To borrow items from the Lending Library contact Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation at info@iowaagliteracy.org
Resource Name:A Planet's Support System
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:Every time any animal eats something, it’s a “bite” of sunshine energy. That energy is supplied by plants and photosynthesis. This mini unit gives us an idea of how much plants and animals rely on each other for life!
Resource Name:Agricultural "About" Book Kit
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Utah Ag in the Classroom
Description:Many students create a book a week, why not do one on agriculture. Kit includes sample materials for students to learn about farm animal .
Resource Name:Animals on the Farm Kit
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Utah Ag in the Classroom
Description:Kit contains reproducible coloring sheet. Kit comes with samples for wool, felt , grain and other feed samples to pass around the class and allow the students to see.
Resource Name:Basic Needs
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Seela Science
Description:Plants and animals need certain things in order to “survive and thrive”. Some of the most important needs are food, water, air, and sunlight. This mini unit explores what happens when plants are exposed to their basic needs and when they are not.
Resource Name:Biology and Chemistry of Soil Experiment Kit
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Lab-Aids
Description:Time to play in the dirt! Students use ordinary soil samples to conduct a thorough evaluation of soil. Simple, easy-to-follow techniques and staining procedures are introduced early in this series of activities. After performing a series of activities, students are asked to draw conclusions concerning a soil’s ability to support plant growth. All tests are performed using either the patented Template® or calibrated sample tubes.
Resource Name:Build A Calf
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:
Description:Students will explore genes and heredity in the context of beef cattle. Roll the colored dice to determine what genes your offspring will carry. Match the genetic traits each parent will pass on to his/her offspring by recording the uppercase or lowercase letter from the dice in your chart.
Resource Name:Character Counts for Early Childhood
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Character Counts In Iowa
Description:CHARACTER COUNTS! is the nation’s most widely used framework for character development. It is centered on basic values called the Six Pillars of Character. It has since spread throughout the world as a valuable tool to teach character to youth and adults.
Resource Name:Countdown to Hatch kit
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Utah Ag in the Classroom
Description:Kit contains a numbered colored egg for each day of the 21 day hatching cycle. Help kids explore and learn the hatching process. Students see each phase of the 21 day cycle and how the egg continually changes.
Resource Name:Decision Making: Probability & Risk Assessment
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Lab-Aids
Description:This module is an outstanding teaching tool for helping students develop a greater understanding of how mathematical reasoning can be used to make decisions in everyday life. Marble-rolling activities, number cubes, and coin tosses are used to introduce probability. After reading several historical case studies, students are presented with a hypothetical life-or-death decision involving an epidemic disease. They are asked to make recommendations about ways to reduce the risks associated with local emergency or disaster situations that could be either natural or human-caused. The assessment emphasis is placed on student understanding of trade-offs and decisions. THIS MODULE INCLUDES A TEACHER'S GUIDE
Resource Name:Describing DNA
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:We’re all a product of DNA action, but what is it? In this mini unit you’ll get to know we’re all a product of DNA action, but what is it? In this mini unit you’ll get to separate DNA from a fruit, build models of it, and find out how it works! When you get done you’ll understand more about what makes us special!
Resource Name:Dirty Science
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:Few people realize they are walking on Earth’s most valuable resource, dirt. If it wasn’t for soil, there would be no plants. If there are no plants, then there would not be any animals. This mini unit lets students take apart dirt, make their own soil recipe, and test how well different dirt recipes can grow plants. So let’s talk dirt!
Resource Name:Earth Stuff
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Seela Science
Description:Rocks, soil, water, and air are basic Earth materials. This mini unit explores the properties of these materials and how different properties make them useful in dif- ferent ways. So are products natural or man made?
Resource Name:Farm a Month
Grade:Lower Elementary Upper Elementary
Author:American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture
Description:The Farm a Month kit provides an exciting way for teachers, families and classroom volunteers to engage preschool and elementary-aged students in agricultural-based lessons throughout the year. The kit was developed with the goal of helping foster conversations about where food and fiber comes from.
Resource Name:Food Check Out Week
Grade:Lower Elementary Upper Elementary
Author:AFBF
Description:Food check out is a kit used to celebrate American food and as a bridge to National Nutrition month in March.
Resource Name:Get Dirty
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Seela Science
Description:All materials have characteristics called “properties”. The basic properties of soil are color, texture, nutrient value, and porosity. All these are explored in this mini unit.
Resource Name:Have a Life
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Seela Science
Description:This mini unit is about life cycles of plants and animals. All living things have life cycles. They are born, they grow, they reproduce, and they eventually die. Most living things closely resemble their parents. Plants must have a way of spreading their pollen, and their seeds to insure their kind continues.
Resource Name:Investigating & Applying Genetics (Corn Crop Genetics)
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School High School
Author:Lab-Aids
Description:Students build their understanding of selective breeding for desired traits in crops such as corn. They investigate the outcomes of crosses of hybrid and dihybrid corn plants for two unlinked genetic traits: corn kernel color and sweetness. They use Punnett squares to predict the ratio of phenotypes that will be produced by different crosses and analyze the actual ratio of phenotypes of the second generation offspring. A reading describes traditional selective breeding and modern genetic engineering approaches to improving crops to improving crops. This kit is complete for 32 students and is reusable.
Resource Name:Investigating Selective Breeding
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Lab-Aids
Description:In this series of two activities students explore inherited traits. They use LAB-AIDS® simulated corn ears and Punnett squares to gather data on, interpret, and predict the probability of traits being passed from parent to offspring. They then read about “survival of the fittest,” natural selection, selective breeding, and the relationships between these concepts.
