Education Kit Loan Program

Units available: 5 (3 with book) 

Description: Marine debris: Any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes. 

The Trash Trunk provides 14 lessons and activities for a variety of age groups (K - adult) to learn about marine debris in the Great Lakes, including where marine debris comes from, its impacts, and what can be done about marine debris. The kit includes most of the supplies needed to conduct the 14 activities. 

Five Trash Trunk units are available, with three including the book “What Milly Did: The Remarkable Pioneer of Plastics Recycling.” Only one unit is recommended per classroom, as materials can be reused. 

The Educator’s Guide to the Trash Trunk includes 14 total activities, though not all equipment is included to perform each activity. Some activities incorporate Adopt-a-Beach cleanup. 

The guide further divides activities into three sections: 

1. What is marine debris, and where does it come from?
2. What are the impacts of marine debris?
3. What can be done about marine debris?

Units available: 12 (7 with plush fish) 

Components: 

1. Fish-o-pedia lesson sheet.
2. Plush fish (included in 7 out of 12 kits).
3. Tube containing vinyl fish cutouts ranging in size from the Round Goby to the Chinook Salmon.
4. Book: “The Life of the Lakes: A Guide to the Great Lakes Fishery.”
   1. Note: This book is best suited for older learners (high school and up), though it provides valuable background for educators using the kit.
5. Double-sided food webs for each of the five Great Lakes with brief descriptions of each of the species pictured.
6. Plastic cards with a glossary, a photo of each fish, and a detailed fish description. 
    

Description: The Fish-o-Pedia Pack provides visuals and descriptions of fish species of the Great Lakes. Educators will need to create their own lessons to make use of pack contents, so the Pack can be made suitable for a variety of age groups.

Units available: 10 

Components (all can be handled by students): 

1. A lesson plan booklet.
2. Vinyl cutouts of carp.
3. Laminated cartoon infographic of aquatic dispersal methods of aquatic invasive species.
4. A box of animal specimens, including Sea Lamprey, Round Goby, Zebra and Quagga Mussels, Eurasian Ruffe, and Rusty Crayfish.
5. Large index cards of invasive species and facts for each. 

Description: Invasive species: An invasive species is an organism that causes ecological or economic harm in a new environment where it is not native. 

The Aquatic Invaders Attack Pack is a show and tell of the area’s aquatic invasive species (AIS), how they showed up in local ecosystems, and how the spread of AIS can be prevented and controlled. 

Based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) represented in the lesson plan, this was created with the 2nd and 3rd grade in mind, though the information contained is still valuable for older students and could be adapted accordingly. 

Note: Previous versions of the Aquatic Invaders Attack Pack referenced an online materials component for further lessons and activities. This website is no longer available.

Units available: 3

Components: 

1. A Stream Ecology Kit instruction booklet.
2. Vinyl macroinvertebrate ID sheets.
3. 50 petri dishes.
4. A water/sediment sifting tray.
5. A glass jar with a magnifying lid.
6. Six plastic trays to hold insects.
7. Hand lenses.
8. A digital scale.
9. A ruler.
10. Laminated dichotomous key.
11. Laminated invertebrate flashcards.
12. Plastic bags.
13. Mesh nets for leaf packs.
     

Description: The Stream Ecology kits are written and designed as a science experiment that tests (1) the health of a particular waterway, and (2) the biodiversity or identification of macroinvertebrates. The nature of this kit lends itself to middle school and older students. 

While the kit comes with materials to learn identification of stream habitat macroinvertebrates, the contents can be applied to lake/pond habitats as well. 

This kit will require 3-4 weeks to conduct the full experiment; however, during this time, there are many topics that can be covered, which are relevant to the experiment. Additional topics include the scientific method and research processes, chemical characteristics of the stream, biodiversity, pollution and water health, or stream/bank/shoreline habitat characteristics.

The kit is meant to be used once, but leaf bags can be replenished. Each experiment requires six leaf bags in one stream section, so in a middle/high school setting, one bag could be used for a different class/hour, so the entire student body is able to participate. 

The website to share experiment data is still active and can be used to incorporate learning from different regions. 

Please note: the kit does not come with chemical testing equipment, but strips for most tests can be bought cheaply from pet stores or water quality sites.

Units available: 3 stream model, 3 coast model

Description: Through playing the Watershed Game, students understand the connection between land use and water quality. The stream model addresses the watershed for an entire headwater, while the coast model focuses on improving resilience to flooding and water quality. The game is designed for middle and high school students; stream models can be adapted for upper elementary.

Units available: 7

Description: This 7’x10’ vinyl Great Lakes Basin map illustrates the 2,212-mile journey from the tip of Lake Superior to the Atlantic Ocean. The map includes a depth profile of the lakes and major rivers within the system, and shows the direction and volume of flow through each of the lakes. 

Units available: 1

Components:

1. Educator's guide
2. Activity sheets 
    

Description: Learn about microplastics and the journey they take through a wastewater treatment plant with a series of hands-on steps in the Plastic Panic Kit. 

Educators will need access to water and a computer to use the kit.

Units available: 1

Description: cyanoScope uses outreach and crowdsourcing to learn more about cyanobacteria and their distribution. Use the kit to collect samples, prepare slides, and identify cyanobacteria. 

Images of cyanobacteria in samples can be submitted virtually.