This reference list has a dozen kid-friendly books on a wide range of biodiversity topics. For each title, the author, publisher, and publication date are included along with a brief description of the book. The list includes field guides and other reference books to help students begin exploring plants, insects, birds, and other living things, easy-to-complete activities to bring the importance of biodiversity home, and engaging stories that introduce students to cultural tales that celebrate biodiversity.

This reference list has more than 30 kid-friendly books on biodiversity. For each title, the author, publisher, and publication date are given. The diverse list includes field guides for identifying plants and insects, hands-on nature experiments and activities, photographic looks at the world's diverse species, and handbooks with tips about collecting and preserving specimens.

This diverse list of 13 multimedia resources can help you enhance the study of biodiversity in your classroom. For each resource, ordering information is provided. The list is divided into five categories: videos, magazines, posters, audio tapes, and other kits, units, and projects

Produced by the Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, this brief guide summarizes for policymakers the consequences of biodiversity loss for human health, including threats to global supplies of food and fresh water, exposure to formerly rare diseases and opportunistic infections, and loss of important sources of medicines. The guide can be downloaded as a pdf at no charge.

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, scientists discuss their attempts to grow human body parts in a jar.

This video segment from Evolution: "Extinction!" shows the impact of invasive species on native ecosystems.

This ZOOM video segment shows how to create a self-contained environment and explores evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

The purpose of this resource is to quantitatively evaluate the accuracy of a classification system. Students sort birds into three possible classes based on each bird's beak: carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. Students compare their answers with a given set of validation data.

There are almost as many types of bird beaks as there are types of food that birds like to eat. This collection of images shows a wide range of beaks and the types of foods handled by each.

In this Nature video, learn about the extraordinary impact that birds have on the agriculture of a small Indian community.

In this video segment, adapted from NOVA, Dr. Judah Folkman uses the scientific method to discover how cancer cells induce the formation of new blood vessels, which in turn nourish those cancer cells.

In this video, Jonathan joins Charlie Donilon on his shark charter boat in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and learns about how shark tagging has shed light on the biology of and behavior of Blue sharks. Tagging has shown that these incredible swimmers actually migrate completely across the Atlantic ocean. Jonathan tries his hand at tagging a shark and then swims with Blue sharks. We also learn that Blue sharks are not nearly as vicious as they have been reputed to be, and the divers are actually able to pet the sharks! Please see the accompanying study guide for educational objectives and discussion points.

Throughout the day, your nervous system monitors and makes endless adjustments to your body's basic systems -- all to keep you alive. This interactive feature illustrates the complexity of such a task.

This list of botanical gardens and arboretums includes links to Web sites which you can search for institutions in your region. In addition, it includes detailed information about 14 of the country's largest botanical gardens and arboretums. Where possible, it includes the following information for each: mailing address and phone number, Web site and email address, details about its grounds and collections, and the type of support offered, including educational materials, resource libraries, and classes/workshops.

This online article, from the museum's Musings newsletter for educators, profiles two scientists who lead walking tours in New York City's green spaces. Bill Schiller, a botany lecturer and senior museum instructor, discusses the ways in which he "builds an appreciation of how nature works and a sense of responsible stewardship" during his tours. Bob DeCandido, an urban park ranger, explains how he "teaches city-dwellers to look closely at their wild neighbors and become better environmental stewards in the process." The article also includes ideas for four activities that can be completed during a walking tour.

Find out how serious head concussions can be in this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW.

This video segment from The Human Spark observes the brains responses to a series of cognitive tests.

In this video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey, learn about bubonic plague and how city officials in San Francisco tried to contain its spread in the early 1900s..

In this interactive activity from Shedd Aquarium, build a fish and then release it into the reef to search for food and evade predators. Try different combinations and observe how each kind of fish has unique adaptations that help it survive in its habitat.

In this activity, learners burn a peanut, which produces a flame that can be used to boil away water and count the calories contained in the peanut. Learners use a formula to calculate the calories in a peanut and then differentiate between food calories and physicist calories as well as calories and joules.