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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.

Why Doesn’t the Ocean Freeze?
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In this activity, learners explore how salt water freezes in comparison to fresh water.

Rubber Blubber Gloves
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In this experiment, learners work in pairs to create two gloves -- one that contains a layer of shortening (blubber) inside, and one that doesn't.

Terrestrial Hi-Lo Hunt
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In this outdoor activity, learners search for the warmest and coolest, windiest and calmest, wettest and driest, and brightest and darkest spots in an area.

Sensory Hi-Lo Hunt
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In this outdoor activity, learners use only their senses to to find the extremes of several environmental variables or physical factors: wind, temperature, light, slope and moisture.

Give and Take
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In this activity, learners explore liquid crystals, light and temperature. Using a postcard made of temperature-sensitive liquid crystal material, learners monitor temperature changes.

What's the Angle?
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This activity helps learners understand how the angle of the Sun affects temperatures around the globe.

Cold Metal
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In this activity, learners discover that our hands are not reliable thermometers.

Burn a Peanut
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In this activity, learners burn a peanut, which produces a flame that can be used to boil away water and count the calories contained in the peanut.

Make Your Own Deep-Sea Vent
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In this activity, learners make a model of the hot water of a deep sea vent in the cold water of the ocean to learn about one of the ocean's most amazing and bizarre underwater habitats.

How Greenhouse Gases Absorb Heat
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Learners observe two model atmospheres -- one with normal atmospheric composition and another with an elevated concentration of carbon dioxide.
The Return of El Nino
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In this activity related to climate change and data analysis, learners examine temperature and precipitation data to determine if climate variations are due to El Niño.

Make a Terrarium
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In this activity, learners make a miniature greenhouse or "terrarium" to explore the greenhouse effect.

Habitable Worlds
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In this group activity, learners consider environmental conditions—temperature, presence of water, atmosphere, sunlight, and chemical composition—on planets and moons in our solar system to determine

Do Sweat It!
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In this activity, learners explore why humans sweat. Learners compare the effects of heat on a balloon filled with air and a balloon filled water.

Turning the Air Upside Down: Convection Current Model
Learners see convection currents in action in this highly visual demonstration. Sealed bags of colored hot or cold water are immersed in tanks of water.

Differing Densities: Fresh and Salt Water
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In this activity, learners visualize the differences in water density and relate this to the potential consequences of increased glacial melting.

Saguaro Nest Cavities
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This activity (on page 3 of the PDF under GPS: Cactus Activity) is a full inquiry investigation into how some desert birds keep their cool.

Turning the Air Upside Down: Warm Air is Less Dense than Cool Air
Learners cover a bottle with a balloon. When they immerse the bottle in warm water, the balloon inflates. When they immerse the bottle in a bowl of ice, the balloon deflates.

Moldy Jell-O
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In this laboratory activity, learners design an experiment to evaluate how environmental factors influence the growth of molds.