Contained are instructional materials developed by the Science Project Related to Upgrading Conservation Education ("SPRUCE"). It is designed for use with the SPRUCE "Discovery Box" and contains twenty-one sets of investigations based on the twenty-one packets of specimens in the box; three sets are recommended for each of Grades K through 6. Each of the twenty-one topics is introduced by a "background" section giving the rationale of the investigations and background information for the teacher. This is followed by four to ten "investigations"--questions and suggested activities which require students to observe and compare, sometimes to do simple experiments, and usually to extend their observations outside the classroom. The early topics emphasize the use of the senses in observing, later ones enable students to make discoveries about the characteristics of organisms and habitats. Themes which run through the investigations are constant change in nature and the interaction between organisms and their environments. The introduction to the manual describes the approach of the materials and makes a plea for improved conservation education. Ways in which this can be fitted into the general curriculum are suggested. The contents of the "Discovery Box" are not listed, but can be inferred from the background sections and investigations. This work was prepared under an ESEA Title III contract. (EB)