Nature Quest
Activity #1NATURE QUEST ACTIVITY
Habitat Explorer
How many different habitats do you have in your schools grounds?
All are good, but some are better for wildlife. Give your school grounds a ‘Wildlife Friendly Habitat score’.
You could even do this activity if you visit one of our sites.
Did you know? Different animals need different habitats? A fish, for example, needs clean water in which to live. A grasshopper, however, needs a big space where it can hop and a variety of leaves that it can eat.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
- Pictures or descriptions of the different habitats you might find.
- Outline map of the site you’re surveying. You could use Google maps.
STEP BY STEP GUIDE
- Have a look at the type of habitats that animals like to live in.
- Go into your school grounds and see how many of these you can find.
- Make a map of your school grounds showing where the different habitats are.
Alternative sites in Harare where you could do this activity
- Mukuvisi Woodlands
- Haka Park
- Monavale Vlei
- Lake Chivero
ASSOCIATED GAME
Shrinking Habitats
1. Lay out 5 or 6 sheets of cloth or plastic, each representing a different habitat. Each child chooses to be a bird, insect or animal and should stand on one of the sheets.
2. Give the instruction that one of the habitats has been destroyed so the wildlife must now fit into what’s left.
3. Continue in this way, with creatures ‘dying’ as there’s no room left for them in the shrinking habitats.
4. Discuss the impact of habitat loss for wildlife.
FOLLOW-ON ACTIVITY
How many new habitats can you create? Take a look at ‘supporting resources’ section of https://www.rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/for-teachers/lesson-plans-and-supporting-resources/ for simple instructions on how to create some habitats out of recycled materials.
Don’t forget to email or send us photos/drawings/writing to chirimutaronald@gmail.com or birds@zol.co.zw to demonstrate you’ve completed this activity.
