Every Animal Needs a Home – Nature Search
Grade Level: Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grades
Subject: Science, Language Arts,
Duration: 30 minutes or longer
Materials: Bug boxes, larger container (bucket) and net for leader, field guides, etc.
Optional: small containers for pitfall traps
FL Sunshine State Standards: LA.C.1.1, LA.C.2.1, SC.F.1.1, SC.F.2.2, SC.G.1.1, SC.D.1.1.2, SC.F.2.1.2, SC.G.2.1,
Objectives: Students will be able to generalize that people and other animals share a basic need to have a home. Student knows that life occurs on or near the surface of the Earth in land, air and water. Student knows that there are many different kinds of living things that live in a variety of environments.
Background: Humans and other animals have some of the same basic needs. Every animal needs a home. But that home is not just a “house” like those in which people live. Home for some animals is a bigger place, and for some (like insects) it is much smaller than our house. The scientific term for an animal’s home is “habitat”. An animal’s habitat includes food, water, shelter or cover, and space. Because animals need the food, water, shelter and space to be available in a way that meets the animals’ needs, we say that these things must be available in a suitable arrangement.
Homes are not just houses. A house may be considered shelter. People build houses, apartments, trailers, houseboats and other kinds of shelter in which to live. Animals don’t need a home that looks like a house, but they do need some kind of shelter. The shelter might be underground, in a bush, in the bark of a tree, in leaf litter or among rocks.
Animals need a place in which to find food and water. They also need enough space in which to live and find the food, water and shelter they need. Everybody needs a home! A habitat is like a “neighborhood” that has everything in it that is needed for survival.
Suggested Procedure:
1. Before the students arrive set up a series of small pitfall traps in different micro-habitats at your site.
a. Use an old butter tub or yogurt container
b. Dig a hole just large enough to set the container in the ground with the top level with the surface
c. This will be the pitfall that an insect or spider will fall into and be unable to crawl out of.
d. Never leave a pitfall uncovered overnight to allow rain in and drown the wildlife.
2. Discuss with students the concepts detailed in the background above: A habitat is an animal’s home. Basic needs: shelter, food, water, space. Also that life occurs on or near the surface of the Earth in land, air and water.
3. Explain that we will be looking for homes in many places in the park today – especially our smallest animal friends, the insects and spiders.
4. Ask students to predict where we might find insects living in the park.
5. Take a walk with the students – give each pair a bug box and an ID card – check your pitfall traps, leaf litter and any other place you may find along the way.
6. In an open grassy area (or even brushy canopy) you may have an opportunity to use your net to catch small flies, grasshoppers, etc.
7. Re-enforce that life occurs on or near the surface of the Earth in land, air and water with each discovery (i.e. this animal lives in the leaf litter it lives on the land, or we caught this in the net – it lives in the air)
8. Finish your walk in enough time to allow about 10 minutes to review all the bugs you have collected.
9. Be sure students understand that we will return the insects to their homes at the end of the day.
