Scout Archives

From song and dance to STEAM and dance, Ok Go Sandbox reminds users that learning can, and should, be fun. Using music videos from the group Ok Go as a launching point, the site provides "an online resource for educators," with "guided inquiry challenges allowing students to explore various STEAM concepts." Under the Lessons tab, readers will find six educational units. Each curriculum page...

Enjoy a virtual outdoor adventure with America's National Parks Podcast. This podcast has an eye towards storytelling and "takes you behind the events, people, and nature," that have impacted "the 417 units managed by the National Park Service." The more than 120 episodes come in a variety of formats. Some episodes describe the history and future of specific parks, from King Canyon to the Wild...

Newcomers to land use and protection may enjoy "Conservation 101," a comprehensive reference guide compiled in 2015. The guide begins with a brief introduction to public lands in the United States and conservation generally. For example, the Public Land Conservation section includes an outline of "Government Agencies that Manage Public Lands and Affect Environmental Policy." Next, the guide...

Readers curious or concerned about the outdoor access in their community may want to explore this resource. Notably, "across the United States, 100 million residents don't have a park within a 10-minute walk of home." The Trust for Public Land is hoping to change that with initiatives such as the Park Score Index, developed as an extension of their mission "to create parks and protect land for...

Using information from the public data science site Kaggle, Biodiversity in National Parks offers unique ways to explore the species diversity found within the U.S. National Parks. A short video introduces users to the tool, including navigating the options on the left-hand panel. After watching this video, users can maneuver this "navigation panel" to explore various project features. The...