We've searched the internet to find some interactive and fun sites that you might enjoy. If you know of other ones that aren't listed here, please email us at info@oldmanwatershed.ca and let us know—we'd be glad to add them to this directory.
Newest
Gaming for Good: Resource List
There are plenty of mobile games that help instill wildlife empathy and environmental action in kids (and adults too!)—check out this list courtesy of the North American Association for Environmental Education.
DISCOVER WATER
An interactive water education website—Choose Your Own Adventure style—complete with games, videos, facts, and more to help you learn about the role of water in our lives. From Project WET.
The Water Brothers
Award-winning Canadian TV series about two eco-adventurer brothers who travel the world to explore humans’ relationship with water. Watch episodes online, download teacher’s guides, or check out their interactive learning portal, Dive Deeper.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR CAR'S CARBON FOOTPRINT
So what exactly is a carbon footprint? In simplest terms, a carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by various human activities within a given time frame. That cheeseburger at your favorite restaurant has a carbon footprint: raising the beef and wheat and operating the restaurant all involve greenhouse gases. Your car has a carbon footprint, dependent on the vehicle's fuel consumption and driving distance. Why is carbon footprint important?
JOIN THE BACK-TO-SCHOOL SUPERHERO CHALLENGE!
When you join the Back to School Superhero challenge, you’ll receive a fun activity each week for four weeks (starting September 21) that will help teach kids about pressing environmental issues and connect them to the great outdoors. Each activity has been adapted from the David Suzuki Foundation’s free Connecting With Nature educational guides. See you outside with your superhero costume!
A science experiment on soil erosion
This experiment, which has a tremendous visual impact due to its simplicity, will demonstrate the relationship between precipitation, soil erosion, and protection of watercourses and vegetation.
THE IMPORTANCE OF ECO-FRIENDLY CARS
In the past decade, the automobile industry has experienced a revolution. While traditional vehicles are still going strong, the creation of affordable, mass-produced hybrids and electric cars has started a revolution. Many people are choosing electric cars over fossil-fuel vehicles because they are cheaper to drive and help reduce damage to the environment. Click on the link to see great photos of the first cars and how they've changed over the years.
watch the numbers change as you see the fuel that is used in the united kingdom
An interesting infographic that shows you how much fuel is used for transportation by jet planes, trucks, and cars.
OUR WATERS: SMOKING'S IMPACT ON OCEANS, LAKES, RIVERS, AND BAYS
Did you know that smoking not only affects your health but also your watershed? Click on the link to find out more.
Recycling Bags and Other Plastics for a Greener World
Every year, people around the world produce millions of tons of waste. What we do with these waste products and the rate at which we produce them is intimately linked to the overall health of our planet. Recycling, the practice of reusing or repurposing waste materials is one way that we can combat the steadily climbing rate of our waste production.
Go Green at Home For Kids & Adults!
Going green is not just some kind of catchphrase that people around the world are using: It is a real way to save the planet's environment and save your family money as well.
Lean, Mean, Green Machines
Every time you turn your keys in the ignition, are you helping or hurting the environment? It’s this type of lofty question that has encouraged drivers around the world to consider green vehicle alternatives, intended to reduce carbon footprints by limiting the number of emissions and pollutants that cars produce.
Theatre Acoustic Ecology
A musician named R. Murray Schafer developed the concept of acoustic ecology. He proposed that we should attempt to hear the natural acoustics around us as a composition of music. It is a major concern that our acoustic ecology is deteriorating. Human-created sounds are drowning out the sounds of nature and are affecting wildlife both on land and in the ocean. Whales are being displaced by the sounds of oil drilling, ship traffic is affecting fish, and off-road vehicles are changing the natural habits of many wildlife animals.
Environment
EcoKids
Earth Day Canada, an award-winning environmental education site for kids and teachers!
Alberta Tomorrow
A free, web-based resource for teachers that involves students in making decisions about how to manage Alberta's ecosystems. Lesson plans are available for Biology 20, Science 20, Science 7, Social Studies 9, Social Studies 10, and Outdoor Ed for the Alberta curriculum.
Alberta Council for Environmental Education (ACEE) Resource Hub
A collection of resources for teachers and students that include teaching guides, activities, best practices, and professional development opportunities.
Campsite 24
This website is for both students and teachers and brings Ontario’s parks and protected areas to your home, classroom, or library. Have fun while you explore the site and learn about environmental protection, plants and wildlife, and Ontario's magnificent provincial parks.
