links

The resources listed help support the work of outdoor and other types of unconventional education.

7 Conker Games and Advice

I had no idea what these were, having been unaware of this tree growing up. In Alvarado Park we have California Buckeyes (Horse Chestnut), Aesculus californica, and their seeds are called “conkers” by many.

All About Birds

Run by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this site offers resources for bird identification as well as a rich diversity of information.

Arvind Gupta Toys

A great resource of short instructional videos in several languages. Amazing and inspiring lessons in how to make toys from trash.

A taste of Skogfjorden — stick bread — yum!

This is so fun to make with kids over the fire!

Ava’s Flowers

Lots of resources here for wildlife gardening, whether that’s vertebrate or invertebrate life.

Backyard Brains

Bringing neuroscience education and exeriments to all.

Barn Owl Nest Boxes 

Barn owls are great natural predators and providing nest boxes helps keep pests at bay in others' outdoor spaces and owl pellets can be found below for study. Here is one site that offers pre-made barn owl nest boxes.

Bees and Honey: Creating Pollinator Gardens

Some students in Maine found this site for us. It has some solid information, and if you decide to get into beekeeping and creating preserves, their store has your bottling needs covered.

Budburst

A citizen science project aimed at tracking climate change. Run by the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Butterfly Flower Gardening

Another site sent in by our friends in Maine, this site has some basic information along with extensive links about butterflies and their habitats.

California Herps

Thorough, engaging, and simple to use identification site for California's reptiles and amphibians.

California Native Plant Society

Offers a variety of resources for learning about California's habitats and plants, including workshops.

CalPhotos

Photo database of animals, plants, landscapes, and more.

Cascadian Botanty

Plant identification services in the Portland, Oregon region. My sister’s place!

Children and Nature Network

Founded by Richard Louv, this organization offers resources for getting children outside.

Children in nature collaborative

San Francisco Bay Area resource group. 

Climbing for Kids

Getting children to climb mountains.

Collective Care is a Way of Life

The NDN Collective’s June, 2022 newsletter is a treasure trove of information in support of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, as well as a wealth of information regarding updates to their efforts to end racism in Rapid City, South Dakota.

DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF A BUTTERFLY GARDEN

A blog entry from a Melbourne florist has information and links about butterfly gardening.

Donors Choose

For public school teachers, projects are listed and community supports funding.

EarthTeam

Youth interns work on projects to promote environmental stweardship by helping watersheds and reducing litter in the greater San Francisco Bay Area.

Encyclopedia of Life Learning + Education

Hosted by the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, for those looking for a wholesome and educational deep dive into the diversity of life on Earth.

Gardening Gone Wild

Blogs, articles, and photography set with a lively tone to inspire your own ideas.

Gateways to STEM Education

In this UCTV seminar, Shawn Carlson of Lab Rats outlines how a hub system can be used as a next step in teaching to make connections between people and ideas more efficient.

Green Schoolyards America

Organization seeking to improve schoolyards by providing more green space and naturalistic playspaces.

Historic Sites in the School District

What is the history of your school site? Outside School’s location in Alvarado Park in Richmond, California, offers some unique stonework from an old public works project.

How to Build a Butterfly Garden in Your Backyard

A really simple plan for attracting butterflies that has links to other resources as well.

iNaturalist

Website with an associated app helps you to identify organisms and join a global community of citizen scientists.

Interaction Imagination

Blog, photos, and stories from Stockholm, Sweden. Fun, uplifting, and honest.

Kew Learning At Home

Kew Royal Botanic Gardens offers formal lessons to download, videos, and answers for outdoor learning.

Lab Rats

Offers an alternative to traditional scouting programs by offering STEM-based programs for youth both in school and out of school. Based in Southern California.

Let's Move!

Michelle Obama's site for healthy eating and activity is still largely intact.

"'Lost words' as children stay indoors"

by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, BBC Newsnight

This less than two minute news video highlights how important it is to name names in an era of indoor child-rearing so species remain in our thoughts and lives.

