Prairie Springs Environmental Education Center
Parents' and Teachers' Corner

Hello parents, guardians and teachers! Carroll University’s Prairie Springs Environmental Education Center offers the community a wide variety of field trip, drop-in and summer camp programs throughout the year at our 75-acre field station in Genesee, Wisconsin, to help schools, individuals and families explore and learn about nature. We also have 52-weeks of fun in online resources that help to bring learning to your schools, homes, backyards and neighborhoods. The weeks are divided into the four seasons with a suggested book, craft, activity, and outdoor fun element within each theme. Please feel free to reach out with questions, comments and suggestions for more activities and resources you would like to see here. Contact Todd Levine at tlevine@carrollu.edu with your ideas.

Spring

Spring Fun
- Book: Drawn from Nature by Helen Ahpornsiri
- Craft: Nature Notebooks
- Activity: Nature Journaling
- Outdoor Fun: Spring Wildflower Hike
Easter
- Book: Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring by Kenard Pak
- Craft: Nature Cards
- Activity: Natural Dye Easter Eggs
- Outdoor Fun: E gg and Candy Hunt
Eggsperiments
- Book: An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston
- Craft: Crystal Egg Shells
- Activity: Disappearing Eggshells
- Outdoor Fun: Egg Drop
Fun with Food
- Book: The Science Chef: 100 Fun Food Experiments and Recipes for Kids by Joan D’Amico and Karen E. Drummond
- Craft: Rainbow Skittles
- Activity: Making Cheese
- Outdoor Fun: Elephant Toothpaste
Weather
- Book: See Inside Weather and Climate by Katie Daynes
- Craft: Cloud Finder
- Activity: Build a Weather Station
- Outdoor Fun: Weather Station Set-up and Recording
Earth Week
- Book: The EARTH Book by Todd Parr
- Craft: Recycling Monsters
- Activity: Solar Ovens
- Outdoor Fun: Neighborhood Clean-Up
Wind Energy
- Book: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba
- Craft: Simple Wind Powered Boats
- Activity: Windmills
- Outdoor Fun: Windmill and Boat Testing
Bees
- Book: Bees: A Honeyed History by Piotr Socha
- Craft: Paper Mache Beehive
- Activity: Bee Hotels
- Outdoor Fun: Habitat Hike
Soils
- Book: Dirt: The Scoop on Soil by Natalie Rosinsky
- Craft: Soil Rubbings
- Activity: Terrariums
- Outdoor Fun: Decomposer Dig
Birds
- Book: All Kinds of Nests: Birds by Eun-Gyu Choi
- Craft: Make a Bird Feeder
- Activity: Owl Pellets
- Outdoor Fun: Natural Nest Building
Water Explorations
- Book: Creekfinding: A True Story by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
- Craft: Watercolors
- Activity: Watershed in a Box
- Outdoor Fun: Benthic Macroinverebrates
Insects
- Book: The Big Book of Bugs by Yuval Zommer
- Craft: Make Your Own Insect
- Activity: Food Chains
- Outdoor Fun: Insect Hunt
Ecosystems
- Book: I Took a Walk by Henry Cole
- Craft: Mini Ecosystem Diorama
- Activity: Backyard Spring Scavenger Hunt
- Outdoor Fun: Ecosystem Investigations

Summer

Summer
- Book: Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail by Editors of Storey Publishing
- Craft: Fans
- Activity: Backyard Summer Scavenger Hunt
- Outdoor Fun: Summer Adventure Hike
Astronomy
- Book: Astronomy for Kids: How to Explore Outer Space with Binoculars, a Telescope, or Just Your Eyes! by Dr. Bruce Betts
- Craft: Star Wheel
- Activity: Constellations
- Outdoor Fun: Stargazing
Natural Disasters
- Book: Natural Disasters: Investigate Earth’s Most Destructive Forces with 25 Projects by Kathleen M. Reilly
- Craft: Tornado Models
- Activity: Earthquake-Proof Structures
- Outdoor Fun: Blizzards
Water
- Book: All the Water in the World by George Ella Lyon
- Craft: Water Cycle Poster
- Activity: Water Cycle in a Bin
- Outdoor Fun: Water Clean-up
Air Quality
- Book: The Air We Breathe by NASA
- Craft: Air Art
- Activity: Air Quality Testers
- Outdoor Fun: Air Quality Study
Reptiles and Amphibians
- Book: DKfindout! Reptiles and Amphibians by DK
- Craft: Camouflaged Chameleons
- Activity: Grow-a-Frog
- Outdoor Fun: Going on a Salamander Hunt
Fossils
- Book: Fossils and Paleontology for kids: Facts, Photos and Fun by Baby Professor
- Craft: Make Your Own Fossils
- Activity: Fossil Formation Fun
- Outdoor Fun: Fossil Dig
The Great Lakes
- Book: Paddle-To-The-Sea by Holling Clancy Holling
- Craft: I am a Camera
- Activity: Maps of Home
- Outdoor Fun: Great Lakes Relay
Compost
- Book: Compost: A Family Guide to Making Compost from Scraps by Ben Raskin
- Craft: Compost Poster
- Activity: Edible Compost
- Outdoor Fun: Compost Bins
Fish
- Book: Fish Everywhere by Britta Teckentrup
- Craft: Schools of Fish
- Activity: Fish-Friendly Culverts
- Outdoor Fun: Sharks and Minnows
Volcanoes
- Book: Volcano Wakes Up! by Lisa Westberg Peters and Steve Jenkins
- Craft: Paper Piecing Volcanoes
- Activity: Plate Tectonics
- Outdoor Fun: Volcano Experiments
Sound
- Book: How Does Echolocation Work? by Baby Professor
- Craft: Musical Instruments
- Activity: Bat and Moth
- Outdoor Fun: Sound Trail and Map
Bacteria
- Book: The Bacteria Book: The Big World of Really Tiny Microbes by Steve Mould
- Craft: Microbe Ornaments
- Activity: Is Yeast Alive?
- Outdoor Fun: Microorganisms in my Lunch

