LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES

LESSONS AND ACTIVITIES

EDUCATING TO INSPIRE COMPASSION.
INSPIRING COMPASSION TO DRIVE CONSERVATION.

Because education is the heart of wildlife protection and conservation!

Our Primates and the Living Earth: Lessons and Activities in Biodiversity and Conservation offer a wide variety of project-based lessons and activities that make learning engaging and hands-on! All educational content is provided free of charge, ensuring it can be accessed by the broadest possible audience. These programs highlight the interconnectedness and interdependence of animal and environmental conservation.

These lessons and activities allow students to work individually or in teams, engaging in real-world, meaningful activities. They foster critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, self-management, project management, and collaboration—skills that span multiple academic disciplines. Lessons are designed to be interactive and engaging, featuring games, graphics, videos, and more.

Each lesson addresses topics related to wildlife, their habitats, and ecosystem conservation. Even primate-focused lessons emphasize the importance of habitat preservation for the survival of these species. They demonstrate that the fates of animals and their ecosystems are deeply intertwined.

You asked for more ways to bring NEPC into your classroom, and we delivered! Explore our on-demand video series—Our Cousins in the Canopy and Discovering Primates—as well as scheduled webinars. Click the graphics below to learn more.

All of our educational content shares the same goal: promoting responsible stewardship of our planet and its creatures. Education lies at the heart of animal protection and conservation, and each of us can be part of the solution. Knowledge is the key.

The study of conservation comes with its own language of acronyms. From organizations assessing species’ risks to the scientific teams supplying the data behind each Conservation Status, it can feel like an alphabet soup of abbreviations. This lesson untangles these codes and explains why they matter.
Working on a school project about primates or primate conservation? Planning an informational or fundraising booth for your school fair? Curious about how you can help raise awareness for primate protection but unsure where to start? Many students ask us the same question, so we’ve put together these helpful suggestions.
Join a virtual scavenger hunt across NEPC’s website and explore the world of primate conservation. Guided steps help you gather clues that reveal a mystery quote, making learning both fun and interactive. Covering a variety of topics on conservation and primate protection, this activity is especially popular in high school programs but can also engage younger students with teacher support.
Chimpanzees, like humans, use facial expressions to show emotions and communicate. Sometimes their expressions look like ours—and can even mean the same thing. Other times, they mean something entirely different! Dive into the lesson, color, and explore this interactive learning experience. Aligned with Educational Standards.
Crested black macaques are famous for their expressive faces! Like all primates, they use these expressions to communicate emotions. This resource includes a BBC Earth video, fascinating facts, and four coloring pages for you to enjoy. Educational standards are provided as well.
Step into the shoes of a detective and uncover the hidden ways your favorite sweet treats can impact rainforests and their wildlife. Enjoy engaging videos that guide you through five mission steps to solve each challenge, complete with clever Detective Strategies, Action Items, and Handy Hints along the way!
Discover the world of primates with this downloadable card deck—featuring four exciting games that bring learning to life! Explore the amazing diversity of nonhuman primates and their natural habitats, then dive deeper with the “Who’s in the Cards?” quick-access guide to detailed Primate Species Profiles. Play, explore, and learn! Now aligned with Educational Standards.
Rainforests—the lungs of our planet—are being lost at alarming rates worldwide. This engaging lesson and activity explore what makes rainforests unique, their extraordinary biodiversity, and their vital role in keeping Earth healthy. A captivating video introduces the key concepts, complemented by a downloadable game and interactive lesson modules. Aligned with educational standards.
Primate species show incredible diversity. Learn the "art" of forming thoughtful theories to explain their different adaptations in appearance and behavior. Use the five-step scientific method to develop and support your hypotheses. In this lesson, the focus is on the process of discovery rather than just getting the “right” answer.
Take a journey around the world with a short video that shows where the planet’s primates live. Explore their habitats and learn about the importance of conservation through five engaging activities. While humans live on every continent, what happens when our worlds overlap with theirs?
Welcome to Primate Jeopardy! Based on the classic TV game show, this template lets you test your knowledge of primates or explore the NEPC website for answers. Learn fascinating facts about apes, monkeys, and prosimians—their habitats, behaviors, and ways you can help protect them. And remember: always answer in the form of a question!
Modeled after classic flashcards, these digital cards offer quick and easy access to insights into various primate species. This fun and educational activity encourages exploration, revealing interesting facts—such as why each species can have multiple common names but only one scientific name, where they are found around the world, and much more.
Prepare for an exciting journey into the science of species identification! Discover how to classify nonhuman primates as you put on your scientist hat, decode clues, and create dichotomous keys to tell feisty tamarins apart from lively lemurs. Let the scientific sleuthing begin!
Use the 7-Step Scientific Method to investigate the shared evolutionary history of primates, including humans. This engaging lesson highlights our interconnected journey through evolution and underscores the important role each species plays in the intricate web of Earth’s biodiversity.
The choices you make every day affect habitats and the animals that live there. From the products you buy to the way you use social media, enjoy entertainment, or select animal companions, even small actions can make a difference. When thousands of people make small changes, the impact becomes huge—and that’s great news!
Lesson 1 of the "What is Nature?" series lays the groundwork for understanding how Nature sustains all living things. Grasping these concepts is essential for protecting the natural world. This lesson covers food chains and energy flow, with a dedicated section for educators. Key learning points highlight the intricate connections within ecosystems and how nutrients and energy cycle through them.
Lesson 2 of "What is Nature?" dives into the fascinating world of pollinators, highlighting the essential resources they need to thrive. The lesson emphasizes how cross-pollination supports ecosystem recovery and resilience. Explore the remarkable adaptations plants use to attract pollinators and the factors that influence which flowers pollinators prefer.
Lesson 3 of "What is Nature?" explores Biodiversity, the cornerstone of life and one of Nature’s greatest strategies for survival! Learn about Earth’s living organisms, including Genetic, Species, and Ecosystem Diversity, discover Biodiversity Hotspots, and find out how we can help protect it. This lesson features engaging videos, informative graphics, and interactive activities.
In this engaging video series, discover the remarkable diversity of primates, their varied adaptations, and the extraordinary ways they navigate their environments. You’ll also find that, despite the title of this series, many of our nonhuman primate relatives do not reside in the treetops.
Explore the world of primates, from their habitats and behaviors to their daily lives, in this engaging video series.

These youth-friendly videos offer insights into primates, conservation efforts, and ways that anyone can make a difference.
Invite NEPC into your classroom, school, library, or organization with our engaging educational webinars. Reach out to schedule your session today! Click here to find out more.