Natural Resource

Lending Library Free use of Water, Soil, Rocks, &

Wildlife Lesson K its

Lending Library FAQ How Long:

Materials in the Butler SWCD’s Lending Library can be borrowed for free for up to 7 days. Materials

can be borrowed for consecutive terms, if no one is waiting.

Delivery: Occasionally, an employee of the Butler SWCD office will be near your location and may be able to

pick-up or drop-off the item. It is the borrowers responsibility to pick-up and drop-off materials.

Ordering: If you would like to borrow an item, contact the District’s Education Specialist, Lynn White. Please

have your calendar ready when you call in order to schedule loan dates.

Contact: Lynn White, Butler SWCD

1802 Princeton Road, Hamilton, OH 45011

Phone: 513-785-6666

Email: whitelr@butlercountyohio.org

Water Kits Biological Water Quality Monitoring Kit

This kit, created through a grant from the Ohio Environmental

Education Fund allows you and your students to biologically test

water quality in the classroom.

Using the materials provided you can quickly create two simulated

streams (without water), one is “healthy” and one is “polluted.”

This kit contains macroinvertebrates that are preserved in plastic.

These “bugs” are found in rivers and creeks around Butler County.

Using identification sheets, students test the water quality for

each. You don’t have to have experience identifying these stream

creatures to be able to use the kit. This lesson can take from 1-2

class periods.

Streams table

This kit can be used to teach your students about landforms, erosion,

deposition, water safety, and much more. It can also be used for math exercises

such as calculating the water velocity.

The streams table provides a great opportunity for groups of students to create

their own experiments using the table. Does water flow faster when its flowing

straight? What’s the best way to slow erosion? How can I slow the river?

The kit can be used in the classroom or outdoors (it cannot be left outdoors

overnight). The kit includes the 6ft stream table, water pump, faucets, sand,

houses and animals, and signs to mark landforms.

It has two different lengths of legs, depending

upon the height of your students. All you need it

water, electric and your students.

Watershed Model: Enviroscape

This model can be used to teach about watersheds, rivers,

pollution, impacts on wildlife and more. The model is

simple to use, and even has a user guide. Flip through the

guide one way and it shows how to discuss pollution

sources, flip it the other way and it shows ways we can

prevent pollution.

The model uses food such as cocoa power as soil, oatmeal

as litter, and chocolate

syrup as oil, to make this

a highly visual and

effective tool.

Science Grade 7

Science Grade 6 & 7

Science Grade 6

Incredible Journey

Using giant dice, students move as water drops around the water cycle, flowing

through the atmsohphere and lithosphere. This helps students understand that

water doesn’t always follow the same simple path

through the cycle.

An extension allows students to see the flow of

contamination between the different spheres.

Where Does Water Run?

This great activity from Project WILD Aquatic combines math and science.

Students calculate the area of the school property. Then combining this

information with rainfall maps, they can calculate the volume and weight of

the rainwater that lands on the property in one year. The amount of water

will astonish your students.

The size of the school can be calculated by going outside and measuring, or by

using maps. An aerial picture of your school, along with a scale can be

provided if you choose to calculate the area this way.

Poison Pump

A killer has swept through the streets of London; hundreds are dead! Through a series of

clues, students solve a mystery to discover that water can also produce negative effects

for people. Includes maps, clues and victim descriptions.

History, Life science, Health. 50 minutes

Water Kits

Science Grade 7

Water Use

Students create water meters to chart their water use .

Monitoring water use helps students analyze the quantity of

water they use and how they use it. Recognizing water

involvement helps students foster an appreciation. Environmental Science, math. Takes up

to 1 week for lesson as the students measure their water usage.

Fred The Fish (Early Childhood)

Students actively participate in this story about a fish

that goes on an adventure. Along his journey, Fred

sees a lot of pollution. As you read the story, students

take it in turn to add the pollution to a fish tank

Science Grade Prek—1

Science Grade 6

Science Grade 6

Science & Math Grade 7

Page 4

Sum of the Parts

You’ve inherited a million dollars and some river front property. How will

you develop your property and how will effect those around you? Student

groups design their own riverfront property, then each group places their

“property” together to form a large watershed. Students will learn about

the different kinds of water pollution and that everyone’s pollution

contribution can be reduced.

Super Sleuths (Middle School)

Students learn about the diversity of water bone illnesses and the role of

epidemiology in disease control by searching for others who have been

“infected” with the same water-borne illness as they have. Health, life science,

geography. 50 minutes

Water Kits

DVDs

We have several DVDs that you can also borrow to supplement these

lessons.

Poisoned Waters: from the PBS frontline broadcast, April , 2009. This

documentary is an excellent view of two major watersheds in the US,

Pugent Sound and Chesapeake Bay. Great for environmental discussions

surrounding water pollution and nonpoint sources.

Vernal Pools: Ecosystems, biology, and much

more. From Ohio Environmental Council

A Sense of Wonder: A documentary on Rachel

Carson, the pioneering environmentalist that

brought attention to the environment in her book Silent Spring published in 1962.