Natural Resources of Canada
Watching over our planet from space, a kit for kids! A wonderful first look at the subject of "Remote Sensing", this education kit is intended for students 11 to 15 years of age. It contains an introduction to remote sensing, twelve hands-on activities, and a supplemental reading section, all rich with satellite imagery, photography, and illustration. Students will become aware of the nature of satellite imagery and how it can be used to monitor environmental issues such as oil spills, forest fires, flood damage, mine wastes, forest clearcutting, and land use.
Electronic Recycling Association
ERA reduces electronic waste through computer recycling, laptop recycling, and computer donating services and has depots throughout Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and BC. ERA provides a great way to recycle electronic equipment safely and securely.
Environmental Education for Kids
EEK!, an online magazine for grades four to eight created by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, is packed with short articles and activities about animals, plants, and environmental issues. The name might sound scary, but the site is lots of fun -- it's a place to share stories about your outdoor experiences, make nature-inspired art projects, and find out about seasonal events.
Canadian Museum of Nature
Learn about nature and explore things to do from the Canadian Museum of Nature that you can enjoy at home, in your classroom with students, or on the go.
EPA Student Center
This Environmental Protection Agency site keeps things simple but manages to include information on a wide range of environmental issues. If you're serious about helping the environment, check out the section on environmental careers. Or, click on "Fun Activities" to play environmental games.
The Green Squad
This NRDC website shows you how to identify and solve environmental problems. Guided by four environmentally conscious students known as the "Green Squad," you can explore a colorful virtual school room by room, and use the mouse to locate potential hazards. Parents and teachers will find the site useful as well -- the school's library and parent-teacher room offer a wide range of fact sheets and environmental resources.
The Greens
Izz and Dex are green—literally! These animated characters not only have green skin—they have lots of great ideas about protecting the planet. Visit this site to watch short cartoons about environmental issues, and find out how your daily actions affect the earth.
Inside Education
Inside Education is a nonprofit registered charity that provides natural resources and environmental education focused on forests, water, energy, and related topics.
David Suzuki Foundation
The Suzuki Superhero Challenge has all kinds of fun activities and resources that offer first-hand experience with the natural world. You can also learn how to get kids into nature.
Tunza
Each issue of this U.N. Environment Programme magazine for young people focuses on a specific topic related to sustainable living. Read articles written by and for teens around the world.
Museums of the World
Are you looking for museums to explore? This museum directory is a fantastic resource for exploring countless museums focusing on everything from the environment to artwork. Check it out today!
Waste Reduction Week
School is the perfect place to practice waste reduction. Students who learn about waste in their classrooms gain good lifetime habits. And they teach their families how to minimize waste. Schools are encouraged to plan Waste Reduction Week activities by using the School Resources listed here. Participating schools have celebrated by starting their own composting or recycling program or even visiting a recycling plant!
Animals
All-Star Endangered Critter Cards
This Why Files collection of printable trading cards is a great introduction to endangered species around the world. The front of each card features an animal photo; move your mouse over it to read about the species and how it is threatened.
Answering Natures Plea: Endangered Animals
Over the last few decades, threats to animal species have raised more and more awareness among the public. Animal endangerment and extinction are extremely serious issues that are usually irreversible. Check out this site to learn how to change people's attitudes about endangered species and for a list of species that are currently endangered.
Animal Diversity Web
Written by students at the University of Michigan with the help of professional biologists, this website features information about thousands of animal species, including detailed descriptions and photos.
Bug Bytes
Looking for a website with lots of underground music and downloadable sound clips? Here's one, but it's probably not what you'd expect. Instead of up-and-coming musicians, the site features audio recordings of insect sounds, many of which are recorded using subterranean microphones. Where else can you hear a fruit fly's song or listen in as a mole cricket burrows through the soil?
Environmental Library
We often hear that a species is threatened or endangered. Isn’t that the same thing? Some people do use these terms interchangeably, but there is a significant difference. Visit this site to learn what the difference is and to see what species are threatened and endangered.
Dinosaur Dig
Games and other activities on fossils, just for kids.
National Geographic Kids
You'll find lots of articles and games about science and nature on this website.
Going Buggy
Did you know daddy longlegs aren't really spiders? Or that some butterflies have tongues almost as long as their bodies? Find out more by reading the question and answer section of this Scholastic website, which offers "facts and fun about insects." Read up on spiders, bees, and butterflies, and then try the Build Your Own Caterpillar game—it invites players to choose physical attributes that might help a caterpillar face particular threats and analyzes their choices at the end.
Infrared Zoo
Even if you already know which zoo animals are warm-blooded and which ones are cold-blooded, it's still fun to look at these pictures taken with a thermal infrared camera at NASA's Infrared Processing and Analysis Center. Scientists use infrared to study how well feathers, fur, and blubber insulate animals, but you don't need an advanced degree to appreciate a rainbow-colored tiger!
