Screenshot of video lesson plan "The Peopling of Our Planet" showing an example of a population pyramid

Peopling of Our Planet

Students watch the video “World Population” and participate in guided exploration of an online timeline to explore how improvements in… Read more »

Stork and Grim Reaper

In a short demonstration using water and measuring cups, students observe how populations grow when the birth rate exceeds the… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Stage Stepping" demonstrating family size and generational population growth

Stage Stepping

Students simulate several generations of a family’s growth, comparing a two-child and three-child average family size.

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Power of the Pyramids" showing the different population pyramids of various countries

Power of the Pyramids

Students construct and interpret population pyramids for six countries and discuss differences in the population growth rates of each. Audio… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Population Circle" where students simulate the Earth's exponential population growth explosion

Population Circle

Students experience the changing pace of population growth by actively simulating the Earth’s population growth over the last 500 years.… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Panther Hunt" showing the represented prey animals in an ecosystem that can support a panther diet

Panther Hunt

Students gain an understanding of carrying capacity when they act as predatory animals in a finite area and attempt to… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Oh How We've Grown" where students create a timeline of the global population doubling

Oh, How We’ve Grown!

Students experience the changing pace of population growth by actively simulating the Earth’s population growth over a 500-year span and… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "Mining for Chocolate" showing chocolate chip cookies as an analogy to mining regions

Mining for Chocolate

After matching everyday products to their rock or mineral sources, students “mine” chocolate chip cookies to discover the impacts of… Read more »

Screenshot of video lesson plan "In Search of Sustainable Life"

In Search of Sustainable Life

Students develop an index of the ten factors they identify as most important to a sustainable community and develop models… Read more »

PopEd Impact

64,000 educators trained
325 college
campuses
32,000 workshops conducted

"The activities not only bring out important content, but they also provide real-world context for environmental, population and sustainability issues. They engage participants in very thought-provoking and critical-thinking discussions.”

Helen de la Maza, Environmental Educator, Irvine, CA