Distance Learning Resouces
This list was started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. It is largely based on recommendations from members and served as a resource when students were entirely virtual. Thankfully, students have returned to the classrooms, and we are moving to the end of the pandemic. Nevertheless, we continue to list these resources for educators and families so that we can all continue to engage in environmental education and outdoor recreation in a variety of ways. If you have another resource that should be added to this list, see any broken links, or need any support at all, please contact us.
RIEEA Resources
- RIEEA’s Environmental Education Directory – searchable by audience, topic, and more
- RIEEA’s Environmental Education Google Group– join the conversation!
- RIEEA’s eeGuidance for Reopening Schools and eeGuidance Examples
- RIEEA’s Professional Development Scholarships – for members
Distance Learning Tips & Resources
- Distance and Virtual Learning for the Science Community – from RISTA
- Highlander Institute’s Distance Learning Considerations – regarding equitable and sustainable implementation
- Highlander Institute’s Helpline – for parents and teachers
- NAAEE Resources, Tips, and Support – includes inspiring messages from the Executive Director
- Plugged In – NAAEE webinar about moving place-based learning online
- RIDE’s Distance Learning Support Guide and Resources – from the RI Department of Education
- RIDE’s Reopening Plan Framework – with guidance for school districts
- Sierra Club’s Keeping Our Kids Curious and Engaged at Home – includes how to talk with kids about coronavirus
- Staying Grounded When Teaching Remote – from OpenSciEd
- Strategies to Improve Participation in Your Virtual Classroom – from Edutopia
- Tips and Resources for Distance Learning – from Wakelet
Science & Nature Activities
- 15 Minute Field Trips – short videos on everything from bees to waste-free lunches
- Audubon at Home: Nature Play and Learning – story times, crafts, and more
- Birds & Worms Simulation – fun activity to teach about camouflage
- Books with environment/nature theme – featuring BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) protagonists
- Books with environment/climate justice theme – for elementary through high school
- Bug Hotel Activity – from WWF
- Capuchin Monkeys – web-based storybook written by RIEEA member Mary Baker
- DEM’s 50 Nature Based Activities – in English and Spanish
- Earth Observatory – from NASA
- Earth Observatory Kids – from NASA
- Elementary Grades 3-5 Resources – compiled by NAAEE
- GeoInquiries – short, standards-based inquiry activities for teaching map-based content
- GIS – learn the Arc Geographic Information System and how to integrate it into your teaching
- Green Schoolyards America Activity Guides – for ages of 3 and 18
- High School Grades 9-12 Resources – compiled by NAAEE
- Middle School Grades 6-8 Resources – compiled by NAAEE
- Monterey Bay Aquarium – free science courses
- Nature Journaling – from Chesapeake Bay Foundation
- Nature Lab – K-12 resources and virtual field trips from The Nature Conservancy
- Nature Scavenger Hunt – from RI Families in Nature
- NOAA science activities that kids and families can do at home – updated regularly
- Plant Phenology Project – RI Tree Council needs volunteers
- Ranger Rick Stuck at Home – free digital subscriptions
- RIDE’s Online Science Tools List – crowdsourced in collaboration with OpenSciEd
- Run Wild My Child’s list of children’s picture books about nature – check your bookshelves
- Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide – from US Fish & Wildlife Service
- Story Walking Nature Radio Hour – environmental education podcast
- US Green Building Council’s Learning Lab – online lessons and activities
- Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council – a series of learning-from-home resources
- Zoo School from Roger Williams Park Zoo – behind-the-scenes look at animals and related activities
Citizen/Community Science Resources
- BudBurst – links the timing of plant life cycle events to human impacts on the environment
- Field Scope – launch or join a project, from collecting and analyzing water samples to mapping the migration of birds
- iNaturalist – share your findings with scientific data repositories
- I See Change – investigate how weather and climate change are impacting the environment
- Nature’s Notebook – track seasonal changes in plants and animals
Climate Change Activities
- Climate 101 – hands-on activities, videos, and discussion questions from Grist
- Climate Education During Coronavirus – five ways to teach children about climate change
- Climate Solutions Webinar & Teacher’s Guides – for all subjects from art to economics, music to statistics
- Jill Pelto, Climate Change Artist – constructing effective ways to communicate science through art
- NOAA Climate Science Resources – causes, impacts, and modeling
- Project Learning Tree climate education resources – stories and resources to help educators and parents
- Weather and Climate Resources – from NASA
Gardening & Food Activities
- Cinder Block Gardening – and other free ideas from Garden Lovers Club
- Food Waste Curriculum – from Perdue University’s College of Agriculture
- Gardening for Children by KidsGardening – subscribe and get free lesson plans
- Gardening for Wildlife – from NWF
- Recycling Right and Composting – live, virtual presentations from RI Resource Recovery Corporation
- Repurposing Recyclables for Growing Vegetables – from JWU Professor Susan Shim Gorelick
Ocean & Bay Activities
- Breakfast by the Bay – from our friends at Save The Bay
- NOAA Live! Webinars – with links to related resources
- Ocean Classroom – Facebook Live posts by URI’s School of Oceanography
- Online Oceans – ocean-inspired crafts, activities, DIY videos, live-streamed learning, and more
Webcams & Virtual Tours
- Norman Bird Sanctuary live presentations – 20 virtual tours and programs
- Osprey Webcam on Narrow River – from Narrow River Preservation Association and Narrow River Land Trust
- Providence Peregrine Cam – from Audubon Society of RI
- Recycling Regatta – engineer a boat out of recycled materials with NESS
- Resource Recovery – virtual tours of the recycling facilities, eco-depot, composting operation, and landfill
- Virtual Field Trips – be patient while it loads
- Even More Virtual Field Trips – list compiled by Parts Geek, suggested by students Erin and Trey
- Wildlife Videos – from the RI Dept of Environmental Management
- More Wildlife Videos – short, fun clips caught on camera traps by Elisa Torello
- Even More Wildlife Videos – from RIEEA member Gerry Krausse
Other Resources
- Anxiety Tiny Guide – simple guide to managing anxiety from Cultures of Dignity
- Back2School Rhode Island – includes updates from RIDE, FAQs, event and engagement updates, and more
- Communication during the COVID-19 Pandemic – NAAEE webinar recording
- Guide to Advocating for Outdoor Classrooms in Coronavirus-Era School Reopening – by NAAEE and NWF
- King Covid and the Kids Who Cared – free, downloadable book for young kids by Nicole Rim
- Leading From a Distance – by Joan Garry
- Nonprofit Resources List – from Beth Kanter
- On Talking to Children About Social Distancing – by Dr. Evelyn Bilias Lolis
- A Pep Talk from Three Nonprofit Champions – get the tissue box!
- Prayer of a Desperate Mother – because we all need to laugh sometimes
- Science Teacher Turns His Kitchen into a Chemistry Lab – by Haley Yamada
- What I Miss Most About Teaching Outside – by Natalie Crowley