Investigating Microbes in a Nature Center part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This field and classroom activity involves identification of similarities, differences, advantages, and disadvantages in survival, method of locomotion, food acquisition, and reproduction in three fresh-water microbes.

Who Lives Here? : Investigating and Sorting Schoolyard Insects part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students collect bugs using homemade pit traps, sort them into groups, and then graph their results.

Garden,Garden,What Do You Do? part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This is a field activity where students explore different types of gardens comparing how they are the same and different.

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.

Inquiry: How herbs change based on growing conditions part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
Students will create and investigate testable questions about how basil changes based on growing conditions.

"Mystery and the Unknown": Teaching Inquiry Through Aquatic Exploration part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a longer project that involves using inquiry to find out what kinds of aquatic animals live in our school pond. Students use direct observation, journaling, outdoor classroom techniques, research skills, collaboration, and service learning to learn about their question.

Southwest MN Fish Families part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity will expose students to the local fish in their lakes. The students will be asked to identify, sort, and classify local fish.

Schoolyard Field Guide and Flower Part Identification part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This lesson is a classroom and field-based activity where students learn about the parts of a flower through observation, journaling, and Observation.

Mn Fish Families part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a classroom and field investigation where students will group Mn fish families and create their own pop can fishing rods.

Going on a leaf hunt! part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity gives kindergartners the chance to get outside collect, observe and sort leaves. They will also try to differentiate between MN native leaves and non-native leaves to MN.

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.

Leaf Rubbing and Plant Pressing part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This is a classroom activity where students will make plant rubbings and plant pressings of Minnesota plants.

Courtyard observations - One Small Step part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students observe plants, animals, and insects that are common to Minnesota.

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.

Introducing Nature Journal part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a step by step lesson to introduce a nature journal to students. We will establish the routine we will use.

Introduction to Nature Journaling part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
This activity is a field investigation where students will learn the importance of detail when nature journaling.

Goldenrod Gall Investigation part of MnSTEP Teaching Activity Collection:MnSTEP Activity Mini-collection
In this life science field investigation students will study golden rod gall populations within a patch of goldenrods.

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.