Science Grade 6

Science Grade 6

Page 5

Soil Properties

This kit comes with materials and books. Use soil sieves to explore the

different sizes of rocks in the soil, use a color chart to figure out the

color of different soils and much more.

Books include:

• Soil Erosion and Pollution: A New True Book

• Erosion by Becky Olien

• Our Endangered Planet: Soil

• Life in A Bucket of Soil

• The Disappearing Mountain and Other Earth Mysteries

• The Rock factory: A Story about the Rock Cycle

• Cracking Up: A Story about Erosion

• The Best Book of Fossils, Rocks, and Minerals

Science Grade 3 & 6

Earth Science Kits

What Mineral Is It?

Through the use of dichotomous keys (both written and visual)

students can identify minerals based on their properties. The

students will test for hardness, cleavage, acid, and more. There

are multiple samples of 10 different minerals, allowing your

students to work

independently.

Rock Cycle

A great alternative to teaching the rock cycle from the book. In this activity

students will become minerals moving around the rock cycle. Through

throws of giant dice, students will have to figure out what happens if they

are eroded, or what happens if they are

heated and squeezed.

Science Grade 6

Science Grade 6

Plate Tectonics

Using maps and historic earthquake data, students plot

earthquakes onto a map of the world and examine the patterns

produced.

Science Grade 6

Page 6

Black Bear Kit (all levels)

This kit allows you and your students to study an Ohio native; the black bear.

Through an interactive game, your students will learn that habitat is made up

of multiple components that are all essential for the survival of wildlife. Using

math, students can figure out if they have

the perfect bear diet, if the mother and her

cubs will survive, and if the young male

bear will find enough food.

Wildlife Kits Worm Bin (all levels)

An ecosystem in a box! A worm bin is a great

classroom resource, and you can borrow ours for 1-

4 weeks. The bin is easy to care for, just bury left

over fruit and veg, in their box and make sure their

bedding is moist. Bin comes with several great books, including one on the care of the

worms. To borrow this kit we will need to set up a meeting to discuss how to care for

this simple ecosystem in a box….. don’t worry, it’s really easy.

Let your students imagine run, as they can develop a variety of experiments including

whether worms prefer light or dark, if they move faster over rough or smooth, and if

bananas decompose quicker with or without worms.

Bottleneck Genes

Through an interactive activity, students are introduced to the study of conservation

genetics and population bottlenecks. They will discover how the loss of genetic

diversity and genetic characteristics can affect that population’s ability to respond to

changes in its environment. Other topics covered

include: (1) wildlife management issues, and (2)

the role of science and technology in conservation.

Science Multiple Grades

Science Grade 4

Science Grade 8

Beavers

This kit can be used to teach about: Adaptations

and How animals change the environment. The kit

includes the materials to dress a student as a

beaver, a beaver skull, beaver log, books, and

much more.

Science Grade 3

Build a Bug

This kit can be used to teach about: Adaptations. The kit includes the materials to

dress an insect and includes different fake mouth

parts, tails, gills, and more. The kit also includes a

the lesson plan to Stream Bug Simon Says.

Science Grade 3

Educational Trailer Butler Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD), with the help of the

Cincinnati Museum Center, the has designed and renovated a 35 foot

trailer into an educational exhibit, showing soil and water. This trailer,

named ‘The World Beneath Your Feet’ has interactive question and

answer tools, as well as drawers you can pull out to see fossils and aquatic

creatures. It also highlights storm drains, drainage tile, plant roots and an

aquifer.

The trailer is free for Butler County Schools to use.

In 2012, the trailer received an award recognizing it an outstanding

project by the Ohio Environmental Education Fund.

For more images and info about the trailer please visit

www.butlerswcd.org/Education/Trailer/Trailer.html

Science Grade 3, 4, 5 & 6

Wildlife Kits

Migration Headache Migration Headache Migration Headache Migration Headache

Students become “migrating shorebirds,” traveling between nesting and wintering habitats. Along their journeys they experience some of the threats that affect the survival of migratory shorebird populations.

After this activity, students will be able to:

■ Define the term migration.

■ List three limiting factors that can affect the populations of migrating shorebirds.

■ Classify these limiting factors as natural or human-caused.

■ Predict the effects of habitat loss and degradation on populations of shorebirds.

Science 7

Energy Pipeline

Students simulate organic production and energy loss for major trophic levels

in an ecosystem in this hands-on lesson. The class acts as a “growth” assembly

line that becomes increasingly complex with each

round.After the lesson, students can explain why

energy dissipates at each level

Science 5

Skills Kits Maps

This kit has everything in it that you need to teach students about

topographic maps. The students can create landform from a map, and

then create a map from a landform. This all helps to make it easier to

read maps. The kit also contains a variety of maps (physical, political,

and thematic) and also a topographic of your area of the county.

This skills activity is highly popular, and

although can be used to supplement

many standards it has few hard hits.

Hitting the Mark

Students investigate the concepts of accuracy and precision in data collection

and learn the importance of writing detailed procedures.

