"The Great Kapok Tree," written and illustrated by Lynne Cherry, is the story of various rain forest animals trying to persuade a man not to chop down the tree they call home. After reviewing the layers of the rain forest, read the story to the class, calling attention to the size of the tree and to all the animals that live there. Students can then make their own tree out of construction paper. They can decorate their trees with vines and rain forest animals.
Students can use their sense of smell, taste and touch to learn about food that originally comes from the rain forest. Provide items you would like to share with your class such as avocado, grapefruit, chocolate, lemon, gum, black pepper, coconut, papaya, cinnamon, tea or a banana. Talk to the students about how many of these items they have at home and discuss what it would be like if they didn't have those items. Then, have students experience the food using their senses. Talk about how the food feels, smells and tastes. Send a letter or email home asking for permission for the students to participate in the rain forest food study. Have students return signed permission slips to have on file.
Teach students about the rain forest biome by creating a mini rain forest in a 2-liter plastic bottle. Show students how the rain forest regulates the dispersal of water by utilizing the water cycle. Cut the top of the plastic bottle where it starts to curve. Cover the bottom with plastic wrap, then cover with about an inch of gravel and fill with potting soil. Place small plants in the soil and water with about 1/3 cup of water. Place the plastic cover, inverted, over the plants, forming a dome. Water every few weeks. Have students watch the water collect on the sides and top of the bottle and then drop down, re-creating the water cycle.
Discuss with your kindergartners the levels of the rain forest and the animals that live there. Model the making of a diorama, explaining what you are doing. Creating a diorama allows the students to understand the basic structure of the rain forest. Paint five strips of varying shades of green horizontally across the box you are using for the diorama. Each strip will represent a different layer of the rain forest. The bottom layer is the ground layer, then the shrub layer, the under layer, the canopy, and the over layer. Show students how to paint trees and vines on their dioramas. Add plastic trees and animals to make it more realistic.