The United States federal government has many resources we can use for our Science Center as well as science activities that might be better for smaller groups. This badge programs features on specific governmental agencies and sites that provide scientific information that you can use in your Science Center.
Steps
1. Disease.
On the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention site, you can find information on diseases and conditions, healthy living, etc. Explore this site for information you might include with your science event or center.
2. Energy.
The Department of Energy provides information on science education, climate change and saving energy. Look through their offerings. Also check out the science and technical information for the DOE at osti.gov. What might you use for your own science offerings?
3. Emergency.
Emergency Ready is designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for / respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. Check out the site, especially the “kids” tab. How might you use this to create a science event or center?
4. Environment.
The EPA “fosters the sound use of science and technology and conducts leading-edge research” to protect our health and environment. Explore the EPA’s offerings.
5. Health and Human.
While this site doesn’t have “lessons”, it does have information that can be used to support them. From information on vaccines to nutrition to fitness, you can find a lot of current information to use for your science endeavors.
6. Aeronautics and Space.
If you’re into space, you’re in the right place. From new stories to apps to podcasts, you can find enough information to keep you busy for years. Dropdown to “educators” to find educational resources for NASA. No explanation is needed beyond this, just go explore.
7. Human Genome.
Find out about issues in genetics, National DNA Day and more. You can find many educational resources for students and educators.
8. Health.
www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Kids/default.asp
This is the direct link to the kids pages. Find out information on keeping your body healthy.
9. Ocean and Atmosphere.
Find many educational resource collections to peruse including:
- Oceans and coasts
- Weather and atmosphere
- Climate
- Marine life
- Freshwater
Explore the site and track those items that you might want to use later.
10. Park Service.
The National Park Service provides information for kids and teachers on parks and more. Some items you might want to check out include:
- 2016 Centennial
- Free entrance days
- Junior Ranger program
- Local park(s)
- Mobile apps
- National Fossil Day
11. Agriculture.
Check out the various scientific topics the US Department of Agriculture covers:
- Animals
- Biotechnology
- Climate Solutions
- Conservation
- Disaster
- Farming
- Food and Nutrition
- Forestry
- Health and Safety
- Organic
- Plants
- Research and Science
While they no longer have a specific area for kids’ education, they still have a lot of information available.
12. Geological.
From fact sheets to videos to online lectures and more, the US Geological Society has a lot of information about our world. There is a large repository of images you can use as well. Look through their offerings.
Supplements
SUPP_USGS Specific_2in_12up_larajla
- Avery 2.5” round label printable, 12 up
SUPP_ USGS Specific_Checklist_larajla
- Badge checklist
Sites to Explore
Sites are listed in the steps above.
Get the infographic here > larajla blog post
Get the PDFs of the badge program / supplements here > Full badge PDFs