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Project Ideas: Natural Classrooms

Here is a list of Project Ideas and Resources to help you create and complete your projects.
Scroll over a Project Title for more information.

Field Days: Set up field days with outdoor learning stations. Use local biologists and scientists to learn about wildlife and habitats. Example: LANDS workshop.
Wildlife Survey: Record evidence of wildlife in your schoolyard or nearby natural area.
Watershed Mapping: Identify and map your watershed.
Rain Run-Off Project: Measure rain run-off on a plot of land on your schoolyard. Then, plant that area with native grasses or construct a wetland habitat. Measure the run-off after the plants have matured.
Native Plants Survey: Identify native plants on your schoolyard or nearby natural area.
Monarch Watch: Participate in tracking migration of butterflies
Insect or Butterfly Survey: Compare insect abundance in a native plant garden to another garden on the school campus.
Garden as a Classroom: Provide instruction, guidance and learning experiences at a school garden or community garden

Wildlife Citizen Science Project: Participate in a citizen science project that contributes to the understanding of native plants and animals
Waterwise Landscaping: Implement Native and Water-Wise Landscaping
Water-Wise Irrigation: Use irrigation techniques that take advantage of rain water and other natural sources of water.
School Wildlife Habitat: Create a school wildlife habitat. Put up bird feeders and plant native plants to attract birds and butterflies to your campus.
Erosion Prevention: Replant an eroded streamside with native plants.
Earth Friendly Announcements: Provide daily or weekly earth-friendly announcements to your school.
Earth Day Celebration: Participate in a local celebration of Earth Day or Earth Week by creating and manning a booth or leading an activity that highlights local natural resources.
Air or Water Quality Citizen Science Project: Particpate in a citizen science project that contributes to the understanding of local water or air resources.
Adopt a Park: Adopt a park, creek or trail that needs to be improved and design a project to make those improvements

Youth Nature Training Partnerships: Develop a partnership with your local park, Master Gardeners, Master Naturalists, or other orgnaization that will provide youth nature training
Student-led Outdoor Projects: Encourge youth and students to take the initiative to enhance and implement habitat projects and learning activities.
Student-led Nature Events: Host student-driven events that celebrate nature: Earth Day, National Trails Day, Clean-up events, etc.
Service Learning: Follow Service Learning process to investigate a local habitat need; create community partnerships; use youth voice and leadership; work to find and implement solutions. Reflect, share observations and discoveries, and celebrate your successes.
Professional Development: Attend a workshop on using nature, the environment and nature skills with curriculum. Examples include Project Learning Tree, ProjectWild, .
Nature Club: Sponsor a youth nature club, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, Campfire, 4-H or other group at your school, community center, park , etc.

Nature Electives: Offer nature-related electives such as Environmental Science, Aquatic Studies and Marine Science.
Nature Field Trips: Take field trips as an integral part of the study of local natural resources.
Outdoor Classroom Lessons: Plan and implement lessons using the outdoors as a classroom at least 1 time a week.
Place-based Study: Math, social studies, science and language arts activities are integrated into the study of local plants, animals and water resources.
Using Nature in Core Subjects: Excite students with nature examples and natural settings as opportunities for learning concepts in core subject curricula.