Missouri Department of Conservation

Discover Nature Schools

Get your students excited about nature now, and they’ll be conservationists for life. Our Discover Nature Schools program gives you the tools to inspire students in grades three through 12.

Each exciting, full-color instructional unit meets Missouri grade-level expectations and includes a teacher guide. Because starting a new classroom program can be a challenge, we also include teacher training and grant funding for materials and equipment.

To launch a Discover Nature Schools program in your class, contact your local education consultant or outdoor skills specialist. He or she can introduce you to the units, register you for training and help you get started.

Instructional Units

• Nature Unleashed—The Untamed World of Missouri Ponds, Forests, and Prairies (grades 3-5)

• Conserving Missouri's Aquatic Ecosystems (grades 6-8)
• Nature Unbound (grades 9-12) 
• See How the Turkey Grows (grades K-2) (In pilot Fall 2011)

Conserving Missouri's Aquatic Ecosystems

Look at this middle school education unit about aquatic ecology.

Nature Unbound

High-school level curriculum on the impact of ecology on Missouri and the world.

Nature Unleashed

Fun is in your students’ nature, and Nature Unleashed helps them get outside and explore it. Our new education unit for third- to fifth-graders has colorful, engaging student books and teacher guides. Field-tested activities are aligned to Missouri’s grade-level expectations, so you can use them with confidence.