Activities & Resources
Coming soon!
Coming soon!
Rain and the Reading Horse
All About Horse-Powered Reading
Find a program near you!
Not Just a Pony Ride Podcast: Horse-powered reading with Dr. Michele Pickel
Learn more about reading and therapy horse programs here:
- Berkshire Horseworks
- H.O.P.E. in MA
- Lazy J Ranch
- Lifting Spirits Miniature Therapy Horses
- Lyonheart Equine Assisted Learning
- Saddle Up & Read
- Successful Strides
Crafts:
- Cardboard reading horse at Homemade City
- Origami horse
- Paper roll horse
- Horse marionette
- DIY hobby horse
Blog posts:
- Beagles & Books
- For the Love of Kidlit
- Picture Book Builders
- Picture Book Buzz
- #PPBF Review
- Pragmatic Mom: Nicker & Neigh & Hooray for Horses Booklist
To Dogs, With Love
- Downloadable coloring pages by Ishaa Lobo
- Cardboard roll craft from Homemade City
- Therapy Dog Resources (PDF)
- Muttigrees
- Therapy Dogs International
- My favorite local therapy dog organization, AaTsMA
Blog posts:
- Beagles & Books
- For the Love of Kidlit
- Librarian’s Quest
- Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook
- Picture Book Buzz Q&A with Ishaa Lobo
- Pragmatic Mom: 10 Picture Books about Dogs Who Help Us
Fungi Grow
FUN-gi Stuff!
- How to Take a Spore Print to Identify Mushrooms
- MushroomExpert.com
- Mushroom Growth Timelapse Video
- Forest Ecologist Suzanne Simard’s TED Talk: “How Trees Talk to Each Other”
- Mycologist Paul Stamets’ TED Talk: “Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World”
- National Geographic: “You Didn’t Know Mushrooms Could Do All This”
- The Kid Should See This: “Spore Rain: A Mushroom Releases Its Spores on the Breeze”
- The Kid Should See This: “The Wood Wide Web: How Trees Secretly Talk to and Share with Each Other”
- The Secret Life of Mushrooms
- Fungi Mutarium
Blog posts:
- Calling Caldecott
- Deborah Kalb Blogspot Q&A
- For the Love of Kidlit Q&A with Diana Sudyka
- Homemade City Mushroom House craft
- Librarian’s Quest
- Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook
- Picture Book Builders
- Picture Book Buzz
- Pragmatic Mom: When it Rains, it Spores: Fun Fungi Books
- ReaderKidZ
- Simply7
Thank a Farmer
Thank a Farmer Companion Resources at National Agriculture in the Classroom’s Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix
State listings for AG in the Classroom (educational resources, lesson plans & more): https://agclassroom.org/affiliates/contact/
North Carolina Farm Bureau: The Book Planter Lesson Plan Sept-2025_Thank-a-Farmer_web
AG in the Classroom activities for New England Educators
- Maine: http://maineagintheclassroom.org/
- Massachusetts: https://www.aginclassroom.org/
- New Hampshire: https://newhampshire.agclassroom.org/
- Rhode Island: https://rifb.org/
Farmers Market Coalition Activity Guide
Growing Minds Farmers Market Activity Guide
IL AG in Classroom Farmers Market Booth
Farming videos:
- Tree shaker harvesting cherries
- Learn about Wild Rice: Finding Manoomin
- Aerial Rice Planting (Rice Farming TV)
- Vertical Farming
- Northspore & Mushroom Farming
Blog posts:
- Beagles & Books
- Jama’s Alphabet Soup
- For the Love of Kidlit Q&A with Monica Mikai
- Pragmatic Mom: 10 Books about Farms & Farm Workers
You and the Bowerbird
- Satin Bowerbird info by Maris Wicks (PDF)
- Satin Bowerbird Calls & Sounds
- Satin Bowerbird Courtship Dance
- Satin Bowerbird Courtship II
- Courtship close-up
- Juvenile Male “Pirate”
- Bower Power
Blog posts:
- Beagles & Books
- For the Love of Kidlit
- Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook
- Picture Book Buzz Q&A with Maris Wicks
- Pragmatic Mom: Favorite Bowerbird & Bird-ing Books
To learn about all kinds of bowerbirds, see Sir David Attenborough’s The Art of Seduction
Being a Cat: A Tail of Curiosity
All About Cats from “Cat Daddy” Jackson Galaxy
- Favorite Cat-themed bookstore: Curious Cat Bookshop in Winsted, CT
- Being a Cat Cat’s Meow Backmatter (PDF)
- 27 Cat Crafts for Kids
- Cat Finger Puppet
- DIY Cat Corner Bookmark
Love cats, but don’t have one? Visit a cat café!
My local cat café: Kitty Cat Café & Adoption Lounge
Blog posts:
- For the Love of Kidlit
- Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook
- Picture Book Buzz
- Picture Book Builders
- Pragmatic Mom: Let’s Fête Felines Booklist
Ice Cycle: Poems About the Life of Ice
NPR Science Friday Spotlight, “Cool as Ice”
Ice is Nice—watch!
- Brinicles: Underwater Icicle “Finger of Death”
- Grow your own ice spikes!
