1. eNature.com Nature Portal http://www.enature.org
This site is the premire site for earning / teaching AY Honors. For a start, it contains online field guides for Amphibians, birds, butterflies, fishes, insects, mammals, native plants, reptiles, seashells, seashore creatures, spiders, trees, and wildflowers. The field guide is sortable by state, region, and even zipcode. Brief descriptions, habitat, and even pictures adorn each ID.

The site also includes a Mammal Tracking Guide/Field Guide, a fieldguide to poisonous & dangerous creatures, as well as a list of threatened and endangered wildlife. All these guides are also sortable and searchable by state, region, and zipcode.

You can even register for a login, and as a result receive high quality emails in your inbox, as well as the ability to start a lifelist online to record all wildlife you observe on your Pathfinder trips. There are even resources that are downloadable (usually for a fee) to your Handheld devices. You've got to check this site out, then put it on your Favorites list.

This site can be helpful in preparing for: Amphibians, Animal Tracking, Bats, Birds, Cacti, Ecology, Environmental Conservation, Fishes, Grasses, Insects, Mammals, Marine Invertebrates, Marine Mammals, Moths and Butterflies, Reptiles, Seeds, Shells, Shrubs, and Trees AY Honors.

2. Care2.com -- http://www.care2.com/
This site is a great place to find out what is happening locally and globally to protect your environment. Links to save endangered animals and habitats, as well as petitions that can be sent to your state and local government officials are also on this site.

I've used this site as part of the Environmental Conservation and Ecology honors.

3. Cactiguide.com -- http://cactiguide.com/ This site helps you identify cacti, gives you definitions and other nomenclature of "cacti terms," as well as has some great pictures. This site will obviously help you prepare for the Cacti AY Honor.

4. Yahooligans Mammals, Fishes, Amphibians, Insects, and Birds -- http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/content/animals/fishes/
Ranger Rick is a Kid favorite, and he guides kids to kid-safe sites about some of their favorite animals. Their specialty is brief explanations of all the above pets and the basic "out in the wild" kind of information. The site search engine is good and quickly gets you to the information you're looking for.

This site can be helpful in preparing for: Amphibians, Birds, Insects, Fishes, Mammals, and Reptiles AY honors.

5. Houseplants -- Plant Propigation -- http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/horticulture/g337.htm
One of the hardest parts of the houseplants and advanced cacti AY honors is felt to be the whole concept and practice of propigation. This online guide gives GOOD easy directions, and helps you evaluate the different types of propigation.

I've used this site as part of the Houseplants and Advanced Cacti AY Honors.

6. Orkin helps Teachers teach about insects -- http://orkin.com/learningcenter/kidsandteachers_lessonplans.asp
Your kids will thank you for taking the time to download these fun and interactive lesson plans that teach them about insects. I have especially enjoyed the Grade 4-6 teachers guide "Are You One of Us" and the associated Invertebrates Template. With just a few clicks, you're just about ready to teach the insect honor!

This site can be helpful in preparing for: The Insects AY Honor.

7. Breeds of Livestock Pictures from Oklahoma State University -- http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/

The site is kind of ugly, but here you'll find some of the best pictures online in one place on all the breeds you need to identify for the Livestock AY Honor.

8. OrchidLady.com -- http://www.orchidlady.com/
If you're wanting to start to earn, teach or learn about orchids, this site, along with a visit to an orchid warehouse or show will definitely inspire you. Especially read the FAQs for Beginners. Many of the questions from the Orchid AY Honor are answered on different pages throughout this site.

This site can be helpful in preparing for the Orchids AY Honor.

9. Franklin's Forecast -- Make your own Meterology Station --
http://www.fi.edu/weather/todo/todo.html
This is a fun and easy to print out website with all the materials needed and pictures of how to put together rain gauges, barometers, weather vanes, and of course -- how to create your own weather journal. Have fun with this one!

This site can be helpful in preparing for the Weather AY Honor

10. Stars Honor Sites --
http://www.earthsky.com/
http://www.fourmilab.ch/solar/solar.html -- The Solar System live
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/astroskymap/constellation_hunt.htm (online constellation charting game)
Yahooligans Constellations and Stars Search

There are so many incredible sites geared towards educating our society about the stars and universe. Remember that most of these sites come with an evolutionary twist, yet the pictures and basic data is sound. Most have great site search engines and tons of resources for adults/teachers who want to extend the knowledge to the next generation of kids.

These sites are helpful when preparing for the Stars AY Honor