• ANSMET The Antarctic Search for Meteorites 
• United States Geological Survey – Astrogeology Science Center 
• Pictures and Descriptions of Lunar Samples (AKA Moon Rocks!) from the Lunar and Planetary Institute
• Space Rocks! A (printable) Meteorite Board Game from the Lunar and Planetary Institute
• Hands-on Impact Crater Activity from NASA
• Earth’s 10 Most Impressive Impact Craters, from a Universe Today article.

• 15 million-year-old whale skull found on banks of Potomac River 
• 72 Million-Year-Old Dinosaur Tail Found In Mexico, Fossil May Belong To Hadrosaur 
• ENSI lesson plan for The Great Fossil Find 
• Department of Paleobiology Collection Records from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (browse over 450,000 fossil specimens)
• Secrets of the Fossil Hall a YouTube video from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
• Inside the Smithsonian’s Fossil Prep Lab video
• Fossil whale found, excavated, jacketed, and returned to STRI! a blog by a Smithsonian fossil curator.
• Fossil Unit a complete lesson from the American Geosciences Institute
• Mass Extinction – Solving the Dinosaur Mystery a video interview with a paleobotanist discussing the extinction event of the dinosaurs
• Weighing the Evidence for a Mass Extinction: On Land PDF materials and a downloadable video for a High School level lesson from HHMI BioInteractive
• Weighing the Evidence for a Mass Extinction: In the Ocean PDF materials and a downloadable video for a High School level lesson from HHMI BioInteractive
• Fossils Help Scientists Build a Picture of the Past – and Present an article showcasing 3 scientists who work with fossils from the Smithsonian Insider
• Paleobotany – Climate Change Past and Present a video interview with a scientist who uses fossilized plants to study climate from the Smithsonian
• Global Change – Reading Ocean Fossils a video interview with a scientist who forams from the Smithsonian
• Mohawk Guy… Lesson plan about microfossils from the Consortium for Ocean Leadership
• Changes over Time – Microfossils in Blake’s Nose Lesson plan about microfossils from the Consortium for Ocean Leadership
• Fossil Cookies use any cookie dough (or play doh) to have small kids make their own “fossils”

• The Geologic Time Scale idea for laying out the time scale on a sidewalk

Coming Soon!

Coming Soon!

• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Department of Mineral Sciences Collection (browse information about minerals, rocks, and meteorites)
• USGS “The Life Cycle of a Mineral Deposit – A Teacher’s Guide for Hands-On Mineral Education Activities” 
• The American Mineralogist Journal of Earth and Planetary Materials has publications from 1916-1999 available for free
• Utah Geological Survey:  What are minerals used for? 
• “What are Minerals?”
• Classes of Crystalline Solids 
• Minerals and Their Uses 
• Mineral Fluorescence
• Virtual Tour of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (Note- all permanent exhibits can be virtually toured.  To see the Geology, Gems, and Minerals displays, scroll down the page)
• Minerals, Crystals, and Gems a unit plan from Smithsonian Education
• Make Five a printable game to learn mineral chemical formulas
• Mineral Crystal Shapes cut and glue your own set from paper (with free template download)
• Paper Gems cut and glue your own set from paper (with free template download)

• Mineral Databases
  • Mindat.org – “is the world’s largest open database of minerals, rocks, meteorites and the localities they come from”. 
  • Minerals.net – has photo galleries, Q&A, and other information. 
  • Webmineral.com is a mineral database with an element composition search box.

• Acid Mine Drainage experiments for kids from the U.S. Geological Survey
• Acid Mine Drainage short videos from PBS

• Volcano Webquest
• Lava Layering: Making and Mapping a Volcano an activity from NASA
• Living with a volcano in your backyard – an educator’s guide with emphasis on Mount Rainier a list of activities divided into 3 chapters from the USGS
• Volcano Geochemistry – Windows to Earth’s Interior a video from the Smithsonian

• ODNR Video: Ohio’s Scenic Geology
• ODNR various downloadable Geologic Maps of Ohio
• Salt Mine under Lake Erie
• Kelleys Island Glacial Grooves
• Serpent Mound Meteorite Impact Crater

• Interactive Periodic Table

• Plate Motion Calculator

• Travel Through the Rock Cycle

• Quick and easy soil test
• New Mexico State University YouTube video- Soil, Who Needs It?
• Soil-net.com has educational activities, downloads, and case studies

• The National Map
• USGS Mineral Resources Online Spatial Data 

• The Science Spot has many Earth Science Lesson plans available on their website. 
• Geology.com provides news, information, maps, teaching resources, and more on their website.
• The Environmental Protection Agency has lesson plans and teacher guides available here for the following subjects:  air, climate change, ecosystems, energy, health, waste, and water.  
• Search by grade level, subject, or common core standard to browse educational resources provided by the National Park Service here or peruse a list of available virtual field trips here. 
• The USGS has an Ask-A-Geologist program with information here.
• EARTH Magazine features news stories about various Earth science topics on their website.
• From the Mountains to the Ocean lesson plan combining Google Earth and ocean cores.
• Free Models to print and color for various items including: Earthquake, ocean crust, jetty, & more
• Simple Rock and Mineral Scratch test for small kids at home
• Evaporation from a String make your own stalagmites and stalactites