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Habitats

This is a hands-on day which will encourage the children to discover more about the world around then. They explore and compare different habitats, taking a close look at the plants and animals within them and thinking about their adaptations to their particular habitat and the relationships between them.

National Curriculum Summary

Sc2

Sc2 Life Processes and Living Things:
Variation and Classification - we use keys to identify locally occurring animals and plants and assign them to groups.
Living Things in their Environment - we look at the different plants and animals found in different habitats and find out how plants and animals in two different habitats are suited to their environment. We also use food chains to show feeding relationships in a habitat and show how nearly all food chains start with a green plant. Throughout the activities we consider how things in the natural environment need to be cared for and how we as humans can impact on the natural world.

Main National Curriculum Links

Sc2 4b, 5a, 5b, 5c, 5d, 5e

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the day children will be able to:

  • identify and describe local habitats and some of the plants and animals that live there
  • explain that animals and plants are found in particular habitats where they can find the food they need and where conditions are right for them
  • describe what some animals eat and distinguish between those that eat plants and those that eat other animals
  • construct simple food chains based on their explorations outside, and understand how to describe them using the appropriate terms and vocabulary
  • describe some larger habitats, suggest animals that might be suited to living there and understand the threats to those habitats

Availability

March to October

Day Summary

The day begins with an introduction by the day leader, welcoming the group to the centre, followed by a whole-class game or activity.

The children then split into groups (usually 3) for the day's activity sessions: Pond, Food Chains and Big Habitats.

The Pond

This session takes a closer look at one local habitat - a pond at Skelton Grange - and at the creatures living there. We have a dip in the pond and put the creatures found into a pond tray to examine them. We use our identification keys to see what has been caught, and talk about the adaptations these animals have to help them live in the pond.

Food Chains

This session introduces the idea of food chains to the group and explores the interconnected relationships between plants and animals in local habitats. We discover that food chains start with a green plant, which gets its energy from the Sun, and also learn about predators and prey and producers and consumers. We also explore how food chains can be affected by human activity, and the group makes food chains to take away with them.

Big Habitats

This activity looks at larger habitats and ecosystems that we find around the world. We play a game that gets us thinking about what places are like, which animals live there and what adaptations these animals have to help them survive. We also think about what impacts humans can have on these habitats. We then go outside and explore the woodland as an example of a local habitat.

 

Visit our Links page to find some fun ideas for pre-visit or follow-up activities! 

:: last modified 13 Aug 2010 ::