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Educational Kits

Are you looking for hands-on teaching resources for a specific topic? There is an amazing array of educational kits available to educators. Many of these kits can be borrowed for a few weeks at a time and contain fun hands-on props, posters, puppets, and activity guides. Click on the item you are interested in to learn how you can borrow one for your classroom, club, or nature center today.

  • Kits are available to formal and non-formal educators in Wisconsin.
  • Shipping is available within Wisconsin for addresses more than 30 miles from Stevens Point. Note: Shipping outside of Wisconsin is not available.
  • The WCEE is waiving the costs of shipping kits for the 2024-2025 school year. However, we are providing kit recipients an option to be invoiced for the cost of shipping to support the WCEE’s mission of making quality hands-on resources equitably available across the state.
  • For more detailed answers to common kit questions, visit our Kit FAQ page.

General Environmental Education Kits

Bat Kits (K-12)

Educators may check out one of three Wisconsin bat educational kits for use in the classroom free of charge. There is a K-3 kit, a 4-6 kit, and a 7-12 kit. Each kit contains a teacher’s guide to help the educator share information about bats, as well as many bat-friendly books, posters, and videos.
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Bird Monitoring Kit

The bird monitoring kit contains the tools to help introduce birds to students, build observing skills of birds in nature, and help them gain more knowledge about birds.
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Enviroscape

We all live in a watershed with water pollution coming from many sources. This model allows you to visually demonstrate what stormwater pollution and runoff look like. Rent the Enviroscape Watershed/Nonpoint Source Model for free from the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education Resource Library for your classroom today!
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Emerald Ash Borer Kit

This identification kit will give you the skills to recognize the signs of an Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation. You will also learn where these beetles came from and why they are causing so many problems. The kit includes adult and larval samples of the beetle, along with bark samples showing typical EAB galleries.
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Fish Hotel Kit

Explore the effects of shoreline trees on Wisconsin fish species with the Fish Hotel Kit. The kit developed by the University of Wisconsin-Division of Extension Center for Land Use Education at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point contains a variety of instructional materials designed to help students learn about the benefits of leaving trees in lakes. Trees in lakes not only provide areas for fish to spawn but also offer shelter to help some species protect their incubating brood. Large submerged trees can host entire fish communities! Recommended for educators of grades K-8.
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​Fishing for Fun Backpacks

These kits are assembled and maintained by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Conservation Office in La Crosse, WI, and its friend’s group, Friends of the Upper Mississippi Fishery Services. The packs are also available in the greater La Crosse area through libraries in the Winding Rivers Library System. Backpacks have an aquatic theme with hands-on activities relating to fishing, freshwater mussels, aquatic invertebrates, and spending time near water bodies.
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​​Great Lakes Invasive Species Identification Kit

This kit can be used to help teach students of all ages how to recognize some of the most common invasive species that are harming the Great Lakes. An activity guide is also included to help you learn why these species are causing problems and how to stop their spread. The kit includes 10 preserved examples of both animal and plant species.
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Groundwater Model

The Groundwater Model is an interactive classroom tool designed to show the flow of water and toxins through differing gradients. It can be used in front of the classroom and is easily used by students themselves. It demonstrates the flowage through confined and unconfined aquifers as well as the effects of pumping these aquifers.
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​Impervious Surfaces Kit

Examine what happens to rain as it travels across pervious and impervious surfaces. This kit contains materials for a surface demonstration along with resources and posters that can be used to help students understand run-off and the impact it has on our lakes, rivers, and streams and the fish that live there.
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Sand County Almanac Kit

The Sand County Almanac Kit is based around Aldo Leopold’s influential writings and provides resources and opportunities for students to engage with their environment, building an understanding of their connection to the natural world.
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​Wildlife Tracks Kit

These North American wildlife tracks can be used to supplement your lessons on ecosystems, develop creative art projects, or enhance animal information sheets in your classroom or nature center. Each track is anatomically accurate and made from durable resin.
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KEEP Energy Kits

Discovering Energy in Nature Kit

The Discovering Energy in Nature Kit provides the resources necessary for educators to make use of KEEP’s Discovering Energy in Nature (DEN) bundle of lessons. Filled with the materials to run Taking Temperatures, Energy Use in an Ecosystem, Photosynthesis Promenade and Food Chain Game, and Beings on the Move, this is a great way to investigate energy outdoors.
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Elementary ​Energy Explorations Kit

New and Improved!
KEEP’s Elementary Energy Explorations Kit provides the materials to run lessons that challenge students to explain the phenomenon of how flipping a light switch leads to filling a room with light. Students explore what energy and electricity are; where electricity comes from; the impact getting our energy has on the environment; how electricity gets to our homes and buildings; and how circuits and switches work.
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Energy Audit Kit

