Ecosystems Education
Table of Contents
Introduction
Each of us is surrounded by a fascinating ecosystem, or sometimes we are lucky enough to live where more than one ecosystem converge. Sadly many of us spend most of our time indoors and have no idea of the thousands of organism types outside our windows.
Discovering Our Ecosystems
There are several ways to introduce kids and communities to their own eco-systems, even if travel isn't an easy option.
In fact we often think of far away places as being rich in biodiversity, and few people realize what is lurking in and around their own homes.
The following are a few ways to help get started with your students.
BioBlitz
These are generally one-day events, though they may last for only a short period such as an hour or over several days. They are a great way to get adults and children both out in nature and involved with science.
School Yards
Your school yard might already be a fairly green place, but if not, you can work on making it more environmentally friendly, and stimulating for young minds by adding trees, a pollinator garden, a sensory garden, rain gardens, or even a food garden.
Field Trips
There are plenty of parks, museums, and wildlife rescue/rehabilitation organizations who specialize in local ecology, and have developed educational programs to help your students engage with nature.
Grasslands
Fire Destruction & Regeneration
We often think of fire as a purely destructive force and normally do everything we can to prevent it. Currently forest fires are becoming more problematic, torching down increasingly large swathes of land, or even communities.
Throughout history, humans have used carefully controlled fire to gently burn the landscape earlier in the year, to prevent full uncontrol able, raging fires in the hotter months.
Prairies
This type of ecosystem includes animals such as wolves, prairie dogs, prairie chickens, bison, and eagles. Fire is an important part of the prairie life cycle, as are bison migrations. Bison are a keystone species and habitat engineers who make wallows, used by prairie chickens for mating, as well as many other species.
Most of the world's prairies are found in North America, and used to make up 1/3rd of the United States of America. There are also prairies in Canada
USA
Iowa
Tall Grass Prairie Center: Educator Resources "The links below have been created by the staff of the Tallgrass Prairie Center and Green Iowa AmeriCorps members over the years and provide a range of information, lessons, activities, and other resources for the formal and informal educator. The aim of this page is to assist teachers of all varieties with options and ideas to connect youth to the outdoors and our lost and limited landscape of Iowa tallgrass prairie."
Louisiana
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette: The Ecology Center: K-12 Educational Programs these include a variety of opportunities. For example students can:
"learn about designing scientific experiments"
" Students germinate native plant seeds, and plant seedlings into our coastal prairie habitat. The Coastal Roots program educates students about plant life-cycles, and engages them with local environmental issues and restoration efforts."
"Campers visit the Ecology Center to learn about the history and unique characteristics of the Louisiana “Cajun Prairie” through hands-on activities and presentations."
"The Ecology Center partners with local high schools to provide research opportunities for students."
"As part of their science coursework, students from fifth, sixth, and seventh grades are able to learn about the Louisiana Cajun Prairie at The Ecology Center. Each grade is given a tour of the Cajun Prairie restoration, learns how to process seeds by hand and with the seed blower, and is given individualized activities. Fifth grade and sixth grades focus on learning how to identify native species and are treated to a native insect, grasses, and flower scavenger hunt armed with digital cameras to document their findings. Seventh grade examines and compares the plant and insect biodiversity within the four different ecosystems all in existence at the UL Ecology Center: cut lawn, restored prairie, unmanaged land, and bottomland hardwood. The Ecology Center also partners with the students in an on-going project to create a native butterfly garden habitat on campus at Berchman's Academy."
Texas
Deep in the Heart Wildlife: Learning Resources (K-12) These videos include important Texas species and ecosystems including American Bison, Black Bear, Ecosystems of the Gulf Coast, and Guadalupe Bass. Click under each topic to apply for the teaching and learning materials.
Marine
Asia
Indonesia
Coral Watch: Indonesia "The Reef Education package was developed in 2012. It includes a workbook, coral health chart and data slate, virtual reef, Do It Yourself instructions and CD. This package is unfortunately out of print but all materials are available for downloading. Contact us if you like a downloadable copy of the book ‘Terumbu Karang dan Perubuhan Iklim’."
Europe
North America
USA
Sea Grant Florida: Promoting Ocean and Coastal Literacy At Every Age "Through hands-on, virtual and citizen science activities, Florida Sea Grant educators provide timely science-based information to audiences so that they better understand how their decisions affect coastal environments."
Planeteer Handbook Information
Marine Ecosystems
Types of Reef
The following are reef types that have been covered on this website. They include information about these ecosystems, their importance, and scientifically-supported ways to help them.
There are also freshwater reefs in certain lakes and other freshwater locations around the world. Most evidence of these are found in fossil records, but scientists and conservationists are working to better understand and protect these important carbon sinks, by protecting our freshwater habitats.
Resources & Guides
Asia
Hong Kong
Europe
Ireland
National Biodiversity Data Center: Ireland's Biodiversity Learning Platform "Supporting collaborative learning on Ireland's biodiversity"
Specialty Course Training
PADI Specialty: CoralWatch Coral Health Chart Distinctive Specialty 🌊 "CoralWatch with the help of PADI instructors Chris Roelfsema and Diana Kleine have developed a PADI approved ‘CoralWatch Coral Health Chart Distinctive Specialty’ specialty in conjunction with PADI AWARE Foundation, so you can teach, dive and certify your students in coral monitoring and data collection. This Distinctive Specialty course highlights the impact of coral bleaching and provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to identify coral health and record data. The specialty is aimed at snorkelers and divers who like to get recognition for their gained knowledge and skills, as it is not a requirement to do the surveys."