K-12 Lesson Plans
We created STEM-based curricula to help students explore the Platte Basin. Browse our resources to teach your students about our land and water.
Timelapse: Nature in Motion
Are there fewer migratory birds this year? Are crops growing? How do water levels in the river fluctuate from one season to the next?
Scientists and citizens answer these questions by monitoring change over time through timelapses. Photography is a powerful way to do that — and it’s fun too!
The Nebraska Sandhills
The Switzer family lives on the eastern edge of the Nebraska Sandhills, an iconic region of the Central Great Plains. The Nebraska Sandhills rise from the north edge of the Platte River Valley and spread to the west, encompassing nearly 20,000 square miles of contiguous wind-blown sand dunes — the largest such region in North America.
Platte River Prairies
While some people think of Nebraska as a boring, flat place, the state’s subtle landscape contains biologically rich and diverse ecosystems defined by rivers like the Platte. Climate has shaped the Platte River for thousands of years.
Terns & Plovers
It’s a story with a twist, much like the braided river where it begins. Along the lower Platte River in Nebraska, small channels of water continually split and join, creating changing sandbars that provide habitat for least terns and piping plovers.
Plant Adaptations in Wetlands
Plants growing in wetlands have a wide variety of adaptations that allow them to thrive in the unique conditions that are found in wetlands. From massive cottonwood trees to the diminuative saltwort, learn about the amazing plants that are found in Nebraska’s wetlands.
Animal Engineers in wetlands
Humans aren’t the only animals that manipulate ecosystems. Animals that are found in wetlands engineer the habitat around them to create shelter, gather food, and raise their young. Learn about the amazing engineering feats of animals in Nebraska’s wetlands.
OTHER WAYS TO LEARN ABOUT THE Platte Basin
Timelapse
Stories & Films
