In this activity, youth will conduct observations of leaf litter samples while using our easy critter guide to identify different organisms and use experimental design to try to answer some questions about what might affect their abundance

Youth will explore predator/prey relationships with an experiment using bird feeders.

Youth will learn more about food chains and basic skeletal anatomy by exploring an online owl pellet dissection.

Explore some basic features of flowers with a focus on the physiology of reproductive structures. Try flower dissections at home and see if you can separate different structures of some flowers you collected.

See photosynthesis in action. Try this experiment and test out how different variables affect the rate of photosynthesis.

Learn different techniques that scientists use to identify plants, then go out and try to identify plants you find.

In this activity you'll build your own winogradsky column to investigate how different nutrients can support different kinds of microorganisms.

Learn about erosion by making your own soil landscapes, simulating rainfall, and adding pipe cleaner trees to see how tree roots help hold together riverbanks in the real world. Demonstrate how eroding rivers can affect houses, and build a structure that prevents the erosion.

In this activity, youth will conduct some at home experiments that are tied to how plants interact with the soils they call home. They will make an “indicator” that tells them whether a solution is acidic or basic.

In this activity, youth will conduct some at home experiments that are tied to how insects and plants have interacted and co-evolved. They will make a plan for how they will analyze herbivory of leaves based on some variables of their choosing.

Use the scientific procedure to set up experiments to search for worms, and learn more about the importance of these wonderful creatures.

Venture out and try to find some decomposers in different environments. Then explore the wonders of decomposers through a composing experiment.

Youth will investigate transpiration of leaves through an experiment with real leaves. Youth will also learn about capillary action, which is one of the mechanisms of transpiration, through an experiment with coffee filters.

The youth will take on the role of a field researcher and become accustomed to taking research notes about their surroundings. Youth will record their observations by writing descriptions, drawing, and collecting evidence.

Learn about how we can impact the natural world and some simple steps we can take to help that.