in a Story Answer questions and print out a story about yourself in a rainforest.
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Temperate Forest virtual field trip (and on biomes website listed above)
Tundra (At biomes link above and on the Geography page you can learn about Antarctica)
Salt Marshes virtual field trip
Wetlands L/M
Jason Curriculum on the Wetlands U
- The Earth’s Crusts
Layers of the Earth M read and learn (there’s a song too)
Label the Layers of the Earth (Online Activity–you could use this to learn their names, but it doesn’t teach about them)
Dynamic Earth U online interactive
Earthquake L Edible Experiment
Fractures in the Earth’s Crust L Edible Experiment
Earthquakes M read online (with pictures and animations) Weather Wiz Kids
Earthforce M/U read online, Franklin Institute
Earthquake unit Homeschool Learning Network
Online Activity view pictures from earthquakes past to understand the different ratings on the Richter scale.
The Case of the Shaky Quake 1 hr. SCI Files episode on earthquakes (comes with teacher guide)
The Principle of Earthquakes — build a paper model (not for little people)
Earthquakes and Tsunamis K-12 lessons
- Landforms
Landforms–could be used as lapbook pieces
“Geography terms tab book“ from Notebooking Nook
How natural disasters have shaped the earth’s surface (says age 11) Interactive learning site
Natural wonders virtual field trip
Caves website: online tour, activity…
Glaciers
Interactive learning website (5th-8th grade it says)
Mountains
Volcanoes
Volcanoes website
Volcanoes virtual field trip, grades 2-5
Volcanoes U online interactive
Volcano lapbook and unit (homeschool creations) L/M They used a free lapbook from homeschool share and made their own volcano–the links are all on the page.
Build a Volcano — from a chemistry website
Become a Volcanologist L/M Online activity, types of volcanoes
Build a paper Mt. Fuji (not for little learners)
Volcano Documentary U National Geographic (has commercials) 1 hour
Underwater Volcano Article with picture and video of the first footage of underwater vents (I don’t know how long this article will be available. Please let me know if it becomes unavailable and we’ll search other images of the underwater volcano.)
- Rocks
Amber Lapbook (and more, comes with info)
Learn about Rocks and Minerals
Moh’s Hardness Scale (one of the characteristics of rocks) image (this is taught in the link above with a description of how to test hardness)
List of Characteristics of the Three Types of Rocks
Identify the Kind of Rock you found
Kinds of Rock L/M Simple online Game–Characteristics of different rocks
Kinds of Rock M Worksheet (what are they used for and why)
Mineral Crystals M/U cut and assemble the basic shapes of mineral crystals
The Case of the Disappearing Dirt 1 hr. SCI Files episode on erosion (comes with teacher guide)
Tour a Mine (a gold mine)
Charts and Checklists
My Collection Check off the type of rock when you find it
Rock Collector Chart To organize your rock collection (place each rock in a separate numbered ziplock bag)–record on this chart where and when you found it.
My Rock three levels of worksheets to record the characteristics of your rocks (place to draw a picture, record color, texture, weight, luster, hardness…)
Rock and Mineral Characteristics Checklist U (This didn’t come up last I tried.)
Rock Cycle
Rock Cycle M Watch narrated animation of the three types of rocks as they are formed (BBC)
Interactive Online Lesson on Rocks and the Rock Cycle U
Interactive Animations on the Rock Cycle
Rock Cycle Diagram Color printout
Make a Rock Cycle Diagram (see it on Jimmie’s Collage) (see my kids’ diagrams–and what I did with the 5-yr-old)
Rock Cycle Song Lyrics Sung to “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”
Rock Cycle M Worksheet
- Weather
Meteorology unit Homeschool Learning Network
Weather/Seasons Coloring Pages 2 pages (+ weather symbols you could use for a chart or whatever)
Date and Weather Chart L Uses brads to rotate through the days of the week and weather options (and more) (also posted on the Preschool page)
Weather Graph every day fill in one square on the graph for that day’s weather
Weather Symbols and Words to use on a weather chart
Weather Ed The Franklin Institute
Atmosphere
Air Pressure (Atmosphere) L/M Tree House Weather Kids
The Atmosphere M/U (you can click to read more)
Label the Layers of Atmosphere M/U Online Activity
Clouds and Moisture L/M Tree House Weather Kids
Clouds L/M/U info, pictures and lesson plans
Clouds Matchbook from Notebooking Nook
Air pressure experiment-water glass and card
Forcasting
Report and Predict Weather M/U Online game but really informative–Great stuff! (edheads)
Forecasting M/U Read and then try out calculating wind chill
Find the Wind Chill L/M (you have to read it off the chart–you provide temperature and wind speed)
Make Your Own Weather Station Franklin Institute
Ice and Snow
Ice and Snow M/U (you can click to read more)
Winter Storms (L/M) At the bottom of this page are experiments to do if you have snow around.
