The Bishop is here to support and inspire while we learn together at home. Our learning resources bring the WOW moments to you through The Bishop’s collections, interactive science programs and natural history knowledge. Here you can explore our printable PDFs and videos with simple activities that families and classrooms can do together. These activities can be adapted for a variety of materials and age groups, so make them your own and use the materials you have on hand!
We will continue to update these resources, so please visit again. Make sure to follow, engage, and interact with us on Facebook and Instagram to get your regular dose of science, nature and manatee moments and be sure to share photos and stories about the projects you do AND the things you find in your own backyards on our Facebook page!
Activities for Early Learners through Grade 2
Woodland Animal Play
Use your imagination to become two of our favorite fluffy animals, a red fox and a raccoon. These animals like to live in the woods, places with lots of trees, but are often found near humans too.
Matter Bingo
Solid, liquid or gas? Matter or non matter? In this bingo game, players look at what is around them as they explore states of matter.
Scratch-and-Sniff Paint
Add a sensory twist to your art with home-made scratch-and-sniff paint. This fun craft will bring your art to a whole new level!
Fun With Constellations
Create star patterns from the night sky right inside your own home! You can also use your imagination to create your own unique constellations!
Squirrels!
Backyard Butterflies
Tales Under the Tree
Gather the kiddos and settle in for Tales Under the Tree, a special story to spark their curiosity about science and nature!
“Professor Astro Cat’s Space Rockets,”
by Dr. Dominic Walliman
“The Salamander Room,”
by Anne Mazer
“Bone by Bone,”
by Sara Levine
“Rosie Revere, Engineer,”
by Andrea Beaty
“At Home with the Gopher Tortoise,”
by Madeleine Dunphy
“Here We Are,”
by Oliver Jeffers
“We Build Our Homes,”
by Laura Knowles
“Earth, My First 4.54 Billion Years,”
by Stacy McAnulty
“If A Dolphin Were A Fish,”
by Loran Wlodarski
“Fur and Feathers”
by Janet Halfmann
“What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?”
by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins
“Where Should Turtle Be?”
by Susan Ring
“The Night at the Museum,”
by Milan Trenc
“Verdi,”
by Jannell Cannon
“Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes,”
by Nicola Davies
“Diary of a Worm,”
by Doreen Cronin
“No-Song the Indri,”
by Allison Jolly
“I Like Myself,”
by Karen Beaumont
“Follow the Moon Home,”
by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson
“A Day in the Deep,”
by Kevin Kurtz
“Henry the Manatee,”
by Claire Lawrence
Activities for Grades 3 through 5
Bottle Octopus Craft
Build an octopus out of a recycled water bottle. This craft makes a great washable string puppet or an ornament to hang.
Pollinator Poetry
A flower’s size, shape, color, scent and even how it attaches to the stem are all adaptations to attract pollinators. Say a pollinator poem, then match the pollinator to its favorite kind of flower!
Fruit Taste Test
Use your senses to carefully compare any fruits you have on hand. You can choose different varieties of the same kind of fruit (like apples!) or pick all different fruits.
Archaeology Cookie Dig
Discover how archaeologists excavate to uncover mysteries about people who lived in the past. The best part? You get to eat the results!
Florida Food Webs
All living things — even you! — must take in energy to survive and thrive. In this activity, learn how energy flows among Florida plants and animals.
For 4th Graders
4th Graders: There’s a special program just for you! The Bishop’s 4th Grade Core Tour was designed to focus on key learning goals for 4th grade science. You can take a 4th Grade Core Tour by using the Museum’s free “Bishop Pathways” app and reinforce what you learned using the activity pages below.
- Learn more about Pathways or download for FREE from your app store now and get started today! (Search for “Bishop Pathways“)
4th activity pages:
Science Experiment: Vinegar
& Baking Soda, Part 1
Science Experiment: Vinegar
& Baking Soda, Part 2
Will it Flush?
Howard’s Chicks
Activities for Middle Schoolers
Wegener’s Puzzling Evidence
Plate Tectonics is a theory about the movement of continental plates across the earth. It states that the earth’s crust is divided into several plates which slowly move over time as they glide over the hotter rock of the mantle. Alfred Wegener’s evidence led to the acceptance of these gradual but inevitable changes to our earth. In this activity, you will study evidence and come up with your own conclusions about plate tectonics.
Save the Cube!
Learn how heat energy transfers using materials found inside your home to create an insulation layer to prevent an ice cube from melting outside.
Mythical Mysteries
Cultures around the world tell stories of fantastic creatures with otherworldly powers. One of these mythical creatures, the mermaid, is said to have been inspired by one of our favorite animals, the manatee! Using information you have about the world today, try to guess what these people from long ago may have actually seen.
What’s Your Bird Name?
What’s in a name? The common names of animals often tell us key information about them. Using bits of real bird names and information about yourself, create a brand-new bird name unique to you. Use this name to inspire a scientific illustration of your imaginary bird species.
Where Are We?
Let’s explore our solar system and the components within. Use resources — books, interviews of other people, and internet websites like NASA’s — to answer questions about space and learn something new. Then, use the activity guide and the information provided to replicate your own solar system to scale.
Scott’s Marshy Backyard
Tiffany and Sultana
Activities for High Schoolers
Plate Tectonics Tennis Ball Globe
Envisioning continental movements occurring in the theory of plate tectonics can be difficult, especially if it is portrayed only in two dimensions. In this activity, you will create a model to visualize the continental plates in their true orientation, on a 3-dimensional globe.
Dissolving Shells
As our oceans absorb more carbon dioxide, they become more acidic. In this experiment, you will explore how extended exposure to acid affects calcium carbonate shells.
Deciphering Diets
As we look into our planet’s past, we piece together whatever evidence we can find to create a picture of lands and living things lost to time. Use clues from Columbian mammoth and American mastodon fossils and preserved dung to recreate the diets of these animals tens of thousands of years in the past.
Microphotography with Scott
Pine Island Sound with Kevin & Nadine
Howard’s Backyard
Florida’s Fantastic Fossils
Family Fun: Learning and Games
Earth Day Scavenger Hunt
Solve Earth-related challenges as you learn how to keep our planet healthy on Earth Day.
Sound Bingo
Car horn, dog barking or water dripping? What kinds of sounds do you hear around your house and yard? In this bingo game, players listen for what is around them.
Fractions Hopscotch
Grab some sidewalk chalk and practice fractions with family and friends!
Manatee Migration Game
During this game, players pretend they’re manatees migrating to their warm-water refuges.
Museum Display Case
Learn how to be a museum exhibitor by designing and building your own museum display case to showcase your favorite rock, shell, toy, or other treasure!
Additional Recommended Resources
- Smithsonian Learning Lab has a plethora of videos and pictures, with resources specifically geared to distance learning.
- Don’t miss WEDU PBS At-Home Learning for resources suitable for kids of all ages. WEDU Kids has events, games, activities and more.
- Be sure to check out Manatee County’s Soar in 4 Manatee Community.
For earth science, physics and space:
- Try the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s education page and the U.S. Geological Survey’s resources for teachers page.
- For more out-of-this-world science, check out NASA’s astronomy pages, its site for middle-schoolers and, for younger kids, space place.
- For engineering and math challenges, try the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
For animals and the outdoors:
- Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has plenty of good info and downloadable activities on Florida wildlife.
- Audubon has some great outdoor activities
- The Florida Museum Natural History has a whole suite of resources — from coloring pages and videos to keys and identification guides.
