Resources: Equipment for a nature hunt: clipboards and pencils. Photographs from the handout if not using the outdoors.
Core Handout (2): A sheet for the children to draw and label wildlife found in a microhabitat. Photographs are included on the handout, which can be used for classes unable to observe a microhabitat outside.
Challenge Handout (4): A more extensive sheet for the children to explore their microhabitat in more detail.
Enquiry Approach - Research
Using information from a variety of sources to answer scientific questions.
Enquiry Skill - Observing and measuring
Using the senses and taking measurements, using a range of equipment, to make observations about a scientific enquiry.
Ask the children: what are the 7 characteristics of living things?
What is a habitat? What is the difference between a habitat and a microhabitat? Ensure the children understand that a habitat is a large area, such as the ocean, a forest or a desert, whereas a microhabitat is a much smaller area that can be found within a habitat.
Explore animals that are more likely to live in a microhabitat, such as various species of minibeasts.
If possible, enable the children to use their local environment to observe a microhabitat. This could be an area of the playground, a park or a woodland. Encourage the children to look underneath logs and in the soil. They should write or draw the insects and plants they find.
For classes unable to use their local environment, use the photographs provided and magnifying glasses to identify and name the insects and plants they can see.
Challenge Task: Observe how living things depend on each other; e.g. plants also provide shelter for animals.
Come together to discuss the variety of plants and animals they saw. Discuss 2 areas the children have been to recently. Have they been to a forest or the city/town? How did the habitats compare to the microhabitats they have been looking at today?
A microhabitat is a small, localised habitat within a larger ecosystem. Examples of microhabitats include a patch of grass in a park, a tree stump in a forest, or a rock pool at the beach. The specific plants and animals that can be found in a microhabitat will depend on its location and environmental conditions. Here are some examples of plants and animals that might be found in a few different microhabitats:
It's important to note that this is not an exhaustive list, and the specific plants and animals that can be found in a microhabitat will depend on a variety of factors such as location, climate, and time of year. Identifying and naming different plants and animals in a microhabitat can be a fun and educational activity, and can help us better understand the diversity of life in our natural environment.
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