Frost Experiment (L/M)
Powerful Storms (hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes)
The Case of the Phenomenal Weather 1 hr. SCI Files episode about powerful storms (comes with teacher guide)
Rock N Roll Weather L/M Tree House Weather Kids lightening storms, hurricanes, tornadoes
Hurricanes virtual field trip, grades 7-12
Observe Past Hurricanes M/U see their path, strength, wind speed…
Hurricane Lapbook (yea shall know, links listed to find answers)
MSB Electrical Storm Lapbook M (You could use pieces of it for this section, but it has a lot more to it which is why I listed it at the top of the weather section.)
Thunderstorms — Lightening L/M
Powerful Storms M/U Read about it then try your hand at being a tornado chaser
Tornadoes L/M
The Tornado an online story based on a legend L
Tornado chasing and more U online interactive
Tornadoes M-U Radio Show Broadcast
Temperature
Seasons and Temperature L/M Tree House Weather Kids
Seasons — graphic organizer for the causes of seasons (could be turned into a lapbook piece)
How High Is the Sun M Online activity
The Water Cycle
Rain L/M Weather Wiz Kids
Water Cycle Animated Lesson L/M
The Water Cycle M/U read online
The Case of the Wacky Water Cycle 1 hr. SCI Files episode on the water cycle (comes with teacher guide)
The First Book of Water L/M 60 pages easy reading
To Do
Make Rain (Homeschool Creations)
Observe the Water Cycle in Action all ages An experiment
Diagram of the Water Cycle Made with blanks to fill in. (Right click and copy image and then paste into a document. You can then make it bigger if you like by dragging the corners.) Check your answers here: the color version of this diagram filled out
Observe Capillary Action (how water moves through soil) Experiment (This is someone’s blog. Scroll down to the picture of the jar with the clothespins on it.
Issues
Slide Show L/M/U
Water Conservation Online Game L/M (long game, it allows you to finish later)
Learn About Water Supply and Clean Water: Read and Experiment M (use links on the left)
Help a Village Make Good Choices to Gain Access to Safe Water U
Water Sanitation Problems Animated Online Activity M-U This can also be a writing and speaking activity.
Interactive Learning Website M (says designed for 4th-5th grade)
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OCEANS
(see Water Animals on the Zoology page)
The Wave a short story for children
Oceans virtual field trip
Oceanography Unit Study L/M/U 10 lessons/days
Build a paper model of a hydroelectric plant M/U (these are advance designs)
Ocean Explorer lessons for 6-12, There are lesson plans or you could have your kids go through the multimedia missions (link is on the right). There are 15 missions on various topics.
Ocean Online Games/Activities M/U BBC 7 different challenges to learn about different topics
- Info
Secrets at Sea M This is about oceans as well as about ocean life. Fill in your online notebook as you go.
Shores M
Coral Reef M (There is a coral reef lapbook listed below.)
Temperate Oceans M (There is a lapbook below using the links to this site.)
