Learn from our Members
During the 24-25 Green Iowa AmeriCorps service term members were asked to contribute to a bank of educational resources and service learning projects that could be used by communities to generate greater awareness and access to information. These resources were created by our AmeriCorps service members, and can be used as a guide or inspiration to create or host your own educational events or engage volunteers in your local community.
Find resources for Trees, Energy, Local Food/Composting, and Conservation.
Tree Resources
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This document was created by members serving with Iowa City’s Climate Action and Outreach Division and highlights the benefits of trees + some species of trees that are native to Iowa.
Customizable Tree ID & Tree Planting Instructional Flyer
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This resource created by our members serving with Trees Forever in Des Moines is an editable Canva template that gives simple instructions for planting a tree, and also includes a section for IDing the type of trees that will be planted. To customize this design you will need a (free) Canva account.
How to Plant a Tree Infographic & Plain Text Instructions
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This infographic was created by our members serving with Trees Forever in Marion. It includes more detailed instructions and photos for how to properly plant a tree to ensure it will live a long and happy life.
How to Host a Tree Distribution Event
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This instructional write up was created by our member serving with the Neighborhood Resiliency Team at UNI’s Center for Energy & Environmental Education. This resource details how the member sourced the trees, what materials were used, some behind the scenes logistics, and tips for finding the right planting spot and proper planting instructions for your trees.
Energy Resources
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This flyer was created by members serving with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity. It provides information and tips for reducing your energy footprint at home.
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These lesson plans were created by members serving with Greater Des Moines Habitat for Humanity. Lesson plans include: How Does Air Move?, What is Air Pressure?, Let the Sunshine In!, Build a Water Wheel, Energy Efficient Homes.
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These resources were created by members serving with Iowa City’s Climate Action & Outreach Division and cover the different types of light bulbs you might find in your home along with some helpful information to help you save money and energy by selecting more energy efficient bulbs. Which Lightbulb is Right for You?
Induction Cooktop Introduction, Cooking Classes, and Recipes!
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This resource was created by members serving with Iowa City’s Climate Action & Outreach Division to teach community members about the benefits of cooking with a more energy efficient induction cooktop. Includes information about what induction cooking is, instructions for hosting a class, the benefits of induction cooktops, and some recipes to try out!
Local Food & Composting Resources
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This resource was created by our member serving with Table to Table in Iowa City. This lesson covers information about the food supply chain, food rescue, and local food. It was originally completed with a group of summer camp kids whose ages ranged from kindergarten through 5th grade.
Composting Lesson for 4-H Clover Kids
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This lesson was completed by members serving with our Mahaska County Partnership site. This lesson teaches what composting is, why it is important, and the role of earthworms in the decomposition process. It includes attached print materials: Compost Activity Clover-Kids 2025, Compost Care Cards, and a Dirt-N-Worms Steam’n Thru Seasons Lesson from ISU Extension and Outreach.
DIY Compost Tumblers & Composting at Home Brochures
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These resources were created by members serving with our Black Hawk County Partnership. They include instructions for creating a DIY Compost Tumbler at home and information about how to compost at your house.
Composting at Home (with Troubleshooting Tips!)
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This document was created by members serving with Iowa City’s Climate Action and Outreach Division and shares information about the benefits of and how to compost at home. There are also some helpful and troubleshooting tips if you’re having trouble managing your compost.
Conservation Resources
The following resources come from our members serving with Dubuque County Conservation.
In the 24-25 service term members created a number of Citizen Science resources to engage the community and help them learn about different species and the environment. Below you’ll find resources for monitoring Bats, Frogs & Toads, some fun games to play, field guides to help identify species in the wild, and some resources to learn about the anatomy of flowers.
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Information, instructions, and data sheets for monitoring Bats.
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Recommended for middle school age kids + great resource to test knowledge before & after a bat program. This is also a great introductory activity for a bat house building workshop, roost count program, seminar, or bat appreciation day event. Goes well with the bat survival game!
Bat Survival Game & Bat Survival Game Player Cards
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Recommended for middle school ages & up, especially as a classroom activity.
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Instructions:
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Laminate player cards and bring wet erase markers & cut up towel squares that you can dampen ahead of time. This works best with kids in groups; each group gets a bat species card, a towel square, and a marker.
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Event prompts are chosen randomly and read to the class (have them guess the outcome once they start to get the hang of it), that event will correspond to a loss or gain of bats IF their bat species has a characteristic that is listed for that event.
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The idea is to show kids how our actions can either help or harm bat populations, so it's good to start out with a couple negative events that affect most species then throw in a positive one.
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Different species cards begin with a number of bats that loosely reflects the conservation status of that population in Iowa. Some start out disadvantaged, discuss why that is: "What do those disadvantaged species have in common?" —> They are cave hibernators that are hit hard by White Nose Syndrome, habitat loss, pesticide poisoning, etc.
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If a group loses all of their bats, they are extirpated from Iowa (discuss what this means for the ecosystem), they are effectively out of the game.
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Play as long as you want - no winners necessarily just want everyone to survive, at the end have kids suggest ways they could help their species or as many species as possible
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Information, instructions, and data sheets for monitoring Frogs & Toads.
Mammal Tracks Program with Dubuque County Conservation (Pocket Field Guide)
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Great for guided hikes in the winter for all ages. Go through the handout inside and discuss wildlife signs you might find, and can discuss mindfulness and observation techniques. Make sure to take pocket field guides and mini rulers on your hike.
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Flower Anatomy Handout & Flower Dissection Activity Sheet
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Great for homeschool groups, can be fun for ages 8 up to high school age.
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You will need plant field guides to look up plant info, tweezers, magnifying glasses/dissection microscope.
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Take a hike and let kids pick their own flower on the way back, do this activity immediately so the flowers are fresh.
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Have them choose flowers that will be easy & fun to pull apart.
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Great for woodland hikes in spring when ephemeral flowers are popping up for all ages
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Discuss why they are short lived (understory sunlight availability) and how they are important (they are the only early food source for pollinators) goes well with the flower anatomy activity.