4 Super Sustainability Apps for Students

Common Sense Media’s service Graphite, which offers independent ratings and reviews of learning apps and websites, has compiled this list of the best apps to teach students about sustainability, biodiversity and ecosystems.

  • By
  • 04/06/15

Common Sense Media’s service Graphite, which offers independent ratings and reviews of learning apps and websites, has compiled this list of the best apps to teach students about sustainability, biodiversity and ecosystems. For complete reviews, and for each app’s "Learning Rating," visit the Graphite website.


Gro GardenGro Garden
Grades: K–2
Price: $2.99 for iOS, $0.99 for Android
Concepts: Nutrition, gardening, ecosystems, respect for the environment
Gro Garden is a fun and interactive way to get kids engaged in gardening and the environment. Through each area of the app — the garden plot, the house and the compost pile — kids get a sense of how growing and consuming food are interconnected. Users drive their own experience, cycling through planting, harvesting, eating, making compost and planting again. Along the way, they'll earn badges to reward their progress and meet charming characters such as Connie the Compost and her friends the Micro Organisms. Read the full Graphite review.


Ansel and ClairAnsel and Clair: Little Green Island
Grades: 2–4
Price: $1.99
Concepts: Solving puzzles, problem-solving, strategy, ecosystems, respect for the environment
Ansel and Clair: Little Green Island is an 18-level adventure game in which kids are put in charge of the ecological health of Little Green Island. Kids complete missions such as clearing trash, planting trees, selling trees and freeing birds stuck in oil spills. In between their missions, kids read or listen to information about environmental issues, such as what trees do for the earth or how people clean up oil spills. The app's mix of animations, video game-like elements, songs and brief audio and visual lessons help kids learn what can hurt the environment and how they can help. Read the full Graphite review.


iBiomeiBiome – Wetland
Grades: 4–8
Price: Free
Concepts: Ecosystems, energy, the food chain, life cycles, biology
With Professor Bio as a guide, iBiome – Wetland prompts kids to explore unique wetland habitats while building their own "biodomes." Kids complete specific tasks in each of the three habitats: a freshwater marsh, a saltwater marsh, and a mangrove swamp. Tasks include identifying consumers, producers and environmental factors. Once kids complete a task, a new species is unlocked. Not only do they learn about all the unique species in the different habitats, kids also learn what makes — and what doesn't make — their own biomes flourish with life. Read the full Graphite review. 


Project NoahProject Noah
Grades: 4–12
Price: Free
Concepts: Biodiversity
Project Noah is a crowd-sourced online database of plants and animals that lets kids become citizen scientists. Kids use the cameras on their mobile devices to capture images of their local ecosystems and then share them through the app or by uploading them to the Project Noah website. Photos are added to a growing field guide that kids can view as an interactive world map. They also can join specific local or global missions, creating a fun way for teachers to get kids actively observing their environments while participating in real-world scientific research. Read the full Graphite review.

 

About the Author

Common Sense Education helps educators find the best edtech tools, learn best practices for teaching with tech, and equip students with the skills they need to use technology safely and responsibly. Go to Common Sense Education for free resources including full reviews of digital tools, ready-made lesson plans, videos, webinars, and more.


Featured

  • students using digital devices, surrounded by abstract AI motifs and soft geometric design

    Ed Tech Startup Kira Launches AI-Native Learning Platform

    A new K-12 learning platform aims to bring personalized education to every student. Kira, one of the latest ed tech ventures from Andrew Ng, former director of Stanford's AI Lab and co-founder of Coursera and DeepLearning.AI, "integrates artificial intelligence directly into every educational workflow — from lesson planning and instruction to grading, intervention, and reporting," according to a news announcement.

  • toolbox featuring a circuit-like AI symbol and containing a screwdriver, wrench, and hammer

    Microsoft Launches AI Tools for Educators

    Microsoft has introduced a variety of AI tools aimed at helping educators develop personalized learning experiences for their students, create content more efficiently, and increase student engagement.

  • laptop displaying a red padlock icon sits on a wooden desk with a digital network interface background

    Reports Point to Domain Controllers as Prime Ransomware Targets

    A recent report from Microsoft reinforces warns of the critical role Active Directory (AD) domain controllers play in large-scale ransomware attacks, aligning with U.S. government advisories on the persistent threat of AD compromise.

  • Two hands shaking in the center with subtle technology icons, graphs, binary code, and a padlock in the dark blue background

    Two Areas for K-12 Schools to Assess for When to Work with a Managed Services Provider

    The complexity of today’s IT network infrastructure and increased cybersecurity risk are quickly moving beyond many school districts’ ability to manage on their own. But a new technology model, a partnership with a managed services provider, offers a way forward for schools to overcome these challenges.