Facts about the oceans and some of the seas U (BBC) (you have to click your way around the locations)
Be an Oceanographer U Explore the coast of Maine with guided data analysis
Oceanography and Marine Biology News U
Information Website on Oceans U
- Activities
Ocean Soundings How I would use this: have each child (or pair of children) fill a shoe box (or some sort of box) with various things, a couple of books, a cup, small tubberware container, etc. hard things. Put a lid on and put holes in the lid. Take soundings. Make a map of soundings. See how similar it is to what’s really in the box. (Here is the same basic thing being used to describe how radar works. This one is probably easier to follow and is basically the same thing. Radar Activity) Here’s my kids doing it.
Tides M Graph the tides
The Case of the Ocean Odyssey 1 hr. SCI Files episode, learn about ocean topography and more (comes with teacher guide)
Temperate Oceans Lapbook M (based on the links below) This can be adapted for different ages. There are some links below for “U” learners.
Zones 1 , Zones 2 — info on each zone
(You may want to play 3-D Bingo found on the Zoology page under “Water Animals”)
- Kelp
Take a virtual dive to look at a kelp forest
Learn about 2 different types of kelp
Is there Kelp in your cupboard? L/M activity, online or print out
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Patterns Look at a satellite image of plankton growth in the ocean
Compare Temperate and Tropical Oceans U
Cycle of the Ocean Refreshing Itself
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SPACE
Online Astronomy Academy Free 2-month course–Two age groups 7-11, and 12-18 (This can easily be done faster than 2 months if wanted.)
StarChild L/M website
Imagine the Universe U NASA website
Cosmos4Kids Website
Nasa Podcasts–Tell me why? M/U
4th Day Alliance you have to join to get access to their videos, animations and power point presentations, not tons of stuff, but this is from six-day creation scientists
Coloring: Planets Page Solar System Book Space Exploration Pages
LAPBOOKS
My 5-year-old’s space lapbook Just Us
Space Lapbook (sun, moon, stars, planets, deep space, includes info, each piece needs to be downloaded and printed out separately–lots to choose from, homeschoolshare.com)
Space Lapbook (by live and learn press, all in one document–made to accompany Apologia’s Astronomy elementary textbook, but you can use it to guide your study of space)
JFeliciano Lapbook pieces includes some Bible elements, seem to be colorful pieces with blank inside for writing: Stars, Jupiter, Space Travel, Space Station, Galaxy, Pluto, Saturn, Space Rocks, Mars, Phases of the Moon,Moon, Venus, Mercury, Sun, Solar Flares and Sun Spots, Solar Eclipse, Planets, Coperincus, Galileo
- Solar System
Tour of the Galaxy (you have to give your email, but they will send you lots of freebies) This is a virtual planetarium video that is 35 minutes long and made by someone who worked at NASA. It starts at 2:40 (before that is a commercial).
Learn about the solar system (Kidsastronomy.com)
Solar System Children’s Museum
Sun
Sun, Moon, Earth L/M Interactive (with an asteroid game too)–tip, when you’re exploring keep clicking on “Go”
Book about the Sun Print it out at 50% to include in your lapbook
Build a model of the sun two different ways for different age levels
Observe Sunspots Experiment, says 7th-9th grade
Solar flare video, youtube
Solar flare video, youtube
Activity: the relative size of the sun, moon and earth (scale model)
Relative size of the sun, earth…Picture lesson: If the sun were a basketball
under planets see more relative size webpages
Moon
Build a paper lunar globe (not for little kids!)
Learn About the Moon Website for all ages – There are lesson plans if you want them and online activities. I suggest clicking on classroom teachers and picking your grade level.
Moon Phases Watch the animation
“Course” on the moon’s phases (says for age 8)
Space cycles — graphic organizer
Watch an Animation of Various Orbits
Planets
Solar System Coloring Page (planets in orbit)
What’s In Space Nasa Children’s Book (online or printable)
Learn about the Planets L Online game (Fisher Price–has action figure characters)
Online Game L avoid the space debris and land on each planet to learn some facts about it
Online Interactive Learning Age 8 Age 10
Learn about the Planets with NASA Interactive media (all ages since there are great pictures, basic info, but also details of different missions and explorations past, present and future)
Build a solar system online M/U
Comet colliding with Jupiter video, youtube
Astro-Matic 3000 Find out how much you would weigh on the different planets and more in this online activity
A relative size picture of all the planets
See the relative size of the planets and stars Interesting for everyone!
