Here you will find some lesson and activity ideas that cover the subjects of Science and Social studies. Within the activities math, art, or language arts are often integrated into the activity.

Everybody Needs a Home

Adapted from the Canadian Wildlife Federation: Project Wild

Grades: P-3

Subjects: Science, Language Arts, Art

Category: Living things, habitats, needs and wants.

Duration: 30 minutes or longer

Setting: Indoors or outdoors

Learning Target: Children will be able to generalize that people and other animals share the basic need to have a home.

Activity Description: Children draw pictures of homes and compare their needs with those of other animals.

Background: Humans and other animals—including pets, farms animals and wildlife—have some of the same basic needs. Every animal has a home, but that home is not just a ‘house’ like people live in. Home for many animals is a much bigger place—and its outdoors. The Scientific term for an animal home is “habitat”. An animals habitat includes food, water, shelter or cover, and space. The major purpose of this activity is for students to generalize that animals need a home. Animals don’t need a home that looks like a house—but they do need some kind of shelter. The shelter might be underground, in a bush, in the bark of a tree or in some rocks!

Materials: Drawing paper, crayons or chalk.

Procedure:

· Ask your child to draw a picture of where he or she lives. Ask them to include pictures in their drawing of the things they need to live where they do; for example, a place to cook and keep food, a place to sleep, a neighborhood.

· Once the drawings are complete, have a discussion about what they drew. Ask your child to point out the things they need to live that they have included in their drawings.

· Ask them to close their eyes and imagine: a birds home, an ants home, a beavers home, their home. Optional: Show students pictures of different places that animals live.

· Discuss the differences and similarities among the different homes with the child. Talk about the things every animal needs in a home: food, water, shelter, and space in which to live, arranged in such a way that the animal can survive. You can talk about the idea that a home is actually bigger than a house. In some ways, it is more like a neighborhood. For animals, we can call that neighborhood where all the survival needs are met a “habitat”. People go outside their homes to get food at a store, for example. Birds, ants, beavers and other animals have to go out of their “houses” (places of shelter) to get the things they need to live.

Extensions:

· Draw animal homes. Compare them to places where people live.

· Go outside and look for animal homes. Be sure not to bother the animals or the homes.

· Aquatic extension: Draw the “homes” of some kind of aquatic wildlife. Fish, aquatic reptiles, amphibians, aquatic insects, and aquatic mammals—just like all other kinds of wildlife—need food, water, shelter, and space in a suitable arrangement. These are the basic components of an animals habitat or home.

Water Plant Art

Adapted from the Canadian Wildlife Federation: Project Wild

Grades: P-12

Subjects: Science, Art

Category:

Duration: 30-45 minutes

Setting: Indoors and outdoors

Learning Target: Children will be able to identify a variety of aquatic plants.

Activity Description: Children create artwork from pressed aquatic plants.

Background: Aquatic plants grow in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colours. They are essential to the web of life in any aquatic ecosystem. The major purpose of this activity is to heighten students’ awareness and appreciation of aquatic plant life.

Materials: seaweed grasses or samples of other aquatic plants, shallow pan filled with fresh water, heavy, porous white paper, wax paper, newspapers, several large heavy books, waterproof marking pen.

Procedure:

· Talk with your child about the importance of there being a variety of plant life in aquatic habitats. They may provide food or shelter for aquatic animals. You could also choose to read a book about this to begin. Some nice examples are:

“Be a beach Detective” Peggy Kochanoff available on Halifax Public Library Website

“At the Marsh in the Meadow” by Jeanie Mebane available on Epic!

· Show the students pictures of some different kinds of aquatic plants, aquatic animals, and aquatic habitats. Freshwater habitats like streams and lakes, and marine habitats like saltwater bays and ocean environments, are examples.

· If possible, go out and collect seaweed, grasses, or algae. Make sure the plants are abundant and that you will do no permanent damage to the aquatic habitat. While gathering these plants, look carefully for aquatic animals. Put any samples of plants into plastic bags to keep moist.

· Place the seaweed, grasses and/or algae in a pan pilled with water. Clean the seaweed or other water plants.

· Gently lift the plants and place on heavy, porous paper. Arrange the plants into the design. Cover the arrangement with wax paper.

· Write on the way paper with the waterproof pen the kind of plant and where it was found.

· Lift the artwork—white paper and wax paper too—and place it between several sheets of newspaper. (The wax paper protects the plant, while the water will seep through the white paper. As the plant dries, it will adhere to the white paper)

· Place the stack of newspapers containing the plant on a flat surface. Stack heavy books on top to serve as a plant press.

· Drying may take from a few days, to several weeks, depending on the humidity.

· Display artwork and again talk about the importance of aquatic habitats!