Journey North
Track the migrations of birds and mammals at this website, which maps wildlife sightings across North America. If you'd like to add your own data, click the owl icon on any wildlife page to report a sighting.
Kids' Planet
This fun site is packed with kid-friendly environmental information. Learn about animals around the world, play animal-themed games and find simple ways to help protect the environment.
National Zoo AnimalCams
The National Zoo has so many webcams that it's hard to decide which one to watch first. (The pink flamingos were putting on a good show when we visited.) Whatever animal you choose to spy on, you'll find a streaming video of that creature in action and a few paragraphs of background information on the animal and its natural habitat.
Pup's Supper Interactive Book
Small children will love this new online storybook (available in English and Spanish) about a mother sea otter and her pup. Although the story is very short, the Monterey Bay Aquarium website offers several related activities for kids to do offline. Print a few pages from the underwater coloring book, make a sea otter puppet out of a lunch bag, and play a memory game with the printable "critter cards."
Plants
Biology of Plants
This Missouri Botanical Garden website uses simple explanations, animations, and time-lapse videos to teach kids in grades K-3 about plants and how they grow. Sidebars offer definitions of plant vocabulary words, answer common questions and suggest plant-themed song lyrics.
My First Garden
Visit this website for help planning a kid-friendly garden. The University of Illinois Extension site uses simple, fun language to explain each step, from choosing a location to deciding what to plant. Don't forget to come back in a few months to submit a photo to the garden gallery!
Treetures
Websites don't get much cuter than this! The "Treetures" are tiny guardians of the forest who'd love to teach you about trees and how important they are to the environment. Visit the adorably illustrated website to try out tree-themed activities, listen to the Treeture theme song, or send a TreeMail message to your favorite character.
Nature Explore
Nature Explore is a complete research-based program of fun, effective resources to help educators, families, and others working to connect children with nature.
Habitats
A Walk in the Woods
As kids click through this photo-filled University of Illinois Extension website, they'll discover that a walk in the woods is a great way to learn about and appreciate nature. If your computer has speakers, turn them on to hear an enthusiastic voice read the text of each page.
Clean Water
Every Drop Counts
Your online source for water information, teacher resources, water activities, and links to a vast selection of water-related websites. Every Drop Counts has been developed by the Alberta Irrigation Projects Association in conjunction with the United Nations Water for Life Decade, Iunctus Geomatics, and Alberta Education. The Every Drop Counts project includes a complete set of approved curriculum materials and resources for Alberta’s grade 8 teachers and students.
Stream to Sea
K to 12 education to understand, respect, and protect freshwater, estuarine and marine ecosystems, and to recognize how all humans are linked to these complex environments.
Earth Force
Earth Force engages young people as active citizens who improve the environment and their communities now and in the future. Earth Force works with communities to support young people in finding their voice while assuming leadership roles in solving local environmental problems.
The Water Page
You’re just a kid, what could you possibly do as one person that might make a difference when it comes to saving water? Visit this site for some ideas to get you started!
Fresh Water
The Groundwater Foundation
Educational information, games, and activities for students and educators on groundwater.
World Water Day
March 22 is the international observance of World Water Day, an initiative that grew out of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro.
Water Conservation Fun and Games for Kids
Move through the house, exploring each room to discover water-saving tips and hidden videos
Wetlands (Ducks Unlimited Canada)
Parents: learn about wetland conservation with your family. Educators: action projects, lesson plans, and more for your classrooms.
Storm and Waste Water
Yellow Fish Road Program
Trout Unlimited Canada has proven to be a huge success in getting Canada’s youth involved in coldwater conservation. Yellow Fish Road™ volunteers paint yellow fish symbols next to storm drains and distribute fish-shaped brochures to nearby households, to remind people that anything that enters the storm drain system ends up in the local waterbody, affecting fish and fish habitat.
City of Edmonton
Offers curriculum-connected Grade 4, 5, and 8 programs that will help teach students about stormwater and wastewater drainage systems.
Oceans
Hall of Ocean Life
Enjoy content from the American Museum of Natural History's Hall of Ocean Life, including resources for educators.
MarineCareers.net
So you want to be a marine biologist, an oceanographer or an underwater filmmaker? Make a splash in your chosen career with the help of this site, part of the National Sea Grant College Program. You'll find job descriptions and salaries, detailed profiles of marine professionals, and tips to help you earn the necessary qualifications and get hired.
Discovery Education
You don't have to get wet to learn lots of fun facts about the ocean at this Discovery site. There are lots of learning resources for teachers and parents
Rock and Reef Homes
This Monterey Bay Aquarium feature offers a fun introduction to the sea creatures that live on rocky shores and coral reefs. Short rhymes, songs, games, and video clips describe the two ocean habitats, and the site is packed with colorful photos.
