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Education - K-12
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Environmental Education
The Coles County Soil and Water Conservation District is actively involved in educating the public, teachers,
and students K-12 regarding the conservation of natural resources.
 ENVIROTHON: The Envirothon is a natural resource
education program sponsored by local Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs) for high school students. The
Envirothon emphasizes hands-on, team oriented problem-solving skills. The team is tested on their knowledge in
the areas of Aquatics, Forestry, Soils, Wildlife and a current environmental issue that changes each year.
CONSERVATION FIELD DAYS: A day-long conservation field experience held at Lincoln Log Cabin State
Historic Site each April for various grade school classes intended to educate students about natural resources.
NATURAL RESOURCES LIBRARY: Our library includes educational videos, games, kits for classroom use on a
multitude of topics, and technical resource information for K-12 on most environmental issues facing Coles
County and Illinois. We will deliver and retrieve materials to and from your school at no charge to you. Email
fraun.lewis@il.nacdnet.net or call 345-3901 ext.3 to initiate
requests. (Be sure to scroll down to see all available teacher resources)
TEACHER WORKSHOPS: We are available and eager to present materials suitable for classroom use to
teachers at their convenience and location.
CONSERVATION CLIPBOARD: A bi-annual newsletter alerting educators to available resources and
announcements.
Grants/Scholarships: The Governor’s Green Youth Awards Program, sponsored by the Illinois
Environmental Protection Agency, recognizes the outstanding and innovative efforts of youth in Illinois who are
working on environmental and conservation friendly projects.
Click HERE for more information (PDF File)
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These activities and projects were placed grade level as suggestions. If you see something you want just
call. We will deliver projects, pick it up and restock supplies as needed.
Kindergarten:
- Mud Discovery
Fun with mud, finger painting a “mud picture”
Paint and cleaning supplies provided
- The Life Box
Students play a game and learn that we all need air, water, soil and
food to survive. Easy to play, students do not have to be able to read.
- Farm Animals Tub
Hands on activities that teach children all about farm animals.
Matching games, sound games and activities that promote working
together.
First Grade:
- Beanie Babies
Students grow their own soybean plant. Wonderful for introducing the life cycle of plants. All materials
provided. **
- Insects Tub
Excellent materials to teach young students all about insects. Games, hands on activities, building insect
models and the Clever Catch Ball.
- Butterfly Tub
Students learn about the butterfly life cycle, then make their own butterfly. Good project for numbers, colors
and listening to directions. All project supplies provided.
- Soil to Hamburger
Giant Foam/Cloth Hamburger, will removable pieces. Tops & Bottoms book provided with activity. Teaches
students how the ingredients in their hamburger comes from the soil. **
- How I use Water!!
Guide and worksheets that get students thinking about where water comes from, the water cycle (very simple)
and how they use water everyday. This project goes great with “That’s ALL!!” as a visual.
Second Grade:
- Deep, Deep, Underground
Students learn about soil and its living organisms, while doing math
story problems. **
- Moo Masks
Craft project where students make their own dairy cow masks, comes with Dairy Cow information and handouts.
All supplies provided.
- Apple Tree Booklet
Students make their own booklet about the life cycle of an apple and the apple tree.
- Pumpkin Charm Bracelet
Students make a charm bracelet that represents the pumpkin life cycle. Handouts and materials provided.
- The Water Cycle
Fun and interactive project that teaches younger students all about the water cycle. Posters, materials and
handouts provided.
- Apple Tub
How do apples grow? Where do all those varieties of apples come from? Take an inside look at apples and their
history. Hands-on activities, games, things to make and eat, videos, posters, teacher’s guides with objectives
listed and worksheets. **
- Pumpkin Tub
Discover the wonder of pumpkins. Posters, books, hands-on activities, teachers guides, worksheets and
fascinating pumpkin facts. Excellent fall program.
- Lofty, Level, Lumpy
All about homes—for animals that is. Teach students about different types of animal habitats. Wonderful lead
in for geography lessons. Worksheets and teachers guide provided.
Third Grade:
- My Soil Profile
Great introduction to the Rocks and Minerals series. Students learn how soil is formed, what a soil layer is
and what lives in the soil. Great hands on activity with a bonus worksheet on measuring!! Wonderful math
lesson as well as science. All materials provided.
- Illinois Rocks & Minerals
Great resource!! Examples of all rocks and minerals, teachers guide, worksheet, Clever Catch and activities.
- Water Cycle Charm Bracelet
Students make their own charm bracelet while learning about the water cycle and pollution. Posters, books and
worksheets provided.
- Apples Tub
How do apples grow? Where do all those varieties of apples come from? Take an inside look at apples and their
history. Hands-on activities, games, things to make and eat, videos, posters, teacher’s guides with objectives
listed and worksheets. **
- Pumpkins Tub
Discover the wonder of pumpkins. Posters, books, hands-on activities, teachers guides, worksheets and
fascinating pumpkin facts. Excellent fall program.
