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Cleaning with Dirt
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Learners build a filter from old soda bottles and dirt. They create polluted water, and pour it through their filter to clean it.

Hot Stuff!: Investigation #4
Learners test two jars containing soil, one covered and one open, for changes in temperature. After placing the jars in the Sun, learners discover that the covered jar cools down more slowly.

Dripping Wet or Dry as a Bone?
Learners investigate the concept of humidity by using a dry and wet sponge as a model. They determine a model for 100% humidity, a sponge saturated with water.

Acid (and Base) Rainbows
Learners use red cabbage juice and pH indicator paper to test the acidity and basicity of household materials. The activity links this concept of acids and bases to acid rain and other pollutants.

Hot Stuff!: Investigation #1
Learners test two jars, one containing plain air and one containing carbon dioxide gas, to see their reactions to temperature changes.

Good News: We're on the Rise!
Learners build a simple aneroid barometer to learn about changes in barometric pressure and weather forecasting. They observe their barometer and record data over a period of days.

Acid Rain Effects
Learners conduct a simple experiment to model and explore the harmful effects of acid rain (vinegar) on living (green leaf and eggshell) and non-living (paper clip) objects.

What's Hiding in the Air?: Acid Rain Activity
As a model of acid rain, learners water plants with three different solutions: water only, vinegar only, vinegar-water mixture.

Composting
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In this environmental science activity, learners research what is essential for plant life and the necessary components of soil to support plants.

Rooftop Gardens
How does a green roof, or roof covered by plants, affect the temperature of the inside and outside of a building? Learners design and build houses to find out the answer.

Corals on Acid
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The objective of this inquiry-based lesson is for learners to gain an understanding of how increasing ocean acidity can affect the calcification of marine organisms.

All Tangled Up
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In this activity on page 60, learners examine and simulate wildlife entanglement by experiencing what it might be like to be a marine animal trapped in debris.

Biodomes Engineering Design Project
In this design-based activity, learners explore environments, ecosystems, energy flow and organism interactions by creating a model biodome. Learners become engineers who create model ecosystems.

A Scientific Cleanup
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This is a comprehensive lesson plan on page 85 for a group cleanup trip to a local beach, lake or stream. Learners keep track of the types and amounts of trash picked up and analyze this information.

For the Birds: Environmental Effects on Population
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In this activity, learners will investigate how shorebirds and seabirds are extremely vulnerable to changes in their environment, whether human-induced or otherwise.
What Does Life Need to Live?
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In this astrobiology activity (on page 11 of the PDF), learners consider what organisms need in order to live (water, nutrients, and energy).

What Color is Your Air Today?
Learners develop awareness and understanding of the daily air quality using the Air Quality Index (AQI) listed in the newspaper or online.

Making Recycled Paper
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In this activity on page 11 of the PDF, learners follow simple steps to recycle old newspaper into new paper.

Shapes and Colors and Textures, Oh My!
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This is an activity about discovering the colors and beauty of nature. Learners will spend time outdoors, matching paint chip samples, colored paper, or colors of clothing to those found in nature.

Cool Tool
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In this activity (on pages 10-17), learners discover how scientists study biodiversity and the health of the environment based on inspection of small areas—a process known as sampling.