Understanding Climate Change

		What's the Big Idea About Climate Change? Article for grades 3 through 8 This isn't the first time Earth's climate has changed, but it's the first time human activity has caused it. Learn more about global warming and how — and why — we should slow it.
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		Rising CO2! What Can We Do? Article for grades 3 through 8 Energy has shaped the world we live in, but how is our use of energy changing the planet we live on? Track the effects of 400 years of human action. And then find out what we can do to lower carbon dioxide emissions.
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		What Do You Know About Climate Change? Activity for grades 3 through 8 Think your an expert on our changing climate? Test your knowledge with this interactive quiz.
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		Let's Talk with Christina Hulbe about Studying Ice Flows for Clues to Climate Change Article for grades 6 through 12 What's better than watching ice melt? Building a computer model to simulate the melting! Ice flow plays an important role in everything from deep ocean circulation patterns to global warming.
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		Let's Talk with Martin Jeffries about Sea Ice and Climate in Antarctica Article for grades 6 through 12 At the poles, it's possible to study sea ice that's 3,000 years old. Find out what scientists learn by cutting up ice cores and seeing the ice crystals' many different textures and colors.
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		Climate Change Graphics from the Hall of Planet Earth Exhibition Materials for grades 9 through 12 A year without a summer? Volcanic eruptions recorded in ice? Take a look at the world through the eyes of a geologist, and see the effects of climate changes.
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		Environmental Alphabet Activity for grades Kindergarten through 5 "Atmosphere," "biofuels," "carbon dioxide"—challenge students to spell out their climate change knowledge from A to Z.
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Climate Change Affects Our World

		Living on Ice Activity for grades 3 and up Can you solve these four chilly puzzles about how people and animals live in the Arctic? Put your story telling skills to the test and collect new OLogy trading cards.
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		Arctic Story Puzzles Activity for grades Kindergarten and up Life in the icy Arctic isn't so hard if you're prepared! Solve the puzzle of how people and polar bears live in a land of ice.
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		Melting Ice, Rising Seas Article for grades 6 and up Travel to the edge of the Greenland Ice Sheet to find out what could happen if global warming melts it and the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.
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		Going, Going, Gone? Article for grades 3 through 8 Today, species are becoming extinct—disappearing from our planet—at a faster rate than ever before. What's behind this increase, and what can be done to slow or stop it?
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		Climate Change Circle of Consequences Activity for grades 3 through 12 "Greenhouse effect" and "global warming" are becoming household phrases but how, exactly, are they linked? Explore the interconnections and consequences of climate change.
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Make a Difference

		Climate Change: The Multiplier Effect Activity for grades 6 through 12 How much can you reduce your carbon dioxide emissions? Is it worth it? Learn how simple choices multiplied by everyone in your community can make a big difference.
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		Be an Energy Saver Activity for grades 3 through 8 When it comes to global warming, your day-to-day actionscan make a big difference—if millions of people do it. Find out what you can do to save energy and slow climate change.
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		Using Solar Energy Activity for grades 6 through 12 After having students conduct a simple solar energy experiment, challenge them to build a better water heater with this classroom competition.
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Greenhouse Effect & Carbon Cycle

		Make a Terrarium Activity for grades 3 through 8 For billions of years the greenhouse effect has made life possible on Earth. Build a terrarium—your own miniature greenhouse—to see this process at work.
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		Carbon Dioxide Removal Activity for grades 3 through 8 Students will observe and learn about the carbon cycle in this experiment.
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		How Greenhouse Gases Absorb Heat Activity for grades 9 through 12 In this experiment students will observe two model atmospheres to understand how greenhouse gases absorb and hold heat.
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Weather & Climate

		Make Your Own Weather Station Activity for grades 3 through 8 Surrounding Earth is a layer of air, the atmosphere, where conditions are always changing. Try your hand at predicting weather patterns by making a wind vane, a rain gauge, and a barometer.
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		Video Gallery: Global Ocean Circulation Article for grades 6 through 12 What drives ocean circulation? How does the ocean's movement influence global climate? See firsthand how computer models are helping scientists answer these questions.
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		The Ocean's Role in the Climate System Article for grades 6 through 12 The ocean has a huge capacity to absorb carbon dioxide. To combat global warming, should we modify the ocean's chemistry to increase its uptake rates?
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		The Ocean Drives Earth's Climate Activity for all ages Ever wonder what causes ocean currents or how they circulate water and heat between the equator and the poles? Find out with a little food coloring and a hands-on look at convection.
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		Let's Talk with David Bromwich about Meteorology in the Poles Article for grades 6 through 12 It takes only about a month for any change in Antarctica's weather to be felt in North America—pretty remarkable when you consider that Antarctica is 12,874 kilometers (8,000 miles) away.
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		Let's Talk with Gerd Wendler about Studying Polar Climate Article for grades 6 through 12 Talk about the force of gravity—Antarctica's powerful katabatic winds thunder down from the high polar plateau to the coast, creating wind speeds that typically exceed 100 mph every winter month.
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		Research on the Web: Temperatures Across the Globe Activity for grades 6 through 12 What does latitude have to do with the weather? Quite a bit! Chart annual weather patterns in the U.S. and Antarctica to discover the link between location and weather patterns.
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		NAO: Driving Climate Across the Atlantic Article for grades 9 through 12 The fickle Nordic sister of El Niño, the North Atlantic Oscillation regularly stirs up trouble in Europe, Canada, and the eastern US. Take an in-depth look at the little-known, yet significant, NAO.
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		Weather Report Evidence and Analysis for grades 6 through 12 You don’t need high-tech equipment like an anemometer to measure the wind speed at your field site. This easy-to-complete weather report helps you classify the wind’s speed by observing its effects.
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Paleoclimate

		Melting Glaciers: Clues to Climate Change Article for grades 6 through 12 Travel to the Peruvian Andes with a team of glaciologists, who are racing to observe the world's largest tropical ice cap—before global warming melts it away.
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		Studying Tree Rings to Learn About Global Climate Article for grades 9 through 12 By taking biopsy-like samples from centuries-old Siberian pines, scientists have reconstructed a 300-year record of temperature changes for the Arctic and the Northern Hemisphere.
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Reference Lists

		Climate Change Books for Kids Reference List for grades 3 through 8 From weather experiments to North Pole travel to activities for "citizen scientists," these kid-friendly titles make it easy to explore weather and climate change.
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		MESSENGER: Mission to Mercury Article for grades 6 through 12 Until recently there was 55 percent of Mercury's surface that we had never seen. NASA's January 2008 MESSENGER mission changed that, sending back a complete picture of Mercury and shedding light on its geological history.
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		SALT: Imaging the Southern Sky Article for grades 6 through 12 When South Africa decided to build a new telescope, it went big—as in rival-the-world's-best big. Take a closer look at the biggest single optical infrared telescope in the Southern Hemisphere.
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		Climate Change Online Resources Reference List for grades Kindergarten through 12 Continue exploring the ways human activity is changing our climate and what these changes mean for our planet with this collection of websites.
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