Curriculum and Resources
In addition to environmental education programs offered by NatureConnect partners, we encourage teachers to lead outdoor activities for their students. Included are curriculum resources to support teachers in facilitating outdoor lessons.
- Virtual Learning Resources
- Virtual NatureHoods Program
- NatureHoods Curriculum – The Bear Necessities – Kindergarten
- Living vs. Nonliving Things photos (Lesson 1)
- Habitat Investigation (Worksheet)
- Mi Investigación de Hábitat (Worksheet)
- Habitat Match Animal photos (Lesson 2)
- Central Oregon Habitat photos (Lesson 2)
- Beaver photos (Lesson 3)
- Human Impact photos (Lesson 4)
- Solutions to Help the Environment photos (Lesson 4)
- NatureHoods Curriculum – Roots and Tails – 1st Grade
- 5 Senses Animal photos (Lesson 1)
- Camouflage photos (Lesson 2)
- Adaptation photos (Lesson 3)
- Biomimicry photos (Lesson 4)
- NatureHoods Curriculum – Plants and Pollinators – 2nd Grade
- Adaptation photos (Lesson 1)
- Camouflage photos (Lesson 1)
- Habitat Match Animal photos (Lesson 2)
- Central Oregon Habitat photos (Lesson 2)
- Seed Dispersal photos (Lesson 4)
- NatureHood Activity Ideas (K-5)
- Numbers in Nature Curriculum – Studying Tracks
- Animal Track Cards
- Matching Animal photos
- Studying Tracks Worksheet: Who’s Tracks Are These?
- Numbers in Nature Curriculum – How Do Animals Survive The Winter?
- K-1 Curriculum Kit – Science Observation Skills: Characteristics of Plants and Animals
- 2nd-3rd Grade Curriculum Kit – Science Observation Skills: Life Cycles and Adaptations
- 4th-5th Grade Curriculum Kit – Science Inquiry: Interconnections
- Sharing Water Video and Curriculum and Powerpoint – 5th-8th Grade
- Oregon Forest Resources Institute – lesson plans, videos, and resources
- Sagebrush Ecosystem Curriculum – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – Inquiry, Exploration, and Service-Learning in the Sagebrush Ecosystem for 4th-12th Grade
- More Sagebrush Ecosystem Lesson Plans and Resources – Engaging Every Student
Funding Resources
- NatureConnect School Engagement Fund
- Oregon Forest Resources Institute – Funding for forestry-related field trips
- Ticket2Ride Program – Bus funding for 3rd-5th grade classes from Title I schools to Oregon State Parks
- Diack Ecology Fund – Grants for teachers for field equipment. Priority is given to projects that focus on student-directed inquiry.
Equipment and Kits
Resource Co-op – NatureConnect Central Oregon
Wildlife Tracking, Birding, Plants, Forest Ecology, Aquatic Studies, Soil Studies, Stream Tables, Snowshoes
FREE
High Desert Museum Travelling Trunks
Water Cycle, Skulls and Pelts, Oregon Trail, Biomimicry, Water Quality with Vernier Probes
$25 for 2 weeks
Sunriver Nature Center Nature Discovery Kits
Scales, Tails & Claws, Animal Adaptations, Buzz about Bees, Splash! Life in a Pond
$150 for 2 week kit rental (includes naturalist presentation)
Additional Resources for Teachers
Below are additional resources to bring outdoor learning into a classroom.
- BatsLIVE
- Boston Schoolyard Initiative
- Growing Up WILD
- Project Wild
- National Wildlife Federation
- Environmental Education Association of Oregon (EEAO)
- Green Schools Initiative
- North American Association of Environmental Educators (NAAEE)
- National Park Trust
- Oregon Environmental Literacy Program
- Oregon Natural Resources Education Program
- Project Learning Tree
- Oregon Green Schools
- The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
