🔠Science, nature and the world
Nature Lab
By The Nature Conservancy. Visit Nature Lab
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
The Nature Conservancy's free youth curriculum site. It offers virtual field trip videos, classroom teaching guides and family activity guides on topics like cloud forests, ocean life, wildlife migration corridors, gardening and the bugs that help grow food. Materials are sorted into ages 5-11, 11-14 and 14-18, and the page has a Spanish version. Kids mostly watch the field trip films, then do hands-on activities with a parent or teacher.
Our take: A good free source of nature lessons for teachers and families; kids wanting an interactive game should look elsewhere.
Checked in a browser
A browser check on 2026-10-25: what loads, the ads and trackers we saw, and what a child meets first. Not a hands-on test.
| Child safety: 4 out of 5 | No ads shown on the page; a Donate button and links to many partner and social sites. |
|---|---|
| Data: 1 out of 5 | The first visit contacted 6 ad networks (doubleclick, Google Ads, PubMatic's contextweb, Kargo, Smart AdServer, Seedtag) and trackers from Facebook, TikTok, Reddit, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Bing, and set 104 cookies before any consent. |
| Ease: 3 out of 5 | A cookie box covers most of the phone screen; behind it is a teacher page of lesson plans and videos. |
| Cost honesty: 4 out of 5 | Free lessons; a Donate button sits in the header. |
What we found
- Contacted 45 outside sites; 6 were known ad networks and 13 trackers.
- Set 104 cookies, with third-party cookies from 17 domains, before the cookie box was answered.
- The cookie box says unless you click 'Reject Optional Cookies' you are agreeing.
- The page is The Nature Conservancy's youth curriculum hub, aimed at teachers and families.
From the test: Free nature lessons and videos, but the Nature Conservancy page sets off a lot of ad tracking; reject optional cookies first.
| Ages it suits | about 5-18 |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | The site terms say the website is not directed at children under 13 and asks under-13s not to submit personal information; the videos and guides need no sign-in. (terms) |
| Price | Free. Free (Oct 2026). |
| Works on | Web |
| Account | No account needed |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No AI. |
What's good
- Free videos and guides, no sign-in
- Content split by age band
- Built on a conservation group's own science
- Spanish version of the page
Watch for
- Hosted on a donation site with ad tracking
- Mostly video plus printable guides, not interactive
- Needs an adult to run activities
- Conservation framing comes from an advocacy charity
Data and privacy
The privacy notice says TNC and partners use cookies, pixels and session replay, and may target ads to visitors across sites; some sharing with advertising partners and co-ops may count as a sale under state laws, with an opt-out. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only (it cites Anthem and Telly awards); no study of learning outcomes was found.
In the Big Index
- On the list 20 best sites for STEM projects at home
- On the list 23 best museum and virtual field trip sites
Alternatives to Nature Lab
Desk researchPaidNo ads
Adafruit Circuit Playground Express
Adafruit Industries · ages about 8+ with adult help
A low-cost, flexible first electronics board for kids 8+ with a helper; kids who want a guided kit may prefer a subscription box.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Adafruit Learning System
Adafruit Industries · ages about 10 and up with an adult
A top free resource for families building electronics together; kids should not work through it alone.
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
Algodoo
Algoryx Simulation AB · ages about 8 and up
A great creative sandbox for curious kids and science classes; parents should supervise use of the public sharing site and forum.
Desk researchFree
Babble Dabble Do
Ana Dziengel · ages about 3-12
Great for families and teachers who want craft projects with a design or science twist; an adult should pick and prep the projects.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
Birdbuddy (AI bird feeder)
Bird Buddy Inc. · ages family use; kids with a parent's account
A fun family science gadget for bird-curious kids if parents accept the subscription and default model training; skip it if you want an offline camera.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
BirdNET
Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics and Chemnitz University of Technology · ages about 9 and up with a parent
A good pick for a curious older child with a parent who is comfortable sharing recordings for science; Merlin is friendlier for beginners.
Where these facts come from
- https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/how-we-work/youth-engagement/nature-lab/
- https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/accountability/terms-of-use/
- https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/accountability/privacy-policy/
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.