Conservation Education
“Conservation means development as much as it does protection.”
~Theodore Roosevelt~
Current Selection of Available Education Program Materials Offered
Contact Allison Brause for more information on lessons and scheduling
Soil:
Grades: 4th and 5th
- Erosion in a Bottle – For older elementary science classes, this activity is a great representation of how water erosion affects dirt, organic matter, and grass water quality. Students see water erosion and will use the scientific method throughout the experiment. I will provide recording sheets that teachers can use as a graded science assignment.
- Available September and March due to material viability
Grade: 4th
- Weathering and Erosion Escape Room – This program is designed for the 4th grade science standards. Students will work in small groups to decipher codes, answer questions, review vocabulary and more to receive a code to unlock the next box!
Grades: PreK-5th
- Soil Sieves – Use soil samples to see the sizes of the soil layer particles. This tool is available for lending out. I will send supplemental information to help with the activity.
Water:
Grades: PreK-Kinder
- Pond Life – We will read a book about pond life, complete a felt board activity to determine if my felt board friends live in a pond or in the ocean. The goal is to help the students learn about a local habitat and compare it to an ocean habitat. We will touch briefly on the food chain and young and adult animal differences. I have a pond color, cut, paste and counting book to use as a classroom follow up.
Grades: K-5th
- Water Cycle – Roll the dice and become a water molecule and travel through the water cycle.
Grades: 2nd-5th
- Macro Invertebrates – This program is like bringing a local stream ecosystem right to the classroom, but with out the mess. The students will learn what a macro invertebrate is, learn some important tools used in macro invertebrate identification and studies, water quality, and complete a stream assessment form on an “actual” stream.
Grades:PreK-2nd
- Fred The Fish – Fred the Fish will visit the class room to help students PreK-2nd grade have a better understanding of water pollution.
Wildlife:
Grades: PreK-1st
- Butterfly Lifecycle – We will start the lesson by using the monarch butterfly example of its lifecycle as well as other fun facts. The pasta craft provides a visual resembling the amazing life of a butterfly!
Grades: 2nd-5th
- Monarch Marathon – Students mimic monarch butterfly migration by rolling dice and reading chance cards to see if they survived their flight to Mexico. We will also be creating self-made butterflies using various crafting supplies.”
Grades: PreK-5th
- Wild Turkey – This is a wonderful program for around the Thanksgiving holiday. Real turkey props will be brought for the class to view. The history, characteristics, habitat, and other interest areas of the wild turkey will be covered.
Grades: PreK-5th
- Pelts – Crawford County native animal pelts are brought in and can be used for hibernation, mammal studies, nocturnal, habitats, carnivore, herbivore, omnivore and specific characteristics to fit your age content standard. Pelts available are: raccoon, mink, coyote, red fox, grey fox, beaver, opossum, muskrat, and skunk.
Grades: PreK-5th
- Tracks – This is a great correlation with the Ohio Mammals program. We have various domestic and wild animal track molds.
Grades: 1st-5th
- Skulls – We will examine preserved skulls and compare skull features among several animals to explore associated adaptations. This is also a great addition to the pelts or tracks program.
Grades: PreK-5th
- Bats – This program will take a closer look at the only true flying mammal. We will cover echolocation, diet, species, and much more! This is a perfect program for around Halloween or any time.
Grades: PreK-5th
- Frogs and Toads – What is a frog? What is a toad? Are they the same? We will discover the differences in habitats, appearances, where their young are laid, and the life cycle changes. As well as many more interesting facts!
Grades: PreK-5th
- Insects – What is an insect? This program can cover many aspects of insects you can choose what will best fit your class studies. I will begin with a description of what characteristics an insect needs to make it a true arthropod, then we will look at some insect pictures and group them in insect or non-insect classes. The end of the presentation is up to you, and here are your choices.
- Go outside for an insect hunt. (I will provide nets and collection jars)
Grades: 3rd-5th
- Lifecycle Charades – From rabbits to sunflowers to frogs,I have examples of lifecycles to share and discuss with discuss. We review and they pick their lifecycle card at random. In groups, creativity and critical thinking abilities are used to perform their lifecycle charades for their classmates to guess it.
Grades: PreK-5th
- Ohio Owls – Take a closer look at Ohio owls and learn all about these interesting nocturnal raptors. Topics covered will be species differences, feathers, vision, hearing, habitat, and many other great facts.
Grades: 2nd-5th
- Owl Pellets – Owl pellet dissection can be scheduled for extended study of owls and their food chain.
