Select Species Groups of Kentucky

In this interactive adapted from Kentucky’s Natural Heritage: An Illustrated Guide to Biodiversity, students will learn about the variety of species that call Kentucky their home.

Think Garden: What's a Food Chain?

This video illustrates why all living things need food and explains how organisms provide energy to each other. Colorful graphics show the difference between a food chain and a food web, and an animation and poem make food chains easy to understand.

Think Garden: The Importance of Water

This video explores why plants need water to survive, and how they tell us they’re thirsty. Learn about the part water plays in the process of photosynthesis, and find out how to conserve and improve water quality. Also an animation explains the water cycle and transpiration process.

Cave Species and Karst Landscapes

In this interactive adapted from Kentucky's Natural Heritage: A Guide to Biodiversity, students will learn about karst landscape, where caves are most prevalent, as well as the different species that can be found in and around caves.

Think Garden: Location, Location

This video shows how location is important to the health of a garden. Learn about the factors that go into choosing a location for a garden. See a variety of alternatives to a traditional garden plot like raised beds, container gardens, hoop houses, and small kitchen gardens.

Think Garden: Soil Composition

This video explains why soil is more than just dirt. Learn how to tell if soil is rich and healthy or lacking in nutrients, which nutrients are essential, and what happens if plants lack these nutrients. Also find out how to improve soil, and find out what compost is, and how to use it.

About the Seasons

Children learn how seasonal weather changes affect everything, from the behavior of animals to the way we dress and play.

Think Garden: Sustainable Gardening

This video examines methods of practicing sustainable gardening. Examples explored include companion planting, composting, and more. Also learn about things not to do in a sustainable garden.

Lentic Communities

In this interactive students learn about the three types of lentic communities and examples of species that are unique to each.

Lotic Communities

This interactive provides a way for students to learn about lotic communities and the fish, mollusks, and invertebrates that live in these communities.

Think Garden: Garden Health and Maintenance

This video explores what a garden needs to remain healthy. See the ways thriving gardens depend on humans, and find out special needs of specific plants.

Animal Chefs

Ever wonder how to tempt the taste buds of a 400-pound mola mola? In this video from QUEST produced by KQED, learn how the chefs at the Monterey Bay Aquarium prepare meals to feed thousands of species.

Animal Coverings

It takes a thick skin to withstand the hardships that life has to offer. This collection of images shows a variety of animals, each with a slightly different type of protective covering.

Animal Mouth Structures

Students observe several animals' mouth structures and explore how these structures help the animal obtain, handle, and eat food.

Animals Making a Living

For most animals, finding food is a full-time job. This video segment explores the food-finding strategies of a variety of creatures, illustrating the idea that different animals have very different ways of getting enough to eat.

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Animals on the Go

This video segment shows a wide variety of creatures in their respective habitats, with a focus on how the animals move.

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Backyard Birdfeeders

This video from WPSU’s series Outside suggests how to feed birds in winter, a hobby that can foster awareness, care, and respect for birds.

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Backyard Wildlife

Squirrels and chipmunks are just two of the animals you might see. Backyard Wildlife, an original KET video, encourages children to explore the world outside their back door.

Backyard Wildlife Interactive

Squirrels and chipmunks are just two of the animals you might see. Backyard Wildlife, an original KET video, encourages children to explore the world outside their back door.

Basic Instincts

This video from Nature: "My Life as a Turkey" explores the knowledge wild turkeys have about the world around them.

Bears

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K shows bears' adaptations for eating.

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Beavers

This video segment explores the world of the beaver, including the biology of the species and, more importantly, its ability to transform an ecosystem for its own benefit.

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Bird Beak Gallery

This collection of images of 10 different birds illustrates the diversity of bird beaks.

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Bird Food

There are almost as many types of bird beaks as there are types of food that birds like to eat. This collection of images shows a wide range of beaks and the types of foods handled by each.

Bird Migration

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K discusses the purpose of migration and shows researchers and students working together to study bird migration at the Idaho Bird Observatory.

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KET Image Bank: Birds

Browse through thumbnail images of native birds in this KET Image Bank interactive catalog. Clicking a thumbnail will take you to a larger image for download.

Birds of Prey

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K defines birds of prey and explains what characteristics they have that identify them as a raptor and help them catch their prey.