Available at multiple locations!
The Energy Audit Kit provides easy-to-use tools to monitor plug load, temperature and light levels in a building. In KEEP’s Building Energy Detectives lessons, students use these tools to investigate energy use in their school and identify actions to reduce energy loss and lower consumption, fostering a more sustainable future. Lessons seamlessly integrate technology into the math and science curriculum, making real-word applications of energy conservation both engaging and educational.
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​Energy Audit Kit – Take-home

Have students go beyond the classroom to explore the energy they use daily. This kit includes the tools and information needed to explore various energy uses in the home, including how many appliances pull phantom loads in your home.
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Energy Detectives Kits

New Kit!
Engage students with the importance of energy conservation through two entertaining picture books in the Energy Detectives series. In The Mystery of the Snow, Annabeth and Charlie become energy detectives to discover where energy is wasted in a home. In The Secrets of the Sun, they explore passive and active forms of solar energy. Each book is available in a class set of both English and Spanish books.
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Green Energy Snap Circuits Kit

New Kit!
The Green Energy Snap Circuits Kit contains six Elenco Snap Circuits® Green Energy sets. The sets contain materials to learn about circuit-building and clean energy, including a solar panel, wind turbine, water turbine, rechargeable battery, and electric car base. Each set also has a manual with information about using the different parts and dozens of sample projects. The kit also contains a class set of the associated Think Green educational manual to learn about different types of clean energy.
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​​Hand-Crank Generator

The Hand-Crank Generator is a great tool for learning the difference between an incandescent light bulb and a light-emitting diode (LED). Use your cranking power to discover how much energy it takes to light up two different light bulbs. As you crank, a generator transforms your muscle power into electrical energy.
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​​Pedal Power

Available at multiple locations!
The Pedal Power® is a tool that you can use in your classroom to teach about energy production, use, and conservation. Students can actually ride a stationary bike to power a generator, which in turn powers an incandescent light bulb, a compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), a LED light bulb, a hair dryer, a radio, and a fan. A photovoltaic (PV) panel is available for use to power the equipment above as well.
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Solar Load Kit

Recently Updated!
Solar photovoltaic panels can be used to collect sunlight and turn it into clean, renewable electricity. The Solar Load Kit includes a variety of loads (appliances) that can be run off of the included solar panels and batteries. Students can experiment making simple circuits that use solar panels to run fans, lights, and water pumps.
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Solar Tilt Kit

Solar photovoltaic panels can be used to collect sunlight and turn it into clean, renewable electricity. The Solar Tilt Kit includes apparatus that will allow students to take on the role of a Solar installer or Solar Design Engineer as they explore how solar panels can be used to generate electricity and how a variety of factors like the angle of the sun, the angle of the solar panel, cloud cover, etc. can impact the amount of electricity generated.
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​Sun Oven

Also available in Milwaukee!
The Global Sun Oven is a great tool that cooks delicious treats while students learn about the potential of the sun’s power. Use the Sun Oven to spark a discussion on the possibilities and benefits of using renewable energy, like solar thermal energy. The oven comes with two cooking pans.
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​​Wind Kit

Students learn about wind through reading and hands-on activities that focus on inquiry and observation. Students learn how wind is formed and used as an energy source. They will explore ways to measure wind speed and direction and investigate how wind works and generates electricity. Students are challenged to choose the optimum blades for a turbine by collecting and analyzing data from multimeters. The kit comes with an activity binder correlated to NGSS and Wisconsin State Science Standards. This kit is recommended for K-8 students but includes activities adaptable for older grades.
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LEAF Forestry Education Kits

Digital Herbarium (K-12)

The Northern Forest Digital Herbarium contains a digital and print archive of 200 plant specimens that includes a user guide to foster awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of Wisconsin’s Northern Forests for learners of all ages. Each specimen is printed in color on 11×17 paper and includes its Anishinaabe name, habitat, and interesting notes. The herbarium was created by the University of Wisconsin-Extension (Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center), CESA 12, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, and USDA Forest Service.
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Edible Forest Reference Kit

A wide range of subjects are included in the books and other publications in this reference kit. Reference materials provide information on permaculture, orchards, foraging, and everything in between. Use the kit to help you decide what path to follow and what resources to purchase for your own use.
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Field Guide Kit

BioBlitz Kit Series
A wide range of field guides are found in this kit. Search for Monarch’s emerging from their chrysalis in September, go on a winter bird watching walk, improve your tree ID lesson with color photos of leaves and branches or discover the names of those creepy crawlies under that log.
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Forestry Careers Kit – Cards

New Kit!
These cards provide a look into the vast number of jobs and careers pathways within the field of natural resources. This kit contains 95 cards, each of which portrays a real natural resource professional and information about their specific job and experiences.
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Forest Explorers Kits

New and improved!
Help young children get in touch with nature through our Forest Explorers Kits (formerly the Forest Exploration Toolkits for Early Childhood Education). These kits are expanded with all new hands-on resources for young learners.
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Forestry Education Kit

