Smithsonian-style Discovery Boxes for the Classroom

Set up a Discovery Box as an interest center in your classroom and hands-on interactive resource designed to enhance the environmental awareness of your students. Each box provides activities that teach ecological concepts and relates those concepts to our local environment.

Discovery Box activities are appropriate for use with small classroom groups or as independent learning activities in a classroom interest center.

Discovery Boxes available:

• Wildlife in the City - Study photographs of urban microhabitats found in Houston, then try to guess what animals might live there. Lift up panels to find out which wildlife inhabits each city habitat.
• Tracks Tell Tales - Using rubber paw reproductions, students will make animal tracks and identify them with a track field guide. Students will also learn about the animals' adaptations and life styles.
• Nature Recycles - Examine forest specimens and match them to cleverly written job descriptions. As students match "want-ads" to decomposers they will discover how nature recycles organic material.
• Water, Water, Everywhere - Dip into a limnologist's collecting nets and examine specimens of fresh water life. Learn how the choices we make everyday affect the water quality of Houston bayous.
• Skulls
• Forest Detective
• Arboretum Reptiles
• Gotcha Covered

Each box is accompanied by a Teacher Kit which includes:

• A teacher's guide
• Supplementary video
• Story or activity books
• Additional curriculum
• And reproducible worksheets

Cost: Email for costs and availability