Milestone Exploration for Students
Agriculture & the Environment
Seed Sprout
Seed Sprout Tutorial Video
This tutorial video will walk you through the Seed Sprout activity.
Suggested Book
A Seed is Sleepy by Dianna Aston
A Seed is Sleepy offers a beautiful and informative look at the intricate, complex, and often surprising world of seeds by introducing a fascinating array of seed and plant facts.
Video
Time-lapse Mung Bean Germination
A time-lapse of the germination process of mung beans. (2:50)
Weather Watch
Suggested Book
Weather Words and What they Mean by Gail Gibbons
Everyone talks about weather, but what does it all mean? Weather Words and What They Mean explains the origins of fog, clouds, frost, thunderstorms, snow fronts, hurricanes, etc., reinforcing the explanations with clear, well-labeled drawings and diagrams. Best of all, the book features a fun list of weird weather facts!
Video
Kindergarten Weather Report
A weather report for Nashville, TN by a kindergarten weather forecaster. (1:34)
Instruction Sheets
Build Your Own Weather Station
Instructions for building an anemometer (measures wind speed), a weather vane (determines wind direction), a barometer (measures atmospheric pressure), a thermometer (measures air temperature), a hygrometer (measures humidity), and a rain gauge (measures rainfall) from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Information Sheets
Severe Weather
Information and videos describing severe weather, including flooding, extreme cold, heat and drought, wind, hail, and tornadoes.
Soil Investigation
Soil Investigation Tutorial Video
This tutorial video will walk you through the Soil Investigation activity.
Suggested Book
Jump Into Science: Dirt by Steve Tomecek
A star-nosed mole shows off all the different kinds of dirt in his garden, helps us to understand how dirt is formed and what's in it, and points out many of the incredible creatures who live in the dirt. Explore fascinating scientific information about the different soil layers, or horizons, and find out how the soil that plants grow in differs from the soil that building foundations sit in.
Game
Thrive
For plants to thrive they need healthy soil. Take a journey into the earth as you study and test different soil types in a gritty adventure.
Compost Bottle
Compost Bottle Tutorial Video
This tutorial video will walk you through the Compost Bottle activity.
Suggested Book
Compost Stew by Mary McKenna Siddals
From apple cores to zinnia heads, discover the best ingredients for a successful compost pile. How do you start a compost pile? What's safe to include? This book provides the answers.
Light Investigation
Light Investigation Tutorial Video (Coming Soon)
This tutorial video will walk you through the Light Investigation activity.
Suggested Book
The Magic School Bus Gets Planted: A Book About Photosynthesis by Joanna Cole & Lenore Notkin
Ms. Frizzle's class takes a trip into a nearby plant to find out what plants eat. Join the gang as they get to the root of the matter and learn all about a plant's private food factory.
Video
Timelapse Photosynthesis Seen from Space
For plants to thrive they need healthy soil. Take a journey into the earth as you study and test different soil types in a gritty adventure.