Parent and Teacher Resources

Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world. - Nelson Mandela

"Discover The Forest" Curriculum

Whether you are a classroom teacher or outdoor educator, these lessons can fit into your curriculum. The lessons are interdisciplinary and connect with diverse learning styles. Use these lessons in conjunction with www.discovertheforest.org - the program website. Encourage your students to visit the site during computer lab or at home with their families to get them excited about learning about forests.

Project Learning Tree

Project Learning Tree is an award-winning environmental education program designed for teachers and other educators, parents, and community leaders working with youth from preschool through grade 12.

Project Wet

The mission of Project WET is to reach children, parents, educators and communities of the world with water education. We invite you to join us in educating children about the most precious resource on the planet — water.

Natural Inquirer

The Natural Inquirer is a middle school science education journal! Scientists report their research in journals, which enable scientists to share information with one another. This journal, the Natural Inquirer, was created so that scientists can share their research with middle school students. Each article tells you about scientific research conducted by scientists in the USDA Forest Service.

Pollinators LIVE!

While pollinators may come in small sizes, they play a large and often undervalued role in the production of the food we eat, the health of flowering plants, and the future of wildlife. A decline in the numbers and health of pollinators over the last several years poses a significant threat to the integrity of biodiversity, to global food webs, and to human health, according to scientists. Join us for a series of live interactive webcasts, web seminars, and satellite field trips about pollinators, gardening, and conservation. Pollinator LIVE! is geared to grades 4 to 8. Great activities and webcasts for kids!

Nature Watch

NatureWatch - Various studies have shown that more than half of the American public enjoys observing, studying, or photographing the vast varieties of fish, wildflowers, wildlife, and scenery. This trend is predicted to more than double by the year 2040.

In 1986, the President's Commission on Americas Outdoors identified wildlife-associated recreation as one of the nation's most popular outdoor activities. The commission recommended that protection and enhancement of recreational opportunities on Federal lands and water, long-term conservation measures of our natural resources, and quality recreational opportunities and experience would be a priority. Educators were encouraged to integrate environmental education into basic school curriculums, and Federal resource agencies to play a role in providing viewing opportunities for people to experience our nation's great outdoors.

Celebrating Wildflowers

Celebrating Wildflowers is dedicated to the enjoyment of the thousands of wildflowers growing on our national forests and grasslands, and to educating the public about the many values of native plants. You can select a Forest Service Region on a map to display Celebrating Wildflower events, wildflower viewing areas, and wildflower photographs. You may also search for Celebrating Wildflower activities.

Animal Inn

Animal Inn (pdf, 35 pages, 2 MB) is an information and education program that focuses on the value of dead, dying, and hollow trees for wildlife. Over 1200 wildlife species in the United States rely on dead, dying, or hollow trees for dens, roost areas, and feeding sites. Fish also benefit from trees that have fallen into streams. These types of trees are referred to as "ANIMAL INNS" for the purposes of educating land managers and the public about their inherent values.

Investigating Your Environment (IYE)

Investigating Your Environment (IYE) is a supplemental interdisciplinary curriculum for use in grades 6-12. The IYE series was developed in the 1960's through the creativity and cooperation of several individuals from different groups and/or agencies committed to providing effective natural resource management education in the United States. The program has been popular with students, teachers and resource educators since its inception due to its many strengths.

Ecosystem Matters

Ecosystem Matters is an interdisciplinary conservation education curriculum developed by Region 2 of the US Forest Service in 1995. It is packed with a range of excellent, hands-on lesson plans. Instructional activities within Ecosystem Matters are designed for easy use by both educators and resource managers. Classroom teachers, scout leaders, nature camp instructors, forest rangers, naturalists, and others will all find the activities relevant, fun, quick-to-prepare, and user-friendly. The website links to a web page that provides the entire curriculum as well as individual lesson plans.

Smokey Bear

Essential wildfire prevention information, wildfire science and fighting wildfires are only a few of the items that you can learn on Smokeybear.com, you can also learn about the history Smokey. There are a number of interactive activities for children to do as well as resource guides that are available. Online activities and materials for youth. In addition, there is information about the annual poster contest. While you are visiting Smokeybear.com don't forget to take the Pledge and sign up to receive their newsletter.

National Symbols Program

Visit the National Symbols Program to see what products are available to purchase regarding fire education, Junior Forest Ranger, Junior Snow Ranger, Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl items. These products include activity books, posters, bookmarkers plus a whole lot more.

To receive your free copy of the Illustrated Smokey Bear Story Book complete and fax this form to (218) 327-4604. We would like teachers to keep the number of teachers version to one per teacher, however you can order as many childrens versions that you will need for your class.

Woodsy Owl

Since 1971, Woodsy Owl has inspired kids to care for the natural world. Woodsy's familiar slogan was first "Give a hoot, don't pollute" but now Woodsy would like youth to "Lend a Hand, Care for the Land". Online activities are appropriate for younger elementary students.

Junior Forest Ranger & Junior Snow Ranger

Two programs that may be available on your local forest are the Junior Forest Ranger and the Junior Snow Ranger program. Junior Forest Ranger programs usually are available at many forest recreational sites during the summer. Junior Snow Ranger programs take place in the winter at downhill ski areas or on forest trails. Both of these programs offer hands-on activities that encourage stewardship of natural resources.

Fire Ecology

The FireWorks program focuses on fire ecology and the physics of fire. This program was created by researchers at the Forest Service Fire Research lab in Missoula, Montana. The FireWorks program includes teacher workshops, fire resource trunks, and a downloadable curriculum that is appropriate for upper elementary through secondary.

This extensive Fire Effects database includes technical information on fire ecology and characteristics of many native plants, animals, and fungi. This is an excellent resource students could use for research projects.

Fire, Fuel, and Smoke Science Program

The mission of the Conservation Education (CE) Team for the Fire, Fuel and Smoke (FFS) Program is to develop and deliver high-quality, science-based education about wildland fire to students, educators, the general public, and agency staff.

Fire Curriculum by Nova

Welcome to the companion Web site to "Fire Wars," originally broadcast on May 7, 2002. In the program, NOVA accompanies the men and women of a wildland firefighting crew known as the Arrowhead Hotshots as they battle one of the most destructive wildfire seasons ever, the summer of 2000.