- Pizza Tub
Learn how all the ingredients on your pizza begin on farms. Explore Planet Pizza, pizza party fractions game.
Hand-on activities, books, posters, teachers guide and worksheets.
Fourth Grade:
- Dairy Cow Capers
Explore dairy farming in action. Follow the path milk takes as it leaves the farm and comes to you. Videos,
hand-on activities, teacher guide and worksheets.
- Soil Sammy
Students learn how plants grow in soil and make their own “soil man or woman”, fun, hands-on activity. All
supplies provided.
- My Pet Rock
Continuing with Rocks and Minerals, hand-on activity, guide and worksheets provided.
- A Water Drops Life
Students play a game that teaches them all about the water cycle, pollution and the limited supply of fresh
water. Teachers guide and worksheets. Materials provided. **
- Don’t Use It All Up
Social Studies project, teaching students that human populations are resource consumers. Introduces recycling
and positive steps we can take to conserve our resources. Teachers guide and materials provided.
- That’s All
Fun, interactive activity that really shows just how much water we have to use. Very effective, short program
that goes well with any other water cycle and pollution program featured here.
- Earth Day Charm Bracelets
Earth Day activity, students make a Circles of the Earth bracelet. All materials provided.
- The Giving Tree
Students learn how a tree eats, grows and lives. Products from trees are investigated, fun interactive
project. All materials provided. **
- Enviroscapes
We bring this program to you and present it. 30-40 minute presentations on water pollution, wetlands and soil
erosion. Recommended with the water projects listed.
Fifth Grade through High School:
- Soil Magic Kit
Students explore the Agricultural industry, the curriculum is multidisciplinary, all inclusive and designed to
bring soils to life. Soil PH, creating soil profiles and learning the scientific components of soil. Teachers
guide, worksheets, puzzles, hands on activities. Materials provided.
- Plant Magic Kit
Students learn all about plants and plant products. Plant propagation, production and processing are all part
of this hands on kit. Teachers guide, worksheets, experiments and wonderful activities. Materials provided.
- Dairy Magic Kit
Bring the dairy industry to life in your classroom. Hands on experiences for students as they become involved
in demonstrating activities using milk and acids, enzymes, bacteria, heat and cold to make cottage cheese and
cream. Wonderful kit stressing the importance of dairy to Illinois agriculture. Teachers guide, worksheets and
all materials provided.
- Insect Magic Kit
Bees, Butterflys, Boll Weevil… lots of exciting hands on activities, multidisciplinary, life cycles, food
chains, relationships of insects to agriculture and everyday life. Teachers guide, worksheets and all
materials provided.
- Illinois Magic Kit
An extremely complete kit covering "all things Illinois". Everything from Illinois state symbols,
coal, prairies, trees, architecture, farm products, skyscrapers, water highways, etc. Check this new
resource out today.
- Poultry Magic Kit
Eggciting experiments, embryo and life cycle activities. Multidisciplinary, curriculum based kit full of fun
learning. Teachers guide, worksheets and all materials provided.
- Careers in Horticulture Kit
Landscaping, horticulture and plant development, color coordination and artwork with plants. Big industry and
money to be made in the plant world. Good companion kit for the Plant Magic Kit. Materials provided.
- H20 CSI
Help solve the mystery of the great Cholera epidemic of 1854 in London. This project analyzes and interprets
water resources and how this outbreak occurred. Students love this game. All material provided. **
- Water Jeopardy
What is…? Play Jeopardy with your students, all the facts you ever wanted to know about water and then some.
Game board, questions and wonderful facts fit nicely with your science curriculum.
- Wad a Watershed
Students learn to make connections with water and land forms. Quick easy project that introduces the concept
of run off, recycling and pollution.
** Our favorites
Each project, tub or kit has worksheets that can be used for grades, fit with your lesson plans and meet
assessment objectives for the ILS.
Sixth Grade through High School:
- Machines
Ranging from the simplest machines such as wheels and levers to highly complex machines like combines and
Global Positioning Systems, this Machines mAGic Kit introduces students to the world of agricultural
machines. Numerous lessons/activities are provided with materials needed for Math, Science, Language Arts,
and Social Studies—each tied to the Illinois learning standards. This is an excellent kit.
- Household Cleaners/Recycling Lesson
A lesson regarding chemical products in the home—their safety, label reading, proper disposal.
Activity sheets and game includes. Local recycling information provided for each student.
- Horticulture Science
This kit is designed to help make students aware of the science connections that exist to common
applications in the horticulture industry. Plant Breeding and Genetics, controlling horticulture pests, and
plant taxonomy are just a sampling of the topics covered. Hands on activities and Illinois learning
standards ready!
We have a tremendous amount of resources and free materials for classrooms, if you don’t see something on
this list—call us. We will find it for you. |
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