ECOLOGIST 'S ACTIVITIES
OBJECTIVES
Activity #1
Biome Diorama
Materials
Instructions
1.
Choose a biome you want to construct.
2.
Draw or glue pictures of the background of your biome on the inside parts of the
shoebox. The shoebox will stand on one side, so the bottom of the box will be
your main background.
3.
Cut out or draw plants, animals and other things found in that biome.
4.
Paste those pictures on cardboard and you can stand them on the side part of the
box. Place them in different places around the box to make it look like
the biome. You can also use string and hang some from top side.
ACTIVITY
# 2 Bird Feeder Enchanted
Learning
- A large, open pine cone
- Vegetable shortening, lard or suet
- Oats or corn meal
- Bird seed
- A few feet of string
Make a pine cone bird feeder go to this website and
click on the printable version follow instructions.
Hang
your bird feeders outside on the trees and watch the birds as they come to
feast.
ACTIVITY
#3 Water Pollution Experiment The
Kids Ecology Corps
Water is one of the most important things on Earth.
Nothing that is alive can live without water. We drink water. It's in our food.
It's in our air. It is vital (that means VERY important) that we have water that
we can drink safely and use safely to water our crops. If our water is polluted,
it can make us sick and kill plants and animals. This activity shows how easily
pollution can get into water, our food, and us!
Materials
-
A glass
-
Tap water
-
Red or blue food coloring.
-
A knife (get your parents or teacher to help you use
the knife)
-
A stick of fresh celery with the leaves still on it
Instructions
-
Fill the glass with tap water.
-
Add two or three drops of food coloring. Notice how it
spreads through the water. Pollution spreads through water just like the
food coloring does.
-
Wash the piece of celery. Leave the leaves on.
-
Be very careful,
do not use the knife ( get your
parents or teacher to do this) and cut off the bottom of the celery.
-
Put the celery in the glass filled with colored water.
-
Let the celery stalk sit there for at least three or
four hours; you can even leave it overnight.
-
When the time has passed, take the celery stalk out of
the water.
-
Use the knife (remember to get help from your parents
or teacher) and cut a slice off the bottom of the stalk.
-
Do this several times.
Questions to Answer:
ACTIVITY
#4 How
Nature Recycles The
Kids Ecology Corps
Some trash breaks down and goes back to the Earth. It
turns into soil. That means it is biodegradable.
But the most important thing to know about trash is that some of it stays around
forever. How do you know which trash is biodegradable and which isn't? This
activity will help you learn.
Materials
- A tool to dig with.
- 4 flat sticks you can write on;
Popsicle sticks will be
okay.
- A marker.
- A pear or apple core
- A leaf from a green leafy vegetable like spinach or
lettuce
- A piece of plastic packaging; a plastic bag will do
just fine.
- A piece of Styrofoam
Instructions
- Use the marker to write the names of the four pieces of
trash on the flat sticks.
- Take the sticks, the tool you are going to dig with,
and the four pieces of trash outside into your backyard or schoolyard. Find
a spot to dig a few holes. Try to find a spot that has warm, moist soil.
Warm, moist soils breaks down biodegradable trash faster. Be sure to ask
your parents or teachers if it's okay to dig there.
- Dig four holes that are wide and deep enough to put
something in
- Put each of the four pieces of trash in a separate
hole. The fruit core goes in one hole; the vegetable leaf in the second
hole; the plastic packaging in the third hole; the styrofoam in the last
hole.
- Fill the holes back up with dirt.
- Mark each hole with the stick that matches what you
buried in the hole.
- Mark the date you buried the four pieces of trash on
the calendar; mark a day a month later to go back and dig them up.
- On the date marked, go back and dig up the four pieces
of trash.
Questions to Answer
- Did you find all the pieces of trash?
- Which pieces were not there or almost all gone?
- Which pieces of trash were still there?
- Which types of trash are biodegradable?
- Which aren't?
- Which kinds of trash are better for the Earth?
- How can we change what we do with packaging and trash
to make things better for the Earth?
ACTIVITY
# 5 Earth Pendant Kids Domain Crafts
A
craft to make with reusable or recyclable materials
Make an earth pendent and sell them. The
money you collect can be sent to an organization of your choice to help with our
environment. Or just wear it to remind you that you must take care of the
earth.
Earth
Day Craft printable version
- A piece of acetate (or any
piece of flat, flexible, transparent plastic or
waxed paper)
- A printer
- White glue
- Blue and green food coloring
- A stick for stirring the glue and spreading it
- Disposable containers for mixing the glue (old jar lids work well)
- A paper clip
- String or yarn
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