The school playground can be the perfect location to attract and support wildlife by creating an ideal habitat for particular species. Ask each student to bring to school a rock or piece of tile. Create a rock garden in the back of the playground. The moisture and somewhat controlled temperature in the rocks will attract frogs, toads and salamanders. Plant flowers that attract, feed and create a habitat for caterpillars and butterflies, such as milkweed, cone-flowers, dill, hollyhocks and peonies. Collect a large pile of sticks to be home to creatures such as beetles and woodlice and larger mammals such as squirrels and chipmunks. Invite the class to move to the playground and take a few moments to observe, discuss and learn outside the classroom.
Offer students the opportunity to reflect on their own use of space and how they meet their survival needs. On a blank sheet of paper, each student should draw a picture detailing where they sleep, eat and find food, as well as how they stay warm and dry. Give students an additional piece of paper and instruct them to draw a worm's habitat. Discuss the range of space needed for each human as compared to each worm. Talk about the importance of caring for our space and how this may be accomplished.
People are notorious for destroying habitats. Lead students through an activity to demonstrate how this affects the survival of animals. Clear away the desks and appoint 4-6 students to represent ocelots. Give them six minutes to set up a habitat using a desk for a den, green construction paper for food and a piece of blue construction paper for water. Next, 6-9 students can represent trees to provide protection near the den. Then, allow 9-10 students to represent developers. Using bedsheets, have them build housing developments or a business district in the classroom. They must clear their area of food, water and shelter before constructing their buildings. After the construction is complete, allow the affected ocelots to react to the changes. Discuss, as a class, what happened to the animal species and possible solutions.
In order to develop empathy for the plight of animals in their habitats, assign students to take on the role of a particular animal and talk about their habitats. Write the name of familiar animals on note-cards, one animal per card. Divide the class into pairs. One student will begin as the interviewer and ask questions about the animal's habitat. The other student will draw the name of an animal from the stack of cards and answer the questions on behalf of that animal. The students must discuss the consequences when the habitat is disturbed or destroyed. After a 10-minute discussion, the interviewer should take on the persona of an animal from the stack of cards and answer questions in turn. If the partnership encounters questions to which they do not know the answer, they may do some on-the-spot research in an encyclopedia or on the class computer.