Different regions have access to different renewable or nonrenewable natural resources such as freshwater, fossil fuels, fertile soil, or timber based on their geographic location and past geologic processes. Access, or the lack thereof, contributes to a place’s economic development, political relationships, and culture. For example, the Great Plains region of the United States is known for its abundance of fertile soil. As a result, its main industry is agriculture. Corn, soybeans, and wheat are globally exported from this region and serve as the main economy. On the other side of the spectrum, the desert southwestern region of the United States depends on the Central Arizona Project canals to transport water from the Colorado River in order to support agriculture and urban areas. Arizona’s right to use water from this river stems from the Colorado Compact, an agreement established in 1922. Use these materials to explore the interconnected nature of resources and their distribution.
A habitat is an environment where an organism lives throughout the year or for shorter periods of time to find a mate. The habitat contains all an animal needs to survive such as food and shelter. A microhabitat is a small area which differs somehow from the surrounding habitat. Its unique conditions may be home to unique species that may not be found in the larger region. Unfortunately, some habitats are threatened by pollution, extreme weather, or deforestation. This puts many of the species that live there in danger and is causing many populations to decline. Explore different types of habitats and microhabitats with this curated collection of classroom resources.
tactic that organisms use to disguise their appearance, usually to blend in with their surroundings.
sale of goods and services, or a place where such sales take place.
Rainforests 101
chemical material that can be easily shaped when heated to a high temperature.
region generally located between the Tropic of Cancer (23 1/2 degrees north of the Equator) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23 1/2 degrees south of the Equator).
A rainforest is an area of tall trees and a high amount of rainfall.
business that uses surplus funds to pursue its goals, not to make money.
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Educational resources for this project funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and the BIO Program at the Inter-American Development Bank.
animal with hair that gives birth to live offspring. Female mammals produce milk to feed their offspring.
collection of trees and shrubs that has not been harvested for timber or other uses in about 200 years, although definitions vary. Also called a primeval forest, primary forest, primal forest, or ancient woodland.
Biomes
chemical material that can be easily shaped when heated to a high temperature.
type of agriculture in which farmers grow crops or raise livestock for personal consumption, not sale.
all weather conditions for a given location over a period of time.
Use satellite and aerial imagery to to learn more about the size, growth, and deforestation of the Rondônia rainforest.
Rainforests are home to millions of different kinds of plants, animals and insects – with many still to be discovered! In fact, half of all animal and plant species live in these tropical forests, including weird and wonderful things, such as fungi that smells like rotting food, 2,000‐year‐old trees, flesh-eating piranhas, and black howler monkeys – whose calls can be heard from almost 5km away!
– Have a roar-some wildlife encounter on your smartphone with Google’s AR animals! Simply Google any of the animals in the list below, and if your phone is compatible you should see this card:
DID YOU KNOW?
A raindrop can take ten minutes to fall from a rainforest’s thick canopy to the floor.
Packed with wonderful wildlife and epic ecosystems, our incredible rainforests cover about 6% of the Earth’s land surface. Discover why these fantastic forests are so important to our planet and how YOU can help save the rainforest!
Okapi
These beautiful forests also play an important role in limiting climate change, as their rich vegetation takes carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) out of the air and releases oxygen. Sadly, many rainforests are being cut down for timber or to make way for roads and farming – a process known as ‘deforestation’. The good news, is that charities and conservation groups are working to protect these awesome ecosystems – read on to see how you can help too!
The health of our rainforests may be at risk, but there are tons of incredible people working hard to protect them and the amazing animals that live there…
Consider adopting an endangered animal that depends on the rainforest, like Bengal tigers, through a wildlife charity.
This paper chain snake craft is based on two exotic-looking species of python which live in Australia’s tropical Daintree Rainforest.
They really don’t deserve their bad reputation at all. A snake will only harm you if you accidentally tread on it or provoke it in some way.
The yellow patterned snake (named Pretzel by my daughter) is a Jungle Carpet python, and the green spotted snake is a beautiful Green Tree python.
- 1x head and tail page
- 2 x top and tummy link pages
- 2 x side link pages
- 1 set of eyes and tongue
Cool Python facts for kids
If you’ve never seen one of these snakes in real life they are stunning to look at with the brightest green colouring – perfect for blending into the lush green foliage of the Daintree for camouflage.
Print out the snake you wish to make. For each medium-length snake you’ll need:
Fold the tab on the head, and glue into place at one end of the chain. Do the same with the tail.
– Have a roar-some wildlife encounter on your smartphone with Google’s AR animals! Simply Google any of the animals in the list below, and if your phone is compatible you should see this card:
Rainforests are home to millions of different kinds of plants, animals and insects – with many still to be discovered! In fact, half of all animal and plant species live in these tropical forests, including weird and wonderful things, such as fungi that smells like rotting food, 2,000‐year‐old trees, flesh-eating piranhas, and black howler monkeys – whose calls can be heard from almost 5km away!
Packed with wonderful wildlife and epic ecosystems, our incredible rainforests cover about 6% of the Earth’s land surface. Discover why these fantastic forests are so important to our planet and how YOU can help save the rainforest!
The health of our rainforests may be at risk, but there are tons of incredible people working hard to protect them and the amazing animals that live there…
Join us on a totally tropical jungle trek…
- Alligator
- Angler fish
- Bear
- Brown bear
- Cat
- Cheetah
- Deer
- Dog
- French Bulldog
- Golden / Labrador Retriever
- Pomeranian
- Pug
- Rottweiler
- Duck
- Eagle
- Emperor penguin
- Goat
- Hedgehog
- Horse
- Leopard
- Lion
- Macaw
- Octopus
- Panda
- Penguin
- Raccoon
- Shark
- Shetland pony
- Snake
- Tiger
- Turtle
- Wolf
When 12‐year‐old Asha Kirkpatrick and her sister Jia, 10, found out a big cereal company used palm oil – one of the biggest reasons for deforestation in the world – they started a campaign to get them to reconsider. The sisters, from Bedfordshire, UK, started an online petition and got around a million signatures, which led to the cereal company deciding to only use sustainable palm oil in its products from now on. So cool!
Did you love learning about our amazing rainforests? Do you feel inspired to help protect them? Here’s how you can lend a hand without even leaving the house…