Groups of students work together find out the best way to make a ball of clay hit

a target as accurately and precisely as possible. They then write up their

procedure for another group to use to see if they

can replicate the results. It is a great activity to

release your students imagination while helping

them to recognize the limitations in these ideas if

Science Grades 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Science Grade 6

Other Available Educational Programs and Resources See www.ButlerSWCD.org for full details

Training

Educator workshops are offered for free or for a nominal fee depending upon the cost of resources. Workshops

are available on natural resource content on a variety of topics including, water, wildlife, and soils.

In Class Programs and Field Trips

Butler SWCD offers free programs at your location (within Butler Co.) or can meet you at a field trip location.

Topics include, soil, water, wildlife, trees, geology, weather, maps and much more.

Service Projects

Each year, Butler SWCD works with students, residents, and youth groups on a variety of projects including storm

drain labeling, river cleanups, and water quality testing.

Competitions

Annual Poster Contest– for all grades. The theme changes each year to a new natural resource topic.

Envirothon– High school teams compete in: soils, forestry, aquatics, wildlife and a current environmental topic.

The contest is held in early May each year for an 18 county area, with the top teams going on to compete at

state.

When: April 6, 2017 9:00am to 4:00 pm

Where: Deer Creek State Park in

conjunction with the

50th Annual EECO Conference

Sponsored by the ODNR-Division of Wildlife and the Environmental Education Council of Ohio. Please send the attached proposal form to: Jen Dennison Wildlife Education Coordinator ODNR-Division of Wildlife jen.dennison@dnr.state.oh.us

Proposals will be accepted until

November 18, 2016. Notifications

of acceptance will occur by Novem-

ber 25, 2016.

Are you a teacher currently conducting research related to wildlife and/or wildlife habitats

with high school students?

Are you a high school student involved in wildlife-related research?

Would you be interested in presenting your research to an audience of fellow student

researchers, biologists, and wildlife management agencies?

Then we want you!

The 1st Annual Ohio Student Wildlife Research Symposium is a place to present your

research in a professional and supportive environment. You can choose to present as a pa-

per session, or a poster session. Paper sessions are 25 minute sessions in front of an

audience. Poster sessions are in a group with other poster presenters.

Please send your contact information and questions to:

Jen Dennison, Wildlife Education Coordinator, ODNR-Division of Wildlife.

jen.dennison@dnr.state.oh.us or 1-800-WILDLIFE.

We know there are a lot of great research projects out there and we want to hear more about

them. We hope to see you there!

Student Wildlife Research Symposium

Call for Proposals 2017

Submit by November 18, 2016

Email completed form to: jen.dennison@dnr.state.oh.us (electronic copies preferred)

or mail to: Jen Dennison-ODNR--Division of Wildlife

Re: 2017 SWRS

2045 Morse Rd. Bldg. G. Columbus, Ohio 43229

Questions? Contact Jen Dennison-614-265-6316, or 1-800-WILDLIFE

Student Information

Student Name

School

Address

Email

Phone

Teacher/Parent/Guardian Information

Name and Tit le

Email/ Phone

Organization

Proposal Information

Title of Paper/Poster

For Conference Brochure (12 words or less)

Type of Presentation

(Circle or highlight one)

C Paper Presentation (20 mins, with 5 mins for questions)

C Poster

Summary of Presentation

for Conference Brochure

(Please limit description to 50 words)

Abstract

A description of your presentation/poster

including statement of objectives, a brief

description of research methods, results, and

conclusions. This can be attached on a

separate sheet. (200 words or less)

Paper/Poster Topic

(Circle or highlight all that apply) C Wildlife Science

C Wildlife Management

C Wildlife Conservation

C Wildlife Education

C Human Dimensions and Wildlife Interactions

C Other ________________________________________________________

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals may be submitted until November 18th, and will be evaluated and chosen by a

3-person panel. Accepted presenters will be notified by November 25th.

Paper Presentation Guidelines:

C Presentations should be 20 mins, with 5 minutes for questions.

C Presentations can be given in electronic format such as PowerPoint or Prezi; please

bring your presentation on a thumb drive. Computers, projectors, etc., will be provided.

Please contact Symposium Coordinator for other types of presentation needs.

C If handouts are required, please plan to send them to the Symposium Coordinator

ahead of the Symposium for review and distribution.

C Presentations should present results from completed projects or completed phases of

long-term projects. Research in-progress can only be presented as a poster.

Poster Guidelines:

C Can be research in-progress or completed projects.

C Cannot present a Poster and a Presentation.

C Posters can be no larger than 4ft x 4ft. Must provide your own easel.

All presenters and poster session participants will be given complimentary registration costs,

including lunch. Any accompanying teachers, parents, guardians, and fellow students must

register to attend. Registration for the symposium and the EECO Annual Conference will open

in late November, 2016.

For questions, contact Jen Dennison, Symposium Coordinator, at 614-265-6316 or 1-800-

WILDLIFE, or jen.dennison@dnr.state.oh.us

As a presenter at the Student Wildlife Research Symposium, please make every effort to

present factual, scientific, and non-biased information and opinions through your program, as

this is a core mission of EECO.