This slide show provides information to guide pesticide users in applying pesticides in a manner that will protect groundwater as much as possible from contamination. The slide show covers properties of pesticides, soil, and groundwater that are likely to worsen contamination and provides suggestions for handling and applying them. Other topics include basic geology of groundwater and potential health ... Full description.

This PowerPoint is a resource for museum educators that highlights the major mission information and science background for the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) Mission, a Small Explorer Earth-orbiting spacecraft that is designed to map the distant boundary between the solar wind from our Sun and the interstellar medium. This PowerPoint supports a full-length planetarium show about the IBEX mission ... Full description.

This poster series highlights six astronomical images observed with NASA?s Great Observatories (Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer) and found within the "From Earth to the Universe" (FETTU) exhibition. Each poster contains additional information on the historical context of the astronomical objects (constellation, view with the unaided eye), as well as basic facts about the specific object, the category ... Full description.

This teacher-directed demonstration provides a conceptual understanding of latent heat. Using the example of a chemical hand warmer, students learn about phase changes from liquid to solid and from solid to liquid and observe that one of these phase changes releases heat while the other requires heat to be added. These concepts are then reinforced in a demonstration which involves heating water and ... Full description.

In this activity, students construct a "comet" from ingredients similar to those found in actual comets. They will learn about the behavior of a real comet by observing their model as the dry ice sublimates, and understand the concept of scale as they compare the size of their model to the size of a real comet. A list of materials and instructions are provided. This activity can be performed as a ... Full description.

This kinesthetic science activity reintroduces participants to three states of matter (solid, liquid, gas), and introduces them to a fourth state of matter, plasma, and its connection to the Sun. It also demonstrates how the addition of energy can transform matter from one state to another. The activity reviews common examples of matter in each state, like liquid water and water ice, oxygen and carbon ... Full description.

This demonstration is designed to show the effect of acid on statues and buildings. Students will learn how acid rain is an air pollution problem as the teacher discusses the slow deterioration of statues and buildings due to the weak acid rain that falls on them. Students will learn that the sulfur and nitrogen compounds that contribute to acid rain primarily come from man-made sources, such as industries ... Full description.

This collection of lesson plans was developed by educators who participated in the Commission's Teaching Environmental Science (TES) course. The lessons are intended to promote awareness of environmental sciences through simple activities, and can be adapted to meet the needs of particular students. They are listed by grade level and subject (water, waste, air, etc.), and have been correlated to the ... Full description.

This program provides scientific research and assessment to evaluate the effects of atmospheric deposition on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. A clickable map depicts locations of acid rain monitoring stations by state. This site also contains reports presenting data on acid rain trends and monitoring efforts as well as research performed on acid rain accumulation values. Information is also available ... Full description.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) deals with natural hazards such as hurricanes, floods, national security matters, winter storms, etc. in a non-threatening scientifc and fun manner for children. The site includes animations, videos, games, quizzes and questions areas that address hazardous situations that children may face at any given time. Full description.