The bromeliad plant that grows in the rainforest is beneficial to many tropical animals and insects. Its unique style of collecting water in its bowl-like leaves supplies some animals with drinking water and others with a place to live. Understanding how the bromeliad works can be demonstrated with a pineapple plant. To perform this experiment, remove the top of a fresh pineapple, leaving 3 inches of fruit attached to the remain. After drying the top for one to two days, remove the soft fruit. The core attached to the leaves remains. Plant the pineapple top so the core is in the soil and the leaves above the soil. Water the plant when dry and keep outdoors in a sunny place. When new leaves grow in the center, it will collect and store rainwater similar to the way bromeliad plants do.
Preparing a rainforest trail mix is an activity that introduces foods and fruits available in the rainforest and is fun to eat. Mix 1 cup each of macadamia nuts, cashews, chocolate chips, peanuts, dried bananas and dried pineapple. Add 3/4 cup coconut to the mixture and stir thoroughly. This recipe makes approximately 10 to 12 servings.
Constructing dioramas gives students a visual idea of the many layers that compile the rainforest. After learning about the plant life, encourage students to include in the dioramas the overlayer, canopy layer, understory, shrub and ground layer found in the rainforest. The students can show their creativity with this inexpensive project.
In the rainforest, liana vines grow up the trunks of trees to seek sunlight. Creating a liana vine using string and paper flowers, butterflies, snakes and animals is an easy-to-do project for elementary schoolchildren. The students can cut out and decorate the various items to be hung from the vine. The items are then attached to the string to complete the liana vine.