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4-H Earth Connections
 "Creating Sustainable Communities for the 21st Century"

  

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 Activity 22 PDF
 

AGE LEVEL = 7-9 (4-6)
DURATION = 30-45 min.
LEARNING STATION = Forest
RELATED ACTIVITIES = ← What Animal Am I?
WHEN = Day symbol.       

UNDERSTANDING: Nature provides a diversity of homes for all types of animal life. Disrupting the home will disrupt the animals who live there.

SPECIAL NOTES: Choose animals that are found at or near the learning site.

MATERIALS:
For each child:

PREPARATION: Review the ecological concepts of habitat and niche and be prepared to discuss them.

LESSON:

Warm-up: In a sharing circle, have the children describe what they think makes a good home. Ask: “Do you live in a good home? Does it need improvements? Is your family the first family to live there?” Explain to the children that many characteristics of a good home are also sought out by animals. Some spend a lot of time creating homes, while others simply move into vacant ones. Discuss similarities among forest dwellers and humans.

Activity: If you preceded this activity with Activity 37 - What Animal Am I?, have the children maintain their animal roles. If not, have the children brainstorm ground-dwelling animals they would like to be. Encourage the children to be different animals and not to copy each other.

Explain to the children that they will need to discover a home for the animal they choose. Set a time limit (10 minutes) and boundaries. Hand out clipboards, pencils, and Home Registration Forms. Have them return to their home sites and fill out the forms. Regather the group at a central location.

After everyone is done, send them off in pairs to tour each other’s homes.

Wrap-up: When all tours are completed, have everyone gather in a sharing circle. Discuss the following: What conditions or items in your home were crucial for your survival? Was one more important than another? What happens if your home is taken away? Finish by having the children share their forms with the group.

OPTIONS AND FURTHER EXPLORATIONS
Go on a nature walk and focus on animal homes. Discuss how the homes meet the needs of their occupants.
 

Home Registration Form

Before your home site can be approved by the Animals’ Housing Commission, you must answer these questions. When you have found a home site, complete this application. Thank you.

  1. Your animal name.____________________________________________________________________

  2. Location of your home site._____________________________________________________________

  3. Materials needed for construction or repair of your home._____________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________________________________

  4. How are you protected from weather, wind, rain, snow, etc.?___________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________________________________

  5. Where do you get your food?____________________________________________________________

  6. Where do you store your food?___________________________________________________________

  7. Where is your water supply? How far is it from your home?____________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________________________________

  8. What do you do with your waste? ________________________________________________________

  9. Would your children be safe in your home if you left them alone?_______________________________
    ____________________________________________________________________________________

  10. How do you improve your community?_____________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________________________________

Activity Cards

 
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Last Modified: 03/20/07

 
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