“Malak Mattar Reminds Us: Gaza Is Palestine”

“Last May (2022), 278 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes during an 11-day assault on besieged Gaza. For Malak Mattar, this was her fourth time in her young life hiding from the US-manufactured bombs dropping from Israeli warplanes. The Palestinian people in Gaza have experienced a constant state of trauma under these attacks and we all have a responsibility to demand that the U.S. government stop its military funding to Israel. Sign the petition now: gazaispalestine.com”

National Center for Science Education

Organization offering resources to support the teaching of evolution and climate change.

National Environmental Education Foundation

Offering articles and resoures for connecting people and nature.

NASA At Home

Tons of resources for learning more about space!

National Park Service

Resources including searches, articles, and web cams for connecting people with America's National Parks.

Native Plant Dyes

This resource from the U.S. Forest Service highlights plants that can be used to make dyes in a rainbow of colors.

Oakland Leaf

Oakland, California group empowering youth through outdoor and other educational spaces to build personal and community reliliency.

Outdoor Afro

Founded by Rue Mapp. "Where Black People and Nature Meet." Find a program near you!

Outdoor Play Canada

This is a wonderful sit, chock full of resources.

Play England: FReedom to Play

Resource site promoting childrens' right to play.

PlayScapes

Blog and resource page full of design-centered ideas, resources, and videos from around the world.

Pogo Park

Located in the Iron Triangle neighborhood in Richmond, California, Toody Maher worked with residents to create beautiful staffed playgrounds to ensure community health.

Point Blue Conservation Science

The site at large includes a large number of resources and opportunities for teachers and citizens alike.

PolarTREC

Follow and interact with current Arctic and Antarctic researchers and read journals and view photographs from past expeditions.

The Pothole Gardener

Blog with videos and photos of fanciful little scenes created in city potholes.

Pride Resources: for the World We Want

The North American Association for Environmental Education has put together this collection. It’s a great place to start for those of us wanting to have inclusive programs.

"RI Teacher says, 'I Quit!'"

by Stephen Round, YouTube

Video of a teacher quitting after 13 years at a school district

Save the Frogs

The web site is incredibly rich, deep, and informative, encouraging action and learning at every level. School presentations can be requested in the San Francisco Bay Area, though the organization has a world-wide reach.

School Forests in Minnesota

A true partnership between schools and Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources. Links to every aspect of the program. 

Science Toys

How-to videos for making simple, real science experiments using household objects.

Straw Bale Gardens

One way to garden on toxic soil, have raised vegetables for those unable to reach the ground, or just to create interesting patterns and levels in a space is with straw bale gardening. Find out more information here.

Teach OUtside Video

I've moved on to forest school, dropped all of the prepared areas you'll see, and lost several years and 90 pounds since making this video, but the sentiment remains the same. Five minutes, 33 seconds.

THINK OUTSIDE (the boob)

Christi has used nature as a way to heal herself from the ravages of breast cancer, and now offers her tried and true program for others as part of a breast cancer recovery program. If you or someone you know is in recovery, please check this out!

TOON Books

I started with my friend Jay Lynch’s book, Otto’s Orange Day, and every resource here has been true great quality in terms of materials used and content. There are lots of resources for those teaching at home.

UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab

How to identify and help California's native bees. Site is in English and Spanish.

UC California Naturalist Program

The University of California has a robust Naturalist program along with a newer Climate Stewards program through their Agricultural and Natural Resources program. Whether or not you’d want to get involved with either, there are great resources available through their site!

UC Cooperative Extension, Agricultural Experiment Station

Run by the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, this site has numerous links for educators and families. Their pest and poisonous plant identification and management pages are particularly helpful. Also contains an online bookstore.

U.S. Forest Service

Information for children and their families as well as educators and others.

Weather Underground

Invaluable site for weather predictions. Essential for outdoor educators, it contains information on temperature, cloud cover, precipitation, and wind speed and direction all predicted by the hour. Citizen science in incorparated through the use of private weather stations.

Weed Resource and Identification Center

Use to identify weeds all throughout the United States.

The Wild Network

Offering ideas, articles, and the movie, Project Wild Thing. All for getting children reconnected with the great outdoors.

Xerces Society

Dedicating to protecting invertebrate life. Find a variety of resources and projects here.

Your Old Time Bookstore

A variety of books on old-fashioned technology.

Zooniverse

Citizen science projects of all sorts.