Learn from home with online resources
We have gathered resources, worksheets, and materials that we hope will help support students, families, and educators navigating online education or homeschooling. If there are additional materials or resources we can provide, please contact us.
We suggest you also review the "pre-packaged" options below for learning at home, in particular the Noting Nature videos and associated worksheets and activities.
- Nature Breaks During Online Education
- Creating and Using Nature Journals
- Nature Scavenger Hunts (Bingo Boards)
Find additional resources related to Winneshiek County's natural resources and our environmental education programs.
The Noting Nature in Winneshiek County YouTube playlist offers a frequently updated catalog of short videos (2-3 minutes) featuring 3 photos of seasonal changes and natural wonders (phenomena) of Winneshiek County with voice-over commentary.
These videos could be used for:
- Daily or weekly check-ins / morning meetings.
- Developing science and engineering practices including making observations, asking questions, obtaining and evaluating information.
- Practicing writing and/or drawing skills.
Below are some template worksheets that might fit your needs, but we are happy to tailor them more specifically or create online forms (like a Google form) for individual classes or teachers. We also hereby grant permission to modify these worksheets to meet your needs, including by transforming them into an e-document or other online form.
Permission is hereby granted to upload the YouTube videos described above to SafeYouTube and/or link or upload them into another electronic content delivery service.
The Flickr Feed of naturalist Larry Reis features the same photos used in the Noting Nature YouTube videos, but is far more extensive. Most images include descriptions and explanations; all are are dated, searchable, and available for free educational use by teachers or students.
Individual images and/or the collection could serve your students as:
- Introductory phenomenon for science units.
- A resource for finding, evaluating, and communicating information.
- A database of species information and phenological changes in Winneshiek County and northeast Iowa.
If there are specific tools we can create to help you best utilize this resource, let us know.
1-Sheet Field Guides
These field guides were developed to highlight species that novice outdoor explorers are likely to see on an excursion in Northeast Iowa. The guides are adjusted to target either beginner (early childhood and elementary) or intermediate (upper elementary and middle) users, and there are some individual animal profile sheets included as well.
- Amphibians
- Birds
- Butterflies
- Dragonflies & Damselflies
- Fossils
- Problem Plants
- Small Mammals
- Spring Wildflowers
- Summer Wildflowers
Discovery Packs
Discovery Packs, Park Packs, Adventure Packs...Whatever you call them, Exploration Packs are a growing trend in nature centers, parks, and communities across the nation as a way to get children, families, and individuals out exploring nature on their own. Discovery Packs are filled with tools, activities, and tips on what to do or look for, but allow for users to be guided and directed by their own curiosity.
Want to make your own Discovery Pack? The Winneshiek County Conservation Board surveyed a number of organizations with Discovery Packs, asking them to provide their best advice for hosting a set of packs. Here, we've compiled their responses, including pack content lists, supplier suggestions, activity guides, and general tips. We hope you find it helpful as you develop your own Discovery Packs.
The Winneshiek County Conservation Board wishes to thank all other organizations and individuals who assisted with this project and the Iowa DNR's Resource Enhancement and Protection - Conservation Education Program (REAP-CEP) for its support.
Pack Themes and Contents
Click on each of the themes below to access pack content suggestions, printable handouts, and activity suggestions. If you have additional information you'd like to see added, please feel free to contact us. All files are .pdf unless otherwise noted.
- Backyard Exploration Nature Discovery Pack Contents
- Make Your Own Discovery Pack
- Sensory Bingo
- Nature Scavenger Hunt
- Treasure Hunt Scrapbook
- Winneshiek County Science Scavenger Hunt
- Playing through the Seasons
- Dike 14 Nature Preserve Discovery Pack
- High Point State Park Discovery Pack
- Bird Pack Contents
- Polk County Bird Pack
- Polk County Bird ID Checklist
- Bluebird House Plan
- Bald Eagles In Iowa (Iowa DNR)
- Migration Sensation
- Bird Feeding Guides:
- Coloring Pages
- Activities
- Insects & Spiders Pack Contents
- Polk County Insect Pack
- Jackson County Insect Pack
- Insect Order Turtox Key
- Worm Walk
- Activities
- Coloring Pages
- Mammals Pack Contents
- Polk County Mammals Pack
- Polk County Mammals Pack Journal
- Activities
- Coloring Pages
- Night & Astronomy Pack Contents
- Polk County Night Pack
- Night Finger Play And Songs
- Bat Bones Comparison
- Make A Big Dipper
- Activities
- Coloring Pages
- Prairie Pack Contents
- Polk County Prairie Pack
- Top 10 Favorite Activities At Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge
- Traditional Uses Of Buffalo
- Root Systems Of Prairie Plants
- Activities Related To Prairie Storms
- Happy Prairie Lesson
- Prairie Math Lesson
- Prairie Mobile Lesson
- Quick Freeze Prairie Dogs Lesson
- Activities
- Coloring Pages
- Reptiles & Amphibians Pack Contents
- Activities
- Coloring Pages
Forms
Marketing Tips
The following suggestions are compiled from responses to a survey distributed via the IAN (Iowa Association of Naturalists) listserv, as well as from the final reports of organizations that received funding from the Iowa DNR's REAP-CEP for their pack programs.
- Local newspaper, radio, and tv outlets
- Area Education Associations (AEAs)
- Newsletters of Friends of County Conservation Boards, nature centers, or other non-profits
- School or district newsletters
- Nature centers
- Campgrounds or park kiosks
- Community, family, or multicultural centers
- Libraries
- Parks and Recreation departments
- Fairs or expos
- At teacher meetings
- After public or school programming
- Homeschool networks
- 4-H clubs
- Boy/Girl Scout troops
- Childcare centers
- Community action or assistance organizations
- Local courthouses, gyms, or shopping centers