Breaking Down Barriers

Supporting Community Engagement and Effective Science Communication

Over the years, NCSE has developed and field-tested many climate change and evolution activities, from The Evolution of the Flu to Rising Tides. They’ve been used effectively across the country, engaging thousands of participants to help them overcome misconceptions and misinformation they may have about evolution and climate change. Detailed descriptions of each activity are available online, including how-to videos and resource lists. (Note: You are responsible for purchasing any necessary materials beyond what is downloadable. We strive to make the materials as affordable and accessible as possible.)

January 7, 2020
Activity Kit
Journey to Flight
Dinosaurs, pterosaurs, birds, oh my! Explore the evolution of flight with a phylogenetic tree of prehistoric and living creatures. Use character-trait observations and DNA sequences as evidence to re-create the tree and solve the mystery.
December 5, 2019
Activity Kit
In Case of Cellulose
In Case of Cellulose dives into the digestive tracts of four species - human, panda, horse and cow; and explores how cellulose is digested differently.
October 21, 2019
Activity Kit
Geology Park
Misconceptions about evolution are addressed in Geology Park as participants must travel a scaled model of deep time. In addition to exploring the radiations of important phylogenetic groups, participants can also collect data useful in reconstructing the past.
Ear bones
October 18, 2019
Article
The Evolution of Hearing
Mammals exhibit remarkable variety in their sense of hearing; from elephants communicating with infrasonic sounds to bats navigating their environment through echolocation calls at ultrasonic frequencies, many non-human mammals hear outside the typical human hearing range.
September 27, 2019
Activity Kit
Climate Change in my Community: Changes in Precipitation–Climatograms of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
This project uses Climatograms to determine change in precipitation over the last 100 years, using Pittsburgh, PA as a reference point. Participants pick a time point and build the precipitation for that year using counting cubes.
September 27, 2019
Activity Kit
Climate Change in my Community: Climate Change on File, Trees as Environmental Secretaries by Taryn Dunivant
The activity, Climate Change on File: Trees as Environmental Secretaries, describes many environmental conditions that trees rely on and face and how they become recorded in their wood. The activity focuses on the relationship between precipitation and growth-ring size in trees.
September 5, 2019
Activity Kit
Climate Change in my Community: Shrinking Glaciers: Why We’re Losing Ice and Why It Matters by Meera Sethi
Choose from three modular activities to achieve linked learning goals. In the first, historic vs. contemporary photos of the same glaciers dramatically illustrate the retreat of mountain ice.
September 4, 2019
Activity Kit
Climate Change in my Community: The Sea Stars Kit by Laurie Luckritz
"Star Grazing" is about understanding the impacts of rising temperatures on the nutrient cycle of marine life. In this activity, participants discover that sea star populations are decreasing while mussel populations rise, which causes biodiversity to decrease overall.
September 4, 2019
Activity Kit
Climate Change in my Community: West Nile Virus Climate-Health Awareness Emoji Activity by Sandy Phillips-Long
Engage in a climate-health discussion focused on the spread of West Nile virus, transmitted by mosquitoes which flourish during the warmer, wetter conditions brought about by climate change. At the conclusion of the activity, participants create a climate-health emoji.
August 28, 2019
Activity Kit
Climate Change in my Community: Flash Floods and our Changing Climate by Lilly Jones
As the climate continues to change, we see changes to the hydrologic cycle occurring worldwide.
August 16, 2019
Activity Kit
Buzz Off!
Mosquito populations are predicted to extend their ranges to new areas as a result of climate change. This brings about concerns for the spread of mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, Zika, and West Nile.
August 16, 2019
Activity Kit
Cool Cities
Many cities act as urban heat islands, significantly warmer than their surrounding areas due to human activities. Our warming climate will only make these cities hotter, leading to intense heat waves and lowered quality of life.
August 12, 2019
Activity Kit
Rising Tides
Warming oceans and melting landlocked ice caused by global climate change may result in rising sea levels. This rise in sea level combined with increased intensity and frequency of storms will produce storm surges that flood subways, highways and homes.

Become a DIYSci Affiliate

DIYSci Affiliates (formerly Science Booster Clubs) lead science activities in communities that may not have strong connections to science learning opportunities. Run by local volunteers, DIYSci Affiliates hold activities in publicly accessible places, such as libraries, farmers’ markets, and community centers. DIYSci Affiliates can make use of fully stocked activity kits sent quarterly by NCSE, as well as any of the materials available for download on this page. Love science and communicating science with kids? Then consider organizing a DIYSci Affiliate.

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