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Body Needs

This interactive feature from the NOVA "Dying to Be Thin" Web site describes the nutritional needs of the body and how to meet them.

Changing Arctic Landscape

In this video adapted from the Arctic Athabaskan Council, learn how warmer temperatures in the Arctic are transforming the landscape, triggering a host of effects such as permafrost thawing and insect infestations.

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Choosing Foods for Your Health

This resource includes two video segments adapted from Living With MyType2 and features diabetic teenagers Misty and Tim explaining how they carefully choose the foods they eat.

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Creepy Crawlies

This interactive feature from the NOVA: "Odyssey of Life" Web site explores the often unwitting relationship we share with the billions of organisms that reside in our bodies and in our homes.

Dating Lava Flows on Mauna Loa Volcano, Hawaiʻi

In this video segment adapted from NOVA, scientists search for carbonized remains of plants preserved in lava flows to find out how long it has taken rain forests on Hawaiʻi to regenerate after a volcanic eruption.

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Diversity of Hardwoods at Congaree Swamp

In this video segment from NatureScene, observe some methods of plant identification with regards to the diversity of hardwoods at the Congaree Swamp.

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Eating Healthy Foods

In this video adapted from Media That Matters, students explain how healthy foods help your body and processed foods can harm it.

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Elk

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K describes the yearly life cycle of elk and follows them from their winter habitat to their summer habitat and back.

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Endangered Species

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K explores the many reasons why animals become endangered or become extinct.

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Energy Flow in the Coral Reef Ecosystem

This video segment, adapted from NOVA, describes the energy flow in a coral reef, including its food web.

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What Do You Get From That?

Children learn how farm animals contribute to people’s lives by providing food for the table and clothes to keep them warm.

Zoo Safari

Take a trip to a zoo and learn more about some of our favorite animals.

Flood Plain and Higher Ground Habitats

This video segment from NatureScene features the area of the Congaree Swamp where the high ground and the flood plain meet. Learn how a few feet of difference in elevation on a floodplain can yield drastic changes in what you’ll find living there.

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Food Is Fuel

This video excerpt from NOVA scienceNOW examines the energy and nutrient content of a cupcake and a rat.

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Forests

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K describes rain, temperate and boreal forests and some of the animals that live in them.

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From Seed to Fruit

Children get a glimpse of what happens underground in the life of a cherry tomato plant in this original animated video from KET.

From Seed to Fruit Interactive

Children get a glimpse of what happens underground in the life of a cherry tomato plant in this original animated video from KET.

The Function of Sleep

In this video segment adapted from NOVA scienceNOW, discover what researchers are learning about sleep by examining the dreams of rats.

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Gray Whale Obstacle Course

This video segment, adapted from Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures, summarizes in brief, the path traveled by gray whales on their annual migration from Mexico, to Alaska.

Healthy Eating

In this lesson, students learn about nutrition and healthy food choices. They explore the difference between "everyday" and "sometimes" foods and think about where they can find different foods.

Healthy Snacks

This animated video segment adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, featuring American Indian characters, offers suggestions of what to eat for healthy snacks and looks at why less healthy snacks should be considered "sometimes" foods.

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The Science Behind Appetite

This video segment, adapted from NOVA, tells the story of a ballerina battling anorexia. It explains how serotonin regulates appetite, and presents some of the health risks that accompany the eating disorder.

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Idaho Fish

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K introduces Idaho's native fish species, and discusses why some populations are doing fine while others are struggling with declining numbers.

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Inuit Observations of Climate Change

In this video adapted from the International Institute for Sustainable Development, an Inuit community collaborates with Western scientists studying climate change. Inuit observations are recorded and included in the data collection process, expanding the scientists' understanding of changes in the area.

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Is It Alive?

What is it that distinguishes a living organism from a nonliving object? This video presents examples that aren't as clear-cut as one might think, enticing students to question what it means to be alive.

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KET Image Bank: Mammals

Browse through thumbnail images of different species of mammals in this KET Image Bank interactive catalog. Clicking a thumbnail will take you to a larger image for download.

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The Koala Diet

This enhanced video resource from Nature: "Cracking the Koala Code" examines how the koala’s unique diet of eucalyptus leaves affects their behavior.

Ladybug Pajama Party

This video segment adapted from QUEST describes certain aspects of the life cycle of a species of ladybug found in the bay area.

