Nature Stories: Promoting Environmental Awareness through Culture and Exploration. part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity uses a cultural story to excite kinesthetic homework, nature journaling and daily adventure in a child's own back yard or kitchen flower pot.

Classroom Phenology: Using the Environment as a Source of Data and Observations part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a classroom and schoolyard investigation where students collect daily temperature and precipitation readings, weather observations, and weekly phenology reports in a phenology binder and in nature journals. Students then analyze this data and compare to recorded values in the Weatherguide calendar.

Utilizing Scientific Inquiry in Creative Writing part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Students will utilize factually observed or researched information in a creative high interest-writing project.

Phenology and Weatherguide Calendar part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field observation and also an in-class discussion/share. Students share observations made outside and are aware of changes in the natural world.

How Do Living Things Change With the Seasons? part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This classroom activity is an inquiry based lesson where students observe and measure temperature changes in order to determine which fabrics are best at keeping in heat.

Insect Investigations part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation or bio-blitz where students are collecting as many different types of insects as they can. Back in the lab, they will record their findings, sort and classify the insects found. This will lead into a class discussion on biodiversity and the importance of insects and their benefits all living things.

Minnehaha Falls: Observing Changes in Nature through Drawing and Writing part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
The activity is a field trip to Minnehaha Falls where students will observe and record their findings in a science notebook.

Investigating Decomposition Processes of a Plant part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Students observe the decomposition of a pumpkin under controlled circumstances. These observations are used to take notes and develop questions.

Tulip Growth and the Parts of the Flower part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This is a field and classroom activity in which students will observe tulip growth and identify and describe the parts of the tulip flower.

The American Red Squirrel an Outdoor Inquiry Lesson part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This is outdoor activity involving students in gathering information on what an American Red Squirrel Eats and its interdependence with the coniferous forest.

A Study of Spider Webs part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection

Why are trees important? part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students gather leaves and make observation about the leaves and based on their data determine which leaves are the most common where they live.

Buddy Biology: Observing Living and Nonliving Components of an Ecosystem with a Partner part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students gather data on physical changes of the ecosystem surrounding their school habitat.

Buddy Biology: Observing Living and Non-living Components of An Ecosystem with a Partner part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students gather data on physical characteristics of the ecosystem surrounding their school.

Changes in a Monarch's Life Cycle part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity will include the students observing the monarch life cycle inside the classroom, a field experience observing monarch life on a milkweed plant and drawing it, and back in the classroom students will make a pop-up book of the monarch's life cycle with a short description on each page.

Pond Insect Investigation part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
In this activity students learn about the life cycles of many aquatic insects and then on a fieldtrip collect and analyze samples of pond life.

Earthworm Hunt: The Search is On! part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This field investigation allows students to collect and observe earthworms using liquid extraction to help develop background knowledge at the start of a new earthworm unit.

A Tree For All Seasons part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
The students will observe a maple tree throughout the year and recognize changes in weather and phenology using their 5 senses.

Through the Years with a Tree part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This investigation is a year round study of the phenology of a schoolyard.

Introduction to the Milk Weed Ecosystem part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is an inquiry and field study based. Students will be trying to observe, document, compare, contrast, and communicate what information they were able to gather. The will use this information to make in inference about the organisms they have found and classify them as either an insect or not an insect.