Fall

Fall
- Book: Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak
- Craft: Leaf Lanterns
- Activity: Leaf Explorations
- Outdoor Fun: Fall Hike
Physics
- Book: The Way Things Work Now by David Macaulay
- Craft: Magnet Painting
- Activity: Gravity Matters
- Outdoor Fun: Bubbleology
Dinosaurs
- Book: Colorful World of Dinosaurs by Matt Sewell
- Craft: Dinosaur Eggs
- Activity: Dinosaur Timeline
- Outdoor Fun: Dino Chase
Raptors
- Book: Raptor Basics for Kids by Susan Wood
- Craft: The Bernoulli Principle
- Activity: Gripping Strength
- Outdoor Fun: Raptor Survival Game
Forensic Science
- Book: The Mitten by Jan Brett
- Craft: Creating a Crime
- Activity: Fingerprints
- Outdoor Fun: Animal Crime Scene
Seasons
- Book: What is a Season? by Lisa Schnell
- Craft: Seasons Window Pane
- Activity: Seasons Modeling
- Outdoor Fun: Phenology
Trees
- Book: The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
- Craft: Aboriginal Tree Painting
- Activity: Let's Make Paper
- Outdoor Fun: Tree Detectives
Monarch Migrations
- Book: Migration by Mike Unwin and Jenni Desmond
- Craft: Stained Glass Monarchs
- Activity: Migration Map
- Outdoor Fun: Migration Game
Seeds
- Book: A Seed Is Sleepy by Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long
- Craft: Seed Mosaic
- Activity: Seed Bombs
- Outdoor Fun: Seed Collecting
Thanksgiving
- Book: Thanksgiving in the Woods by Phyllis Alsdurf
- Craft: Vegetable Stamps
- Activity: Apple Butter
- Outdoor Fun: Fall Scavenger Hunt
Biological Diversity
- Book: Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth by Rochelle Strauss and Margot Thompson
- Craft: Fingerprint Art
- Activity: Habitat Maps
- Outdoor Fun: Biodiversity Investigation
Touch, Taste and Smell
- Book: Animal Senses by Pamela Hickman
- Craft: Shaving Cream Art
- Activity: Butterfly Tastes
- Outdoor Fun: Hide and Seek with Scents
Holiday Festivities
- Book: Walk This World at Christmastime by Big Picture Press
- Craft: Snowflake Garland
- Activity: Homemade Candles
- Outdoor Fun: Winter Scavenger Hunt

Winter

Winter
- Book: Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
- Craft: Snow Globes
- Activity: Ice Cream
- Outdoor Fun: Winter Hike
Hibernation
- Book: Winter Sleep: A Hibernation Story by Sean Taylor
- Craft: Hibernating Bear Puppet
- Activity: Frozen Foods
- Outdoor Fun: Building a Bear Den
Rocks
- Book: A Rock Is Lively by Dianna Hutts Aston
- Craft: Well Wishes with Rocks
- Activity: Rocks 101
- Outdoor Fun: Rocky Explorations
Adaptations
- Book: Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do by Steve Jenkins
- Craft: Create-Your-Own Plant or Animal
- Activity: Who Am I?
- Outdoor Fun: Adaptations Search
Matter
- Book: What’s the Matter in Mr. Whisker’s Room? by Michael Elsohn Ross
- Craft: Lava Lamps
- Activity: Tiny Particles
  - Outdoor Fun: Sublimation Fun
Energy
- Book: Energy: Physical Science for Kids by Andi Diehn
- Craft: Lights Out
- Activity: Energy Explorations
- Outdoor Fun: Flux Diagrams
Mammals
- Book: Is a Camel a Mammal? by Tish Rabe
- Craft: Flapping Bat
- Activity: Arctic Mammals
- Outdoor Fun: Mammal Hike
Chemistry Mysteries
- Book: My First Book About Chemistry by Patricia J. Wynne
- Craft: Invisible Ink
- Activity: Liquid Layers
- Outdoor Fun: Vanishing Jelly Marbles
Oceans
- Book: Deep in the Ocean by Lucie Brunelliere
- Craft: Ocean Mural
- Activity: Coral Reefs
- Outdoor Fun: The Sea Turtles’ Journey
Fungi
- Book: Fungus is Among Us! by Joy Keller
- Craft: Mushroom Prints
- Activity: Fungus Gardens
- Outdoor Fun: Fungi Safari
Cycles
- Book: How the World Works: A Hands-On Guide to Our Amazing Planet by Christian Dorian
- Craft: Patterns
- Activity: Biogeochemical Cycles
- Outdoor Fun: Plant Life Cycle Hike
Climate Change
- Book: Not for Me, Please! I Choose to Act Green by Maria Godsey
- Craft: Garden Lampshade
- Activity: Food Print
- Outdoor Fun: The Greenhouse Effect
Engineering
- Book: See Inside Bridges, Towers, and Tunnels by Struan Reid
- Craft: Marble Maze
- Activity: Engineering with Candy
- Outdoor Fun: Designing Wildlife Corridors

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Prairie Springs Environmental Education Center Parents' and Teachers' Corner