Environmental Resources
Use these resources in conjunction with our River of Words Watershed Explorer Educator’s Guide and our online art and poetry resources.
Environmental education
River of Words Art Judge John Muir Laws's website provides exceptional resources for environmental education. In particular, his nature journaling curriculum, Opening the World through Journaling (created in collaboration with the CA Native Plant Society) is top-notch and fun for all ages! And, it's free!
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s environmental education site
North American Association for Environmental Education
National Math Trail
Integrating math into outdoor education. Includes a good section on evaluation.
National Geographic Lesson Plans
For grades K-12.
State Education and Environment Roundtable
The environment as an integrating context for education.
Center for Ecoliteracy
School gardens, creek restoration, collaboration ideas, and more.
All Species Project
Based in Kansas City; provides interdisciplinary environmental education and community building action projects for cities, neighborhoods, and villages.
Orion Society
Quality publications and nature-based curricula.
Local River of Words resources
Georgia Project WET Educator Curriculum & Resources
A variety of resources for educators, including the Project WET Portal, links to the Water Education Curricula, and various water education classroom aids.
Arizona Living River of Words Resources
A wide range of resources covering poetry, art, and environmental education. Includes Pima County and Arizona-specific field study models for classes in the K-12 range.
Colorado River of Words Curriculum
A curriculum focused on providing resources for developing students' poetry and art skills, sense of place, and connection to the environment.
Watersheds
Surf Your Watershed
U.S. students can type a ZIP code to find their watershed. A service of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Give Water a Hand
Programs for student-led community projects, from the University of Wisconsin’s Environmental Resources Center.
NOOA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Everything you need to know about estuaries! Huge selection of free, downloadable lesson plans for middle and high school teachers, tied to national standards.
Water Cycle Glossary of Terms
The water cycle is a continuous cycle that keeps water moving on and around Earth in different forms. The different stages of the water cycle include evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. But did you know there is so much more? Learn all the words associated with this esstential system with this online resource.
Science museums
Exploratorium
San Francisco’s hands-on science and art museum.
Lawrence Hall of Science
Online experiments, activities, and projects for kids. Museum is part of the University of California at Berkeley.
Plants and animals
B-Eye
View the world through a bee's eye!
A World Community of Old Trees
Kids and adults around the world draw, paint, and photograph their favorite trees. Click on the name of a school to view a project.
National Wildlife Federation Wildlife Guide
A comprehensive field guide for all kinds of wildlife around North America.
Writing Resources
Young Eager Writers (YEM)
An organization motivated to guide young writers with establishing strong beginnings in their writing careers
Other resources
How kites could be the future of clean, renewable energy
A TED talk by Saul Griffith, founder of Makani Energy.
Bioneers
Visionary and practical ideas for restoring the Earth.
4 Things you should know about Battery Disposal and the Environment
Includes a detailed summary on the dangers of improperly disposed batteries and battery recycling resources!
Europe and Mexico
Rivieres d’Images et Fleuves de Mots
River of Words in Europe
Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE)
Danish-based organization that offers environmental education resources for all European countries.
Centro Ecológico Los Cuartos
Based in Mexico; provides Spanish-language environmental-education resources.