TOP PICKS | 27 TOOLS
Awesome Earth Science Apps, Websites, and Games
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A Changing Planet
The Earth by Tinybop
Explore challenging concepts with beautiful, interactive free play
Bottom line: When used in conjunction with the handbook, this interactive model is a good way to help teach kids about Earth.
Grades: K–2
Price: $2.99
Mystery Science
Big questions, kids' curiosity drive impressive science curriculum
Bottom line: These powerful science units capitalize on elementary school students' natural curiosity.
Grades: K–5
Price: Paid First-time users may be eligible for a free membership. Classroom memberships are $99 per year; school and district memberships are $499 for the first year and then $999 for subsequent years (if purchased before a certain date). Otherwise, regular school and district memberships are $1,499 per year.
Earthquakes for Kids
Fact-heavy site could shake things up with more kid-friendly design
Bottom line: Lots of great earthquake facts and data to be found, but most of it needs to be filtered through an adult.
Grades: 1–6
Price: Free
ExploreLearning Gizmos
Vast array of science and math simulations impresses
Bottom line: This powerful and extensive set of math and science tools puts the learning in students' hands.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free to try, Paid Free accounts allow access to a rotating collection of free Gizmos, as well as a preview of all Gizmos for up to five minutes a day. School and district licenses available; pricing available upon request.
WWF Free Rivers
Gorgeous ecology AR model is simple but compelling
Bottom line: The free price tag makes this app a no-brainer for including in any lesson on water resources, though teachers will still need to provide context.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free
Puzzling Plates
Piece together Earth's plates with fun science activities
Bottom line: This great Earth science tool gives kids an opportunity to interactively explore concepts related to plate tectonics.
Grades: 4–8
Price: $2.99
Inq-ITS
Virtual labs epitomize the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices
Bottom line: Earth, life, and physical science simulations coach kids through the NGSS Practices.
Grades: 5–10
Price: Free to try, Paid Pricing available upon request; school and district licenses are available.
Focus on Earthquakes
Content-rich resource digs deep into the causes and consequences of earthquakes
Bottom line: This content-rich Earth science resource uses a range of formats to engage kids and to support diverse learning styles.
Grades: 6–12
Price: $3.99
Stop Disasters!
Slick sim explores global natural disasters
Bottom line: Few other browser-based sims better illustrate the potential of gaming for learning about serious issues in our world.
Grades: 7–12
Price: Free
Earth's History
National Geographic Education
Top geography resource site provides global exploration opportunities
Bottom line: This is a must-bookmark site for classrooms across the curriculum hunting for inspiring geography-based resources.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: Free
NOVA
Compelling science videos have high-quality classroom applications
Bottom line: Stellar simulations, teacher guides, and other activities can stand on their own, and they're enhanced with high-quality video content.
Grades: Pre-K–12
Price: Free
CK-12
Super STEM resource with highly accessible content
Bottom line: Making STEM content accessible to kids with different learning styles, CK-12 could be the key to mastery for some students.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
NASA
Visually super NASA-backed treasure trove may overwhelm
Bottom line: A visually stunning way to get kids interested in science and space exploration.
Grades: 2–12
Price: Free
EarthViewer
Earth's deep geologic history and real science data at your fingertips
Bottom line: An unbeatable Earth Science app for its data, scope, and potential for learning.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Big History Project
Fascinating look at life's bigger questions with a fresh perspective
Bottom line: A wonderfully innovative and divergent way to teach foundational concepts in history, humanities, critical thinking, and science.
Grades: 9–12
Price: Free
Focus on Climate
MarcoPolo Weather
Adorable sandbox tool lets kids safely explore, experiment, observe
Bottom line: A fun, cheerful way for kids to explore weather while appropriately touching on more serious issues like safety.
Grades: Pre-K–2
Price: $2.99
Climate Kids
Kid-friendly, expert site explores key climate issues
Bottom line: A great launching point for engaging in accurate and timely climate change information.
Grades: 3–6
Price: Free
Tuva Labs
Dynamic data exploration tool offers large collection of data sets
Bottom line: Partner with another teacher (preferably a data whiz) and work together to develop cross-curricular activities.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free, Paid Tuva Basic is free, with access to 15 data sets and five data set uploads. Tuva Premium is $400 per teacher per year or $4,000 per school per year (custom rates available) and provides access to the entire content library.
BiomeViewer
World habitat app full of intriguing visual comparisons, useful data
Bottom line: This biome reference app helps students get local when understanding their planet Earth.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
Earth-Now
Enticing display of climate data updated regularly
Bottom line: There's a lot of potential in this visually stimulating resource tool, but teachers will need to do some serious legwork to make the data meaningful.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free
NASA Global Climate Change - Vital Signs of the Planet
Tons of climate change info from expert sources in one easy place
Bottom line: This is a one-stop shop for climate change info, from basic intro content to practical guides and raw data; good for middle schoolers and up.
Grades: 6–12
Price: Free Free
Structure of Earth
MarcoPolo Ocean
Young explorers discover oceans through puzzles and free play
Bottom line: This fun app helps kids gain an appreciation for the waters that cover much of the Earth's surface.
Grades: Pre-K–K
Price: $2.99
Google Earth
Cool geographical exploration tool has endless classroom applications
Bottom line: Google Earth is an engaging and completely open-ended app perfect for use across the educational spectrum.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
PhET Interactive Simulations
Massive cache of excellent (and free!) science and math simulations
Bottom line: Instantly add meaningful lab experiences to math and science classrooms for exactly $0? It's tough to beat that.
Grades: K–12
Price: Free
Earth Primer
Earth comes alive with interactive textbook; some content lacks depth
Bottom line: Though it's pricey and its progress tracking is limited, these interactive graphics will spark curiosity while teaching kids about a variety of Earth Science concepts.
Grades: 3–6
Price: $9.99
Google Earth VR
Explore the world with an incredible new perspective and sense of scale
Bottom line: An amazing experience that brings the world to life, despite the heavy investment in VR required.
Grades: 3–12
Price: Free Requires a virtual reality headset.
Google Treks
Cool tool uses maps to create fun projects, could use some updating
Bottom line: The site offers a good variety of subjects and grade levels, but project quality across the site could use more consistency.
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
