We’ve selected some of our favorite resources for middle and high school students — adults, too! Be sure to check out the elementary school resource page, too. Have specific requests for resources? Contact Tim at tim.miller@mountaincastles.org.
Go Outside!
Don’t get too bogged down with “virtual” learning in front of a screen. Encourage kids and adults to go outside and explore backyards and nearby “wild” spaces.
- Easy and fun activities from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy
- Easy backyard activity ideas from Virginia Project Learning Tree
- Start a garden
- Start composting
- Take a nature photo for our photo contest
- Create a sound map
- Read a book (outside if weather permits)
- Go for a hike — through the field, down the street, on a trail (optional: play some short forest games)
Virtual Field Trips
- Great Virtual Visits from Virginia State Parks
- These 5 National Parks around the US have amazing virtual tours
- Yellowstone National Park
- Virtual field trips from Discovery Education
- Skype a Scientist — live events that are free to join; archived talks, too.
- Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants — more free, live events; archived talks, too.
- Smithsonian virtual tours
Virginia Tech Science Festival
The 2020 festival was virtual, but there’s lots of great on-line content!
National Geographic Collections
National Geographic has put together some amazing “learn at home” collections that feature articles, videos, maps, and more!
- Grades K-2; Grades 3-5; Grades 6-12
- More great ecology collections, including energy flow, limiting factors, biotic factors, carrying capacity, cell biology, climate change, and more
- Earth science collections
- Conservation collections
Banff Mountain Film Festival
With their “world tour” cancelled, the folks at Banff are giving away all their films for free. This is an AMAZING opportunity to watch some awe-inspiring mountain sports and learn about different cultures.
National Science Teaching Association
Awesome index of units, lessons, and activities from the National Science Teaching Association
North American Association for Environmental Education
Another great index of teaching & learning resources from the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Podcasts
- We love Alie Ward’s “Ologies” podcast, which features an in-depth interview with a different “ologist” each week. Beware of adult language, although several episodes have a “bleeped” version.
- “This Podcast Will Kill You” is a humorous, but informative take on lots of horrible diseases
Plants, Trees, and Pollinators
- Research & make a poster for our “Where Would We BEE Without Pollinators?” poster contest
- Common Native Trees of Virginia (pdf) — from VDOF
- What Tree Is That? — online dichotomous key from the Arbor Day Foundation
- Basics of photosynthesis
- Advanced photosynthesis animation (HS) — Inquiring minds want to know the REAL story!
- Nature’s Notebook — track seasonal changes
- “Beyond the Hive: The Wonderful World of Native Bees” — article (with audio and great pics) from Science Friday
Wildlife & Fish
- Check out the wildlife videos on our elementary page. Many are good for secondary, too.
- Conservation Connect from USFWS features short videos on wildlife, conservation careers, and cool technology; lesson plans, too.
- Looking for a great wildlife on-line field guide for across the Chesapeake Bay Watershed? Try this great one from the Chesapeake Bay Program. It includes cool facts and videos, too.
- eMammal has great links to community science data and photos form camera traps
- All About Birds — online bird guide from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology; cool bird games and videos too!
- Love birds? Check out Jason Ward’s excellent “Birds of North America” series.
- Richmond Falcon cam and observation log
- What is killing our bats? — resources for white nose syndrome
- Wildlife articles, photos, and videos from National Geographic
- Yellowstone wolves — maps, articles, videos from the National Park Service; National Geographic has great wolf resources, too.
- Doug Peacock and the story of how grizzlies “saved” him and his efforts to conserve their habitat (see “Grizzly Country” below)
Water
- What’s in Our Water(shed)? investigation (Chesapeake Bay Foundation)
- Water Science Basics: What is the Water Cycle? (USGS)
- Explore the James River watershed in this series of videos called “Watershed Wonder Wednesday” (a new video is added every Wednesday, so check back often)
- Rivers and Watersheds (Virginia Places)
- Chesapeake Bay pollution facts and figures from Virginia Places
- How is the health of the Bay? Read the latest “State of the Bay” report from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and the “Bay Barometer” from the Chesapeake Bay Program.
- Short, engaging “Bay 101” videos from the Chesapeake Bay Program
- “Tangier, the Sinking Island in the Chesapeake” (article from the New Yorker)
- “Should the United States Save Tangier Island from Oblivion?” (article from the New York Times Magazine)
- “Peak Water: Mount Everest and Global Water Supply” unit
- Looking to go deeper into life in coastal Virginia? Check out these wonderful documentaries from the Barrier Islands Center.
Atmosphere & Weather
- Learn more about pressure and storms
- JetStream — on online weather school from the National Weather Service
- Explore high altitude extremes on Mount Everest from National Geographic and PBS
Soil, Weathering, and Erosion
- Soils have names and every state has a state soil, including VA
- All your questions about soil are answered in this 30 minute podcast called “Pour Some Soil On Me,” featuring our very own Bill Keith (we sure do miss him)
- “Earth as Apple” animation shows just how little of Earth’s surface is suitable for growing
- Soils 4 Teachers — lesson plans & activities
- 12 great videos and animations about soil from the International Year of Soil
- “Dig It! The Secrets of Soil” page from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History — great interactive activities
- Check out theses resources that accompany the PBS Dust Bowl film.
- Great weathering & erosion resources (including video) from Generation Genius.
- Lots of cool resources on caves (including video from Luray Caverns) from CavesLIVE.
- Here’s a link to the National Geographic short film, “Explore the Hidden and Fragile World Inside Caves”
Living Soil Film from Soil Health Institute on Vimeo.