Videos to Enrich Your Teaching (teachers call this PD)
Activity Prep
offline exercise
what you’ll need:
20-60 min (or as much time as you like)
a quiet place to think
a pen + notebook (or whatever you take notes with)
a beverage or snack
This is a list of the activities you will find in the program.
Read over this list of activities. Don’t skip to the next bit!
They are organized by module, from 1-5.
Natural Element Jars
3 glass jars filled half way with with: soil, water, air
Earth Friendly option: repurpose old jars, like spaghetti sauce jars or pickle jars.
Classroom Earth
a collaborative mosaic of Earth (tracing included in physical materials)
Earth Friendly Options: Collect recycled clothing in the colors of blue, green, and white. When it’s time to through the Classroom Earth away before the next class, ask if any child would like to take it home.
Time Zone Markers
3 time zone markers in orange, green, and blue; made from ribbons or hard stock paper
Earth Friendly option: use time zone markers that you can reuse each year.
Mr. John & the Polar Bear
an experiment to show what happens when icebergs melt and how different homes are affected
Earth Friendly option: use materials you can reuse each year
Animal Figurines
a handful of animals from all 8 habitats (make sure the figurines are a safe size for the age of the children in your classroom)
Tip: If you do not have these in your classroom yet, you can purchase these animals at many classroom suppliers or in tubes at JoAnn’s.
8 Habitats
You will find illustrations of all 8 habitats in the portal. You can glue these to thin pieces of wood or any other material that makes them durable for the children to play with
What’s in the water?
2 glass jars; one filled with pond water, the other tap water
Earth Friendly option: repurpose old jars, like spaghetti sauce jars or pickle jars.
Safe shelter
2 dioramas or models; one of a safe habitat for animal to live, the second of a habit that is dirty or unsafe for life
Earth Friendly option: create dioramas that can be used year after year.
Soil Types
3 plates or shallow bowls filled with different types of soil; 1) soil with a lot of sand (feels gritty) 2) soil with a lot of clay (feels more like Play-Doh) 3) loamy soil (healthy soil that looks and feels like chocolate cake)
Count Our Soil Friends
a shallow tub of healthy soil or compost, preferably with some living creatures (no matter how small)
Tip: You can find this kind of soil off of a wooded path or near water—or compost of course.
Web of Life
a selection of animals from one habitat that also encompasses the whole food chain
Power Tower
an experiment to show how heat makes energy
Tip: Try this at home first, and when you have what works make notes. After you are finished box up the materials and the notes for next year.
Mining For Treasures
a hands-on activity to show children what happens to land when it is mined
Water Wheel
an experiment to show how water makes energy
Tip: Try this at home first, and when you have what works make notes. After you are finished box up the materials and the notes for next year
Sample Materials
a collection of the 10 natural resources
Tip: box them up for next year
Recycle Compost Reuse Landfill
a selection of items that show children where different items go when you are down using them
Last Marker Box
a box used for marker collection
Note: The activities listed are from the lessons. You will find many more activities in the “Teacher Activities” section of each lesson and the “Throughout the Week” section.
Narrow down the list.
From that list, choose 5 activities that you are excited to teach. This is where you can start. Write down your top 5. They don’t have to sequential or related or in the same module. Simply choose 5 that excite you.
Now you have a list of what you will begin to prepare for in advance of teaching.
Time to Prepare.
Log into the portal. Search the lessons for the 5 activities you chose. The activities are color-coded to help you.
Read over the details of teaching and preparing each one. As you familiarize yourself with what will be needed, take notes. Make your plans to collect any materials, budget appropriately, and have the time to experiment at home (if needed) to make sure it’s smooth and easy in the classroom—as smooth and easy as it can be.
You might make lists of what you need to purchase or collect. You might set reminders in your calendar. You might start to play around with the activities at home. It doesn’t matter how you prepare. It only matters that you do. Your future self will thank you.