Share-A-Cart

This free, teacher-friendly tool lets teachers, administrators, and parent groups build shareable shopping carts across major retailers. No app, login, or account is required. Whether it’s a classroom supply list, project materials, or a PTA fundraiser, Share-A-Cart simplifies coordination. Instead of juggling spreadsheets and e-mails, educators can create and send ready-to-shop carts in seconds, saving time and reducing confusion for families and donors. It is easy to mark a cart as being for a particular class, group of students, or even for parents. When teachers need to reorder supplies, they can find their cart from the last time they ordered and pass it along to their purchaser to get what they need faster.

Play It Safe! 

This activity from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Statistics in Schools program incorporates peer-to-peer learning in small groups to teach fifth graders how the U.S. Census Bureau helps emergency responders provide support during natural disasters. Students rotate through various stations to model the completion of tasks of emergency responders, such as making an emergency preparedness kit, determining the states with the highest risk for hurricanes, and reviewing photos of houses to determine which are most likely to survive a natural disaster. The activity not only helps students learn to identify the key measures of emergency preparedness in a community, but also teaches them to analyze the effects of environmental hazards on people and evaluate—through the use of authentic Census data—how prepared U.S. residents are for natural disasters. The activity includes a guide for teachers and a printable version for students.

Resources for Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science

To support high school educators across the country, this website offers a suite of free, high-quality resources designed to accompany the acclaimed PBS series Searching: Our Quest for Meaning in the Age of Science, in which physicist and best-selling author Alan Lightman investigates how key findings of modern science help us find our bearings in the cosmos. These materials—including lesson plans, curated video clips, and classroom discussion guides—explore the rich intersection of the sciences and humanities, inviting students to reflect on some of life’s biggest questions through a multidisciplinary lens. 

Each of the lesson plans begins with a related video from the television series. About half of the lesson plans focus on hands-on science activities. The other half draw out students’ critical- thinking skills through reflection, discussion, and writing. The lessons take students from the origin of the universe to the origin of life, from our relationship to other animals to the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence, and finally to our place in the universe. Lessons feature topics like Pendulums and Laws of Nature, Creating Life in the Lab, and Observing the Heavens.

Space Foundation International Teacher Liaisons

Space Foundation International Teacher Liaisons are a community of more than 375 educators worldwide who inspire the next generation of explorers. The program provides benefits that improve teaching skills, provide an encouraging community for educators, and influence space and science education at a global level. Teacher Liaisons use space-related education programs and practical resources in the classroom to act as advocates for space-based education in their schools and districts. The program is open to public, private, and homeschool teachers, as well as school administrators, principals, specialists, curriculum and instruction developers, and others who deliver education programs to K–college students.

Teacher Liaisons serve as a connection between Space Foundation and their schools and communities, often collaborating with other organizations such as NASA. The program’s benefits include free registration and Exhibit Center admission for Space Foundation’s Space Symposium; curriculum resources and various professional development courses; networking opportunities with top educators and space industry experts; participation in a community of encouraging educators worldwide; hands-on and inspiring classroom projects; and opportunities to design learning activities in a collaborative setting. Apply by October 31.

Dreyfus Foundation Grants

The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation provides grants for nonprofit organizations located within the United States. The foundation aims to support organizations and programs for which a relatively small amount of funding might make a large difference. Awards typically range from $1,000 to $20,000. Requests can come from schools and hospitals; educational, skills-training, and other programs for youth, seniors, and persons with disabilities; museums; environmental and wildlife protection activities; cultural and performing arts programs; and other community-based organizations and programs. The Foundation cannot make grants to individuals. Apply by November 10 for the Spring Award Round. 

Explorer Classroom Wildlife Series

National Geographic’s Explorer Classroom Wildlife Series can immerse students in an interactive program to explore wildlife globally, while taking action locally. This series of five live virtual events and five accompanying activities returns on September 25 and runs through October 30, with a special celebration event on November 13. The program is designed for students ages 8–14, but other grade levels also may participate. In each event, host, Explorer and shark scientist Gibbs Kuguru will connect a National Geographic Explorer with your students for a live 45-minute virtual class featuring interactive moments and a Q&A session. 

The Educator Mission Guide, available this month, includes short, hands-on “mission” activities designed to help students develop an Explorer Mindset as they investigate the wildlife in their local community. Like the Explorers they will meet, your students will draw on their own observations, data analysis, and research to propose solutions. Register to get access to all five events, the Educator Mission Guide, and a webinar for educators to help you prepare.