As the school year comes to a close, National Geographic Education recognizes the need for young people to continue exploring and learning outside the classroom. Kick off summer by participating in the season finale of Explorer Classroom on Monday, June 6, at 2 p.m. ET, where students will be able to ask a group of our Explorers about their exciting work. Then, challenge your students to get involved in citizen science, using the resources below. Together, we can ensure young people continue to grow their Explorer Mindsets and have some summertime fun!
“Live from Explorers Festival!”
The final Explorer Classroom of the school year promises to be a special one. Register now to participate in the session, which will take place live from National Geographic’s annual Explorers Festival on Monday, June 6, at 2 p.m. ET. This event, featuring Explorer-at-Large Bob Ballard and Explorers KM Reyes and Carlos Velazco, is recommended for student groups in grades three through eight. There are two ways to participate in the virtual event, as a featured class on-screen or by watching live on YouTube. If space is available, you may request to be a featured class during the registration process.
What is citizen science?
Citizen science is when members of the public help conduct research to increase scientific knowledge. Through citizen science, students share and contribute to data monitoring and collection programs. The data is simple to gather using apps like iNaturalist and Seek.
Citizen science apps:
- iNaturalist: The iNaturalist app allows users to produce high-quality data for science and conservation simply by recording the wildlife they see in their natural surroundings.
- Seek: Seek is a free, child-safe app from iNaturalist that helps people discover the natural world by identifying plants and animals and earning badges along the way.
- Debris Tracker: The Marine Debris Tracker app allows users to collect data about litter wherever they see it and contribute to critical scientific research.
Citizen science activities:
- BackyardBio: This global campaign encourages kids to get outdoors exploring, discovering local wildlife, and connecting with others to share their love of nature.
- Citizen Science Projects: This collection of projects provides multiple opportunities to engage in citizen science regardless of where students live!
- “Get Outdoors”: Learn about the natural world and connect with nature wherever you are by taking inspiration from some of North America’s most interesting places.
- Produce a short video or social media post with a visual that explains one thing you identified or learned today and one thing you’re curious to learn more about.
Share your experience
We love to see student work and share it with the Explorers who inspired it! Please feel free to share student projects and reflections by using the hashtag #ExplorerClassroom and tagging @NatGeoEducation on Twitter or by emailing us at email@example.com.
Featured image by Rebecca Hale, National Geographic