What type of habitat do you live in? A habitat is the natural environment that a plant or animal lives in. Habitats include forests, rainforests, deserts, grasslands, and many others. There are many different habitats on Earth and they vary in temperature, humidity, light, and region. Habitats can be as small as a drop of water to as large as the Sahara Desert. Since the earth is always changing, certain habitats are changing too.
Each habitat is a community of plants and animals that are all dependent on each other for survival. A complex community of the plants and animals that live in a particular region is called a biome.
Habitats are easy to study. Just look out your window and you will see habitats. Have your student identify what habitat he or she lives in, what other habitats are around them, and what plants and animals live in those particular habitats. A fun craft project to include in any habitat study is to make a Habitat bulletin board or poster. Label three sections with Water, Land, and Air. Next, have your student cut different animals out of magazines, draw pictures, or use stickers and attach the pictures to the appropriate habitat on the bulletin board or poster.
Another great way to study habitats is to visit a wildlife refuge. There is at least one wildlife refuge in each state of the United States. The National Wildlife Refuge System has some of the wildest classrooms in the nation! Florida’s Pelican Island was named the first national wildlife refuge in 1903. There are now 540 refuges and about 3,000 small waterfowl nesting and breeding areas. There are more than 95 million acres in the National Wildlife Refuge System and they are protected habitats.
Begin studying habitats today! There are so many fun projects and activities that you can do along with your study. Visit a wildlife refuge or a natural habitat near you. Big cities are habitats too! Visit a nearby city and have your student record what it is like there or compare a large city to a small one. How about creating a habitat? Create a pond, an imaginary forest, or even a fish bowl or aquarium.
In the Hands of a Child has five Project Packs in the Habitat Series, including Desert Habitats, Forest Habitats, Grassland Habitats, Polar Habitats, and Rainforest Habitats. For information on building you own backyard habitat:
http://www.nwf.org/backyard/
Certain animals can only survive in one type of habitat. For example, koalas eat a certain kind of plant that only grows in Australia. The aardvark only lives in Africa. For a list of animals that only live in one region of the world, visit:
http://www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0768522.html
For other fun activities or links about habitats go to:
http://www.hitchams.suffolk.sch.uk/habitats/index.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/
http://library.thinkquest.org/11922/habitats/habitats.htm
Katie Kubesh is co-owner and writer/researcher for In the Hands of a Child.
She has been a guest speaker at workshops and conventions throughout the Midwest and her articles are featured in numerous publications.
Recognizing that hands-on projects are essential to the learning experience, In the Hands of a Child has created Project Packs that go beyond the hands-on aspect. They have taken the preparation time out of the parent/teacher job description with Complete Ready to Assemble Lapbook-style units that are available in Ebook, Printed Book, and CD formats. Please visit their website at www.handsofachild.com.
©2007 Katie Kubesh