Nasa Children’s Book on the Planets Read online or print out
Collect Solar System Trading Cards M/U Online learning activity–click on the image/title
Solar System Craft Project Ideas My daughter’s project – simple
Pluto and the Plutons Article written for children about the status of Pluto as a planet
The Case of the Galactic Vacation 1 hr. SCI Files episode on the solar system (comes with teacher guide)
- Asteroids
Learn and Eat Read about asteroids and then make asteroid potatoes
- Comets
Comets M/U Interactive learning fun! Learn what comets are made of
Collecting Micromedeorites L Experiment/Observation
Video of comet in space and astronaut talking about it 2 min. youtube
- Constellations
Constellations Dot-to-Dot Printables L
Constellation Strips Two printable worksheets that could be cut up for a lapbook
Constellations Notebooking Pages — 27 pages
Sky Map Print it out for whatever month you are studying stars — this is geared to adults
“Star Finder” Here’s another printable to help you find constellations–this is geared to children
Planisphere make a paper star chart
- Deep Space
Learn about deep space (kidsastronomy.com)
Hubble Deep Space Interactive learning activities–learn about galaxies and deep space
Black Holes M/U Interactive learning
Explore Black Holes HubbleSite
- Exploration
Learn about space exploration (kidsastronomy.com)
Apollo 11 and landing on the moon L/M
History of Space Exploration U (including Apollo 11) read the old Time magazines
Build Your Own Space Mission L-M online activity
Space Craft Children’s Museum
3rd through 12th grade hands-on space exploration projects M/U NASA
Mars Exploration online interactive
Videos: L/M about space missions, space crafts, satellites, astronomers (9 videos in all, animated interviews of modern-day scientists)
Three Children’s Books by Nasa on technology, “space tools” and the telescope (the story called “how to see things in a different light)
The Spiderbot M info, video, puzzle to download
Space Shuttle
Color and Learn Space Shuttle Book L
A Pictorial History of Rockets Timeline by NASA
3,2,1 Liftoff! L Nasa’s teacher’s guide for learning about rockets
Load the Shuttle L Cut and paste activity
Buzz Lightyear Online Game L/M Mission 4: Toys in Space (how they work in zero gravity) WORKSHEET to print out
Space shuttle launch video, youtube
Apollo moon landing video, youtube
Create a Board Game Research a topic and make your own game pieces
Fuel and Space Shuttle Design Activity idea (design a space shuttle out of tortillas)
The Case of the Great Space Exploration 1 hr. SCI Files episode, learn about space exploration and becoming an astronaut (comes with teacher guide)
Rocket — build a paper rocket (not for little learners)
Build a Rocket — launches with fizzy tablets (our family’s tips on doing this)
Build a Rocket out of thin cardboard — launches on air power
Space Station
Buzz Lightyear Online Game L/M Mission 2: Memory match–learn the contributions of different countries to the ISS; Mission 5: Assemble the ISS; WORKSHEETS to print out
Build Your Own Space Station Children’s Museum
Telescope
Learn about space observation (kidsastronomy.com)
Astronomers Children’s Museum, whole history
Hubble Space Telescope M/U Online interactive activity + worksheet
- Astronomy Mathematics
Flight Path–Coordinate Plane Worksheet
Make a Graph of How Many Moons Each Planet Has
Buzz Lightyear Online Games L/M Mission 1: Addition
Measure the Size of the Moon and the Sun (division and multiplication)
Solar System Math M/U lessons/software download NASA
Northern Lights L/M 68 page download of classroom lesson plans with worksheets
Northern Lights U (7th-8th) geometry, graphs…
Solar Activity U 7th-9th complete classroom lesson plan with worksheets, uses math
Space Science Math U (7th-9th) magnetism and power
Measuring the Magnetic Field U (7th-10th) build a magnetometer (simple)
Tracking the Solar System, Advanced Math Space Science, Part 1, Part 2 (guides you through using websites–not sure what this really is)
Measure the Distance to the Sun U (9th-10th) geometry