Resource Name:Iowa Agriculture Breakout Activity
Grade:Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
Author:Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation
Description:This kit gives a fun, new spin on the trend of escape rooms and lock box lessons. In this activity, students have to solve a series of riddles about Iowa agriculture to reach the lost recipe of the Iowa State Fair prize muffins of 1930. This kit contains two complete sets of materials.
Resource Name:It's Dinner Time
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:There’s an old saying that we are what we eat! In this mini unit you get to test food for what nutrients are in it, figure out how many calories of energy you need, and find out what are important nutrients and how much we need.
Resource Name:Model Dicot Seed Germination (PEA)
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Eisco
Description:This hand painted model shows the germination of a dicot -- specifically a pea seed. It comes mounted on a base and has a key card for identifying key structures.
Resource Name:Model Typical Flower
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Eisco
Description:Excellent example of a typical flower can be used for detailed study of structure and function of parts of a flower. All parts are removable for better viewing, and the ovary is bisected for view of internal structures. Mounted on a base, size is approximately 17" x 8" x 13", includes key card.
Resource Name:Monocotyledon Stem Model
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:A. Daigger & Company
Description:This model is patterned on a corn stem to show the general anatomy of a monocot in both longitudinal and cross sections. Features such as the cuticle layer, epidermis, closed vascular bundles, parenchyma cells, and others are clearly shown. This injection molded model is more durable than the more common fiberglass construction. Detailed Key included.
Resource Name:My Farm Web
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Utah Ag in the Classroom
Description:Young students will explore agriculture connections by creating a 3-D concept map of agricultural products. By distinguishing relationships and linking phrases, students will be exposed to the way agriculture touches their everyday lives.
Resource Name:Pieces & Parts
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Seela Science
Description:Every part of a plant or animal is made in a certain way (structure) so that it can do a certain kind of job (function). All the parts must work together to keep the plant or animal healthy and alive.
Resource Name:Plant Lifecycles
Grade:Lower Elementary Upper Elementary
Author:Learning Resources
Description:Whiteboards come to life with giant colorful magnets. Bean and apple lifecycles are detailed for exploration and discussion.
Resource Name:Plants on the Outside
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:We take plants for granted, but we shouldn’t! Each time we sit down to eat, we’re either eating plants or animals which ate plants. This mini unit gives us a good introduction to how plants are built and how they work.
Resource Name:Renewable Energy Science Education Kit
Grade:Middle School
Author:Home Science Tools
Description:Renewable energy is the wave of the future and you can discover how it works with this educational science kit. Experiment with a hydrogen fuel cell, solar energy, wind turbines, and water electrolysis. An entire miniature renewable energy system can be constructed on a small scale. This set includes a wind turbine module, a solar photovoltaic panel, an electrolyzer, a PEM fuel cell, and hydrogen storage system. You'll be able to learn the whole system step by step, configure it in different ways, and visualize the workings of clean energy principles from start to finish. A complete manual that explains the technology and defines experiments is included on CD.
Resource Name:Responsible Resources
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:We can’t live without resources. But taking resources from the Earth could the amount other generations can have. How can we solve this? In this mini unit you get to explore ideas about how you can help.
Resource Name:Seed ID Kit
Grade:Lower Elementary Upper Elementary
Author:
Description:Solve the mystery of the seed. Activity should be framed as a crime scene investigation, so that the students can create and use their dichotomous key, they feel involved in a forensic/scientific search.
Resource Name:Soil Organisms Study
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Lab-Aids
Description:With simple, reusable apparatus, student easily extract, collect and study the characteristics of small arthropods in soil samples. This Lab-Aid reveals the teeming multitudes of living organisms found in the smallest sample of common, garden-variety soil. This kit also serves as a valuable extension to the Biology and Chemistry of Soil Experiment (LAB-AIDS® No. 32) and the Nematode Study (LAB-AIDS® No. 34). This is a classroom investigation with open-ended activities. Although soil samples are not provided, all materials needed to collect organisms are included in this Lab-Aid.
Resource Name:Soils Kit
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:USDA NRCS
Description:This soils kit contains a multi-lesson soils curriculum, soil books, and equipment to do soils related activities. Items in the kit include a microscope, trowel, mini terra cotta pots, magnifying glasses, and more!
Resource Name:They're Not Just Seeds
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:That’s right, they’re a lot more than just seeds! They’re the new generation of plants and food for us and animals! This mini unit introduces seeds and how they get their important jobs done.
Resource Name:We Need Plants
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:Not only do we need plants, but every animal on Earth does to! This mini unit helps you understand how plants grow from seeds, grow into adult plants, repro- duce, and make food and oxygen for all life!
Resource Name:Weather or Not, It Happens
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:That’s right, weather is going to happen! But this mini unit gives you a chance to learn about weather, how to measure it, and even how to forecast what could be happening tomorrow!
Resource Name:Weather Watcher
Grade:Lower Elementary
Author:Seela Science
Description:There are many ways to describe weather ...temperature, wind speed and direction, rainfall, and much more. Models can help us understand how weather works. This unit builds models of wind gauges, makes fake snow blizzards, tornadoes, build a rain gauge, and more.
Resource Name:What Comes Around, Comes Around
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:The circle of life is truly a circle, nutrients must recycle from dead things, to plants, and then to animals. This mini unit gives you a chance to see how air, land, and water is all involved in the circle of life.
Resource Name:What's for Lunch
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Seela Science
Description:We all ask this question, but most of us don’t know what is all involved in getting food. This mini unit explores how the natural world gets its food and recycles materials to keep the planet going!
Resource Name:Dicot Stem Model, Transverse Section
Grade:Upper Elementary Middle School
Author:Eisco
Description:This hand painted model shows the various tissues in a transverse section of a dicot stem of a sunflower. It is mounted on a base and numbered with a key card.