OUTREACH

The Backboned Seven Activities and pictures to assist students in learning the seven classes of vertebrates. Includes specimens and picture wheels to assist in identification. (1 kit) *SOL*

Bat Kit Contains books, brochures, and activities about bats, bat conservation, and bat "fact and fiction." Kits includes an assembled bat box, a "Bat and Moth" game, and bat masks. (1 kit) *SOL*

Birds Kit Includes study skins of some common birds and materials to aid in teaching about birds: posters and graphics, a field guide, activities, bones and feathers, and a bird song tape. (1 kit) *SOL*

Insect Kit Includes specimens commonly found in Virginia, the US, as well as some unusual insects found in other countries. Includes activities for investigating insects. (1 kit) *SOL*

Mammal Kit Contains specimens and bones of mammals common to Virginia, a field guide to animal tracks, a key to mammal skulls, and a handbook with additional information and activities. (1 kit) *SOL*

Save Our Streams Kit (SOS) This kit contains stream monitoring equipment for the citizens stream quality survey of the Izaak Walton League. Participants determine stream quality by inspecting the number and types of insects and other aquatic organisms. Training workshops are held twice a year. Field assistance upon request. (8 kits) *SOL*

Wolf Kit The kit contains materials that collectively explain the past and current wolf situation in North America, the wolf's role in biodiversity, wolf biology, and wolf social characteristics. Included are the teacher's guide Wolves and Humans, story and activity books, a video, and four wolf posters. (1 kit available) *SOL*

MINTS Project was funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to encourage hands-on, inquiry-based science using local environments as laboratories. The MINTS Book is still a much requested resource for teachers and community groups working to encourage outdoor learning for youth through the The Children and Nature Network and other concerns around the No Child Left Inside Act (2009 H.R. 2054). Thanks to the generous, collaborative efforts of the North Carolina Office of Environmental Education, The MINTS Book is now available online through the Geosciences Outreach page.

MINTS Hands-on Science Kit Science tools, such as hand lenses, thermometers, and pH paper. Ideal for indoor or outdoor science activities and is large enough to support a class of 20-30 students. (2 kits)

• Virginia Museum of Natural History
• American Museum of Natural History
• National Museum of Natural History
• Kuban's Guide to Natural History Museums on the Web
• Meta-list of Natural History Museums and Collections (University of Washington)
• Smithsonian Institute
• Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections
• Eastern Shore of Virginia Historical Society

Mike Rosenzweig
Senior Instructor and Outreach Director

2094-E Derring Hall (MC 0406)
926 West Campus Drive
Blacksburg, VA 24061

ruppia@vt.edu

(540) 231-5360