| Back to school is a chance to do more than learn science—it’s a chance to take part in it.
SciStarter invites students to contribute to real research, make discoveries, and see how their curiosity can make a difference. And when projects are designed with learning outcomes in mind, the scientific outcomes can be more robust, too.
For this special back-to-school edition, we’re featuring projects with ready-to-use classroom materials. Each is a SciStarter affiliate project, so educators can add projects to a List, share them with students, and track participation in one place. Here’s how Lists work.
Want more support? Our BRAND NEW, free K-12 educator training and Teaching in Higher Education with Citizen Science training make it easy to bring citizen science into your teaching—and each comes with a digital badge upon completion.
Here’s to a school year filled with curiosity, discovery, and real-world impact.
Cheers!
The SciStarter Team
PS: Coming in Spring 2027 from Harvard Education Press is The Educator’s Guide to Citizen Science: Engaging Students as Change Makers, co-authored by SciStarter founder Darlene Cavalier and colleagues. Stay tuned! |
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| Looking for citizen science projects organized by grade level? Visit SciStarter.org/Education to find projects, trainings, and resources for classrooms, libraries, camps, and at-home learning.
If you’re looking for inspiration, our friends at CitSci.org wrote a blog post with case studies from educators from around the world.
Location: Global |
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| Great for PreK-2 & Up: Seek, by iNaturalist |
| Use a phone camera to identify plants, animals, insects, and fungi in real time.
The free Seek app uses image recognition to name the species and share facts about it. No account or personal data required, which makes it safe for students and younger kids.
Earn badges and complete challenges as learners build observation skills. Find educator materials with more details.
Location: Global |
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| Great for Grades 3-5 & Up: Sourdough for Science |
| Create your own sourdough starter from just flour and water, then track your "microbial garden" over 14 days by measuring its growth and acidity.
Your data helps scientists learn how different flours shape the microbes, rise, and flavor of bread.
The educator materials include a full lesson plan.
Location: Global |
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| Great for Grades 6-8 & Up: Stall Catchers |
| Watch short videos from mouse brains and score each blood vessel as flowing or stalled. It’s fun!
Those stalls are tied to reduced blood flow, a symptom of Alzheimer’s, and your participation helps Cornell researchers analyze data faster than computers can alone.
A strong fit for lessons on health and biology.
Location: Online |
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| Great for Grades 9-12 & Up: Sound Around Town |
| Pick an outdoor spot, lead a 5-minute listening session, and log every sound you hear along with how loud and pleasant it is.
Your observations help scientists learn how natural and human-made sounds shape our focus, wellbeing, and sense of place.
Afterward, you get a visualization of your soundscape to share.
Location: Global |
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| Great for College & Beyond: Eterna |
| Solve online puzzles to design RNA molecules, then see your students’ best designs built and tested in real university labs.
Efforts help scientists learn how RNA folds, feeding research that could lead to new medicines. The educator materials include videos, worksheets, and a demo kit.
Location: Online |
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| Help Your Students Earn a LinkedIn-Ready Badge! |
| SciStarter’s "Foundations of Citizen Science" training is free, self-paced, and entirely online.
In about an hour, learn how to contribute to real research, find projects, and build skills in data collection and scientific inquiry.
Teachers can turn this into an interactive class session. Guide your students through the Foundations training together, then share your customized sign-up URL to SciStarter.
Students who create an account through your link automatically earn the Foundations badge! And, their accounts connect to your school so you can track and support their progress.
Email info to request your customized sign-up URL.
Full instructions are on SciStarter.org/Education. |
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| Webinar: Study the Seasons with NASA |
| This fall, help NASA scientists track how trees change color with the North American GLOBE Green-Down Campaign.
Join the kickoff webinar on August 19 at 3:00 PM ET to learn how to take part. Every attendee can request a free green-down citizen science kit. |
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August & September offer something for everyone.
Click here to explore and print the calendar.
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| New projects & events featured on SciStarter
…and thousands more featured on the project finder and the event finder! Find an online or local project or event near you. |
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engineering 4 kids 