Available at multiple locations!
The high school forestry education kits contain equipment and tools to teach tree identification and management, plot investigations, and navigation using compasses.
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Forest Health Kit

Available at multiple locations!
The forest kits contain equipment and tools to teach about invasive species, disease, and other aspects that impact the health of a forest.
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Forest Products Kit

Available at multiple locations!
The Forest Products kit allows students to learn about forest products, and associated careers, through hands-on exploration.
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Garmin Handheld GPS Kit

BioBlitz Kit Series
Get out, explore and develop your students’ mapping skills with the eTrex 10 handheld GPS from Garmin. The device includes a worldwide basemap, 2.2” display, both GPS and GLONASS satellites for fast positioning. Kit contains 10 GPS units. Each device takes two AA batteries. Batteries not included in kit.
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Journeys Guide Kit

Project Learning Tree’s Black Faces in Green Spaces: The Journeys of Black Professionals in Green Careers introduces youth to the many jobs in the forest and conservation sector through the lens of Black professionals currently working in the sector. Our kit contains a classroom set of 20 books, two careers-focused LEAF and PLT lessons and a link to the Educator Toolkit.
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Kestrel 5500 Pocket Weather Meter Kit

BioBlitz Kit Series
Help your students to discover the impact weather conditions have on forest environments. The Kestrel 5500 Pocket Weather Meter is a handheld weather-monitoring device that measures essential environmental factors like temperature and wind speeds. Additionally, an external temperature sensor and waterproof casing allow you to gauge the temperature of water (it even floats) and snow, as well as the open air.
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LEAF K-1 Lesson Guide Kit

These kits contain supplemental lesson materials, fiction and non-fiction books focused on Wisconsin forests, and equipment for students to use when exploring in the forest for grades K-1.
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LEAF 2-3 Lesson Guide Kit

These kits contain supplemental lesson materials, fiction and non-fiction books focused on Wisconsin forests, and equipment for students to use when exploring in the forest for grades 2-3.
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LEAF 4th Grade Kit

Recently Updated!
This kit contains supplemental lesson materials, fiction and non-fiction books focused on Wisconsin forests and Wisconsin First Nations, and diameter tapes for students to use when exploring the forest.
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LEAF 5-6 Kit

These kits contain supplemental lesson materials, fiction and non-fiction books focused on Wisconsin forests, and equipment for students to use when exploring in the forest for grades 5-6.
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LEAF 7-8 Kit

These kits contain supplemental lesson materials, fiction and non-fiction books focused on Wisconsin forests, and equipment for students to use when exploring in the forest for grades 7-8.
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The Private Eye Magnifier Kit

BioBlitz Kit Series
Bring out the private investigator in your students with the Private Eye Magnifier kit. Great for enhancing outdoor discoveries and heightening student inquiry. Kit contains 36 loupes.
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Smokey Bear Kit

New Kit!
Build literacy and fire safety skills with this Smokey Bear Kit! Learn about the history of Smokey Bear, read his story in English and Spanish, and spice up fire safety lessons with Smokey hats and a stuffed toy. For a limited time only, celebrate Smokey’s 80th birthday with Smokey memorabilia students can keep! With Smokey comics, stories, coloring pages, pencils, erasers, bookmarks, and stickers, every student can take home their own set of Smokey gear. Available while supplies last.
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Tree and Log Scale Sticks

BioBlitz Kit Series
Develop your students’ measuring and math skills with the Tree and Log Scale Sticks. A Tree and Log Stick is a commonly used tool by foresters to measure tree diameters, heights and lumber potentials. Kit contains 30 sticks.
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Tree ID Kit

LEAF’s Tree ID kit includes everything an educator needs to confidently work with students to master the skills of identifying trees that are native to Wisconsin. The kit pairs well with LEAF’s Field Enhancement 1, Tree Identification lesson or can be used independently as part of any Tree ID lesson. The kit also includes Climate Change Field Guides that will help students assess the impact a changing climate can have on trees in their communities.
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Wildland Fire Kit

The Wildland Fire Kit includes equipment to model what professional wildland firefighters use in the field. It includes protective gear, digging tools, mapping devices, and weather-monitoring equipment. Increase literacy skills with various fiction and non-fiction books focused on wildland firefighting and the cultural and historic practices of fire management. Pair this kit with LEAF’s K-12 Wildland Fire Lesson Guide (included in the kit) to teach students basic wildland fire principles. Note: this kit is for educational purposes only. It is NOT to be used for firefighting.
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​​Wood Identification Blocks Kit

These wood identification blocks help bridge the gap between seeing pictures of trees in field guides and seeing the live tree itself! This kit contains 24 blocks of different species of wood. Each block is 4″ by 2″ by 1″ in size. This is a great tool to help students and adults see and feel the difference in colors, grains, weights, and textures of wood.
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