Learning to be a Raccoon

This video resource from Nature: "Raccoon Nature" explores how raccoon kits learn from their mother.

Living Life as a Plant

In this media-rich lesson, students investigate how plants respond to their environment. They also explore adaptations, such as how some plants are adapted to life in the desert and why some plants trap and digest insects.

Living vs. Nonliving

Students explore the characteristics that distinguish living from nonliving things.

The Needs of Living Things

Students learn what animals and plants need to survive, how their habitats support these needs, and how organisms can change their environment.

Nutrition

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K defines the 6 nutrients, explains what each one does for our body and demonstrates the path food takes in our bodies

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Nutrition: What Your Body Needs

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students examine the nutritional content of different foods and learn about the health benefits and risks associated with the food choices they make.

Penguin Response to Climate Change

Find out how climate change is affecting Antarctic Adélie penguins and their ecosystem in this video segment adapted from Lloyd Fales and Sweetspot Pictures, Inc.

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Photosynthesis

This video segment from Interactive NOVA: "Earth" looks at photosynthesis, the chemical process plants use to make their own food.

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Plants-in-Motion

While we tend to think of plants as stationary, they are in constant, though very slow motion, as they respond to environmental factors. Watch plants move in time-lapse videos in this interactive activity adapted from Indiana University.

Prairie Dogs

In this video adapted from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, learn about the prairie dog, the importance of its role in its ecosystem, and how it is affected by an ever-growing human population.

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Primitive Insects of the Congaree Swamp

In this video segment from NatureScene, observe dragonflies and mayflies near Cedar Creek at Congaree Swamp National Park.

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Redwoods at Redwood National Park

This video segment from NatureScene describes the characteristics of redwood trees at Redwood National Park.

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Reptiles of the Congaree Swamp

In this video segment from NatureScene, discover some reptiles in the swamp forest ecosystem at Congaree Swamp National Park.

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Root Systems of Trees at the Congaree Swamp

Learn about root systems of trees in the Congaree Swamp National Park in this video segment from NatureScene.

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Seahorses

This video from Thinkport introduces the seahorse, an unusual, endangered fish that has puzzled scientists who are attempting to save it.

Signs of Migration

Students research and examine the practical and instinctual characteristics of the migration patterns of many different animal species. The will also work in groups to illustrate their research and make presentations.

Snakes

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K describes the adaptations, anatomy, natural history and types of snakes.

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A Tail Like This

We use our senses to communicate and explore the world around us. Animals use their senses to help them find food and tell them when danger is near. You may not be able to move your ears like a rabbit, but you both have ears. Learn about traits you share with other animals in this KET original video.

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A Tail Like This Interactive

We use our senses to communicate and explore the world around us. Animals use their senses to help them find food and tell them when danger is near. You may not be able to move your ears like a rabbit, but you both have ears. Learn about traits you share with other animals in this original interactive from KET.

Warmer Oceans Affect Food Web

In this video adapted from KTOO, scientists discuss how ocean warming may be responsible for the decline in the seabird, seal, and sea lion populations of Prince William Sound, Alaska.

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What Do Animals Eat?

Some animals -- like some children -- are notoriously picky eaters. Others will eat whatever they can find. This video segment explores the diversity of feeding habits among some of the world's creatures.

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What Sounds Do Animals Make?

Although they can't speak, most animals have their own way of communicating. This video segment presents examples of animal communication.

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Who Comes to the Feeder?

Children learn about the different birds they can attract to a backyard feeder in this original video from KET.

Who Comes to the Feeder Interactive

Children learn about the different birds they can attract to a backyard feeder in this original video from KET.

Wild Animal Rehabilitation

In this video adapted from Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, see how volunteers care for sick or injured animals. Also learn why human interaction is not always the best solution.

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Wolf Research

In this video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K you fly with a biologist as they track, trap and radio collar a pack of wolves.

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Wolves

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K defines what it means to be a predator and prey. Explore the life history of the wolf and learn about its many adaptations that help it to catch its prey.

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Zoology

In this video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K the Zoo Boise Director, Steve Burns, takes us on a tour of Spider monkeys, cockroaches, Red Panda, tigers and Aldabra tortoises, explaining the role of zoos in conservation and breeding endangered species.

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