- NPR: “Watch: Massive Moving Ice Disk Takes Center Stage, Mesmerizing Maine”
- See frost grow: Frostylapse II
Ice is Nice—listen!
- Mallemaroking: “The Sounds of Sea Ice”
- NPR Skunk Bear and the Science of Sound: “Why Does a Frozen Lake Sound Like a Star Wars Blaster?”
- Popular Mechanics: “Why Does This Frozen Lake Sound Like a ‘Star Wars’ Space Battle?”
Poetry Lesson: How to Write a List Poem
Interview about Ice Cycle at the Lerner blog
Being a Dog: A Tail of Mindfulness
- Mindfulness breathing exercise (PDF)
- Mindful nature walk (PDF)
- Being a Dog pup-pet craft created by Homemade City
- Being a Dog reading for a stuffed animal sleepover at Scrawl Books
Blog posts:
- Beagles & Books
- Librarian’s Quest
- Picture Book Builders
- Pragmatic Mom: Let’s Fête Dogs & Mindfulness Tails/Tales
- Writing for Kids While Raising Them
Bobcat Prowling
- All About Bobcats (PDF)
- Discover the allure of the bobcat in “The Mystery and Magic of Bobcats,” (Kiawah Conservancy)
- Glimpse your urban neighbors in “Is There a Bobcat in Your Backyard?”: Cool Green Science
- Track urban bobcats in “Bobcat City: Studying Urban Cats,” (Texas Parks and Wildlife)
- Watch a bobcat hunting: “Bobcat Prey,” (Nat Geo Wild)
Appearance on Upton Community Television’s “Be My Guest”
Bobcat Prowling Event at Savoy Bookshop with illustrator, Bagram Ibatoulline and Karle Busse, founder of Rustic Acres Wildlife Rescue and meet their resident bobcats!
Be a Tree!
Be a Tree! Classroom & Outdoor Activities Kit (PDF)
Curious City: single page Be a Tree! activity kit menu (PDF)
- STEM talking points and lessons
- STEM-Pathy (STEM and social justice action)
- Art Project
- Movement & Mindfulness
- Outdoor Story Time
- Event sharing (poster and social media image)
“How Trees Talk,” narrated by scientist Suzanne Simard
BE A TREE! Launch event with illustrator Felicita Sala at the Toadstool Bookshop
Play Like an Animal: Why Critters Splash, Race, Twirl and Chase
- Play Like an Animal STEM Game Cards for Creative Play: Make your own rules, create play environments, and more STEM play! (PDF)
- Watch a river otter and dog playing together
- Watch a crow sledding down a roof
- Watch dolphins wake surfing off Florida’s coast
- Play Like an Animal Read Aloud at Curious City
Whoo-Ku Haiku: A Great Horned Owl Story
Whoo-Ku Haiku Art, Science and Poetry Activities (PDFs):
- Great horned owl finger puppets
- Haiku writing and reader’s theatre
- Online STEM resources about Great horned owls
Cornell Lab of Ornithology Cam: watch the fluffy owlet eat and branch
The Horn Book’s Calling Caldecott featuring Whoo-Ku Haiku illustrator, Jonathan Voss
Operation Rescue Dog
Operation Rescue Dog Adoption Event Kit (PDF)
- Event Poster
- Partnering: suggestions for hosting pet rescue groups
- Decorations: pennants
- Activities: temporary tattoos & make and walk invisible pets
- Info sheet on ways to help rescue pets
TV appearance on the Hallmark Channel’s Home & Family Show: The Story behind the story of Operation Rescue Dog
Hawk Rising
Hawk Rising STEM activities (PDFs):
Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Red-tailed hawk cam highlights (scroll down)
- Cable Natural History Museum: a reading of Hawk Rising with Carson the red-tailed hawk
- Calling Caldecott
- Hawk Rising Storytime with ambassador red-tailed hawk at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
- Project Muse review
- Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast Q&A with Brian Floca
Terrific Tongues!
- Terrific Tongues! frog mask template (PDF)
- Guinness World Record: Mochi: “Dog with the longest tongue”
- National Geographic: “Tiny Chameleons’ Tongues Pack Strongest Punch”
- Science Take: “Tiny Bat, Long Tongue” (Pallas’s Long-tongued bat)
Hello Goodbye Dog
Hello Goodbye Dog Reading Poster & Reunion Activities (PDFs):
Hello Goodbye Dog read aloud in ASL from Fun4theDisabled
WHS Bedtime Stories reading of Hello Goodbye Dog with Karly Troschuk and her dogs, Marcie & Oliver
Officer Katz & Houndini: A Tale of Two Tails
- Mustache craft created by Homemade City
- Fun cat idioms
- Fun dog idioms
Coyote Moon
- Coyote Moon Educator’s Guide (PDF)
- Fuse #8 Production: Betsy Bird’s Review of the Day for Coyote Moon
- Lesson Plan Link “Coyote Moon: Using the Thesis Machine to Practice Drafting Thesis Statements from Informational Text (Grade 6-12)”
- This Literacy Life: Figurative Language in Coyote Moon
Penny & Jelly Slumber Under the Stars
- Pennyandjelly.com
- Canis Major/Jelly Major Constellation craft (PDF)
- Star-powered craft created by Homemade City
Penny & Jelly: The School Show