Kids Cove Ocean Futures Society
Welcome to Kids’ Cove, where kids (of all ages) can explore the wonders of the sea while learning about our vital connection to
the ocean.
Women Exploring the Oceans
Considering a career in oceanography? Find a role model—or several—at this website, created by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the National Science Foundation. The site features remarkable women working in marine science, including scientists, professors, an engineer on a research vessel, and an illustrator of oceanic data. Each woman's profile includes an interview, a list of her educational and professional experience, an overview of a typical work week, examples of projects she's working on, and photos of her in action.
Cities Under the Sea: Coral Reefs
Did your family like the movie Finding Nemo? On this Ocean Future Society website, Jean-Michel Cousteau invites kids to visit Nemo's home and learn what real coral reefs are like. The site explains what corals are, describes the importance of reef biodiversity, and lists the environmental threats reefs face. Each section includes photos, video clips, and audio narration.
Air Pollution
Air Quality Index
Learn about the Air Quality Index and what it means at this EPA website. You'll find information about air quality and health, and actions you can take to help reduce air pollution. Think you know it all already? Test your knowledge with the air quality games.
The Know Zone
Want to learn more about air pollution and smog? This California Air Resources Board website links to lots of air pollution resources. Visit the student section for fact sheets and an air pollution glossary.
Energy
Dr. E's Energy Lab
A monkey named Dr. E will teach you about renewable energy and energy efficiency at this U.S. Department of Energy site. Dr. E offers up online resources for everything from alternative fuels to solar energy.
Energy Kids
A wealth of information for teachers and students on energy with a section on games and activities—check it out!
Energy Hog
According to this website, energy hogs are "nasty critters that hide all over your home and pig out on wasted energy." Battle the energy hogs online (and pick up a few energy-saving tips) by playing games at this website; completing all five games earns you the title "Hog Buster."
Roofus' Solar Home
At this site, meet a dog named Roofus who's an expert on solar energy and energy efficiency. As you visit different parts of Roofus' energy smart house, you'll find energy-saving tips and simple experiments to help you understand how energy works.
Climate Change
Climate Change in Your Garden
Learn all about the role of woodlands and trees in the fight against climate change, courtesy of the UK's Woodland Trust.
Polar Action Guide
Want to help protect the polar ice cap? Check out this guide to find out what you and your family can do about global warming's impact on the arctic.
Sustainability in the Home and at School
Guide to Saving Energy for Kids
Reducing the energy footprint of a home saves money on heating and cooling costs, and helps to create a more sustainable future for everyone by slowing the depletion of Earth’s natural resources. Learn what you can do to make a difference here.
Getting Clean by Going Green
Learn about different ingredients that you can use for cleaning.
The Environmentally Friendly Car
Here you will learn more about hybrid, ethanol, biodiesel, and natural gas cars, and how their low carbon emissions benefit our environment. You can also explore the technology behind each type of green car and fun facts about each.
Story of Bottled Water
Watch this video highlighting the story of bottled water, the comparisons with tap water, and the media/marketing role in bottled water.
A Guide to Green Furniture
Furniture can have negative impacts on the environment. It may not be obvious from the appearance of a couch in a living room, but one must ask: how was it built? Where did the materials come from? How was the base cut and built? How were the cushions stitched together? Sometimes learning the background will reveal that it was built with machines that polluted the environment in the process. Also it might be discovered that the removal of the trees used for the couch's wood contributed to the massive deforestation in an area, which affected the homes and lives of wildlife. To read and learn more about green furniture, click here.
SEEDS. Environment. Energy. Education
Learn more about the Canadian initiative to make your school more eco-friendly. Report your green school and adopt this SEEDS' Green Schools classification. If you love our environment, it's easy and fun to do!
Recycling
Recycle City
Want to learn more about recycling and reducing waste? Click on this site's colorful maps and illustrations to explore a virtual town and pick up a few tips from the locals.
19 Activities for Kids to Learn about Recycling
Courtesy of Nature’s Path, some great suggestions on how to teach kids about recycling and have fun in the process.
Activism
NRDC: Get Involved
Got a few minutes? Write a letter to help protect the environment. This site focuses on environmental issues around the world, and includes all the background information you'll need to write a great letter.
Science
Science Bob
Science fair ideas, science Q&A, experiments, and research help
Surfing the Net with Kids: Science Resources
Resources and hands-on science experiments at home or in the classroom are a fun way to engage kids and get them excited about science. Today's sites house hundreds of easy experiments that can be done with supplies that you probably have around the house.
Top Science Project Ideas
Are you looking for an idea for a science fair project but don’t know what to do? Check out this site for a list of project ideas for elementary and middle school students.