Grades: PreK-5th
- Bald Eagles – This program is all about our National symbol the bald eagle. Once an endangered species, learn about the exciting comeback of this majestic bird. I have some interesting props to share with your class; a taxidermied bald eagle replica on generous loan from Bloomfield’s Taxidermy, replica talons, egg, nest and wing span.
Grades: 3rd-5th
- Animal Escape Room – Students will work together incorporating mapping, language arts and analytical and some creative thinking to solve this hands on program! The program will cover ecosystems, habitat needs, animal classifications, and more!
Trunks Available for Lending:
Grades: PreK-Kindergarten
- Bird Beak Buffet – What is a bird? What do you know about birds? This is a hands-on activity including real bird feathers, bones, eggs, nests, with learning about what and how they eat. Students will move through 7 stations trying to use different bird beaks to collect food. This is an excellent program to borrow for center time!
Agriculture:
Grades: PreK-5th
- Celebrating the Corn Harvest – Learn how corn is grown, harvested, and what products are made from corn.
Grades: 1st-2nd
- From Farm to Lunch Box – Students will work in small groups to learn what a healthy lunch choice would be and then we will dig deeper and learn the farm – production – transportation – store – lunch box chain for these favorite lunch choices!
Grades: K-1st
- Livestock Live – Our office will bring young livestock animals to your school. This is a wonderful experience for the students, they will learn what the animal is, what it eats and what products we get from them. This program is held in September or October on even numbered years.
Grades: PK-1st
- Livestock “Live” – This rendition of bringing animals to school but is in the classroom that is still enjoyable! We start by reading a book about farm animals. Then the students pick out an animal out of the “barn”, say what the animal is called and what sounds it makes.
Conservation-Natural Resources:
Grades: PreK-3rd
- We All Need Trees – This will cover the various tree parts, structure, uses for humans and animals, and products that are made from this great natural resource.
Grades: Kindergarten-5th
- Recycling – This program is about the 3 R’s! Reduce – Reuse – Recycle! Will cover what we can recycle in Crawford County, ways to reduce and reuse, and the importance of all 3.
Grades: 3rd-5th
- Who trashed the Camp?? Recycling – This program will teach and test the students knowledge on what can and should be recycled in Crawford County. This program is a hands on group based puzzle/problem solving mystery!
Grades 3rd-5th
- Natural Resource Dilemmas – This simply is a discussion of how students solve issues using their critical thinking skills and collaboration in small groups then to a whole class discussion.
- For example: deer overpopulation.
Grades: 4th-12th
- GPS – Crawford SWCD received a grant from the Ohio Farm Bureau to purchase 12 units to be used for education. These hand held units can be used to teach students all about GPS technology. I will bring the units and show the students how to use them and then they will use them in a high tech scavenger hunt!
Please contact Allie if there is a topic that you would like me to present on that is not listed. Most programs can be made to fit any age group. Allie can be contacted at Crawford SWCD, 3111 State Route 98, Bucyrus, OH 44820 or (419)562-8280. Contact via email at Allison.Brause@oh.nacdnet.net
Other School Opportunities:
Grades: 9th-12th
- Envirothon – The Envirothon is a multi-disciplinary, environmental problem solving culminating in a series of annual competitions. Teams of five high school students train and compete in the areas of soils, forestry, wild life, aquatics and current environmental issues at regional, state, and national levels.
2027 Envirothon Dates:
- Area 1: April 28th, 2027
- Hancock County Riverbend Recreation Area
- State:
- National:
More information on https://www.area1envirothon.com/
Grades: 9th-12th
- High School Forestry Workshop and Contest – Students will have an hour session going over the information individually before the contest starts. They will be tested on Tree Identification, Forest Products, Equipment Identification, Timber Cruising, Compass and Map Reading.
2025 and 2026 forestry contests were held at Pleasant Hill Lake
Adult Opportunities:
Our adult programs are free to any Crawford County group or organization, most programs can be presented to fit your time schedule. Additional conservation topics available upon request.
- Drainage 101 – Basics of drainage, rural and urban.
- Current Agricultural Issues – Livestock, manure and other conservation practices.
- Wildlife – Ohio Bats, Ohio Owls, Wild Turkey and local mammals.
- SWCD Services – What we do – Educational and Technical.
- Recycling in Crawford County – Where, What, and How to recycle and Why recycling is important.
Storm Water Education Programs Brochure
