Summary In a local outdoor space, find familiar and not so familiar plants and animals in the earth and/or water. Investigate them further to learn new things about them. Science content Biology: Features, Adaptations of Living Things (K, 1, 3, 7) Biology: Indigenous People's sustainable use of Living Things (K, 2, 3) Biology: Classification of Living Things, Biodiversity (1, 3) Biology: Life Cycles (2) Biology: Food Webs, Ecosystems, Biomes (3, 4) Activities in this lesson Pond dipping Stream Chemistry Nurse Log Study Native Plant Scavenger hunt, iSpy or Bingo Wood bugs: where do they like to live? Wood bugs: close observation Wood bugs: what do they like to eat? Soil habitat study Materials outdoor space with rich life materials in the chosen activities Procedure Once the local area has been chosen, choose activities that explore the animals/plants in that area more deeply. The activities listed are the ones I have tried - many more can be used for this lesson on local life. The pond dipping and stream chemistry activities can be run at a lake or stream. The pond dipping finds the living things, then stream chemistry investigates the chemistry of the stream that supports that life. The nurse log study needs a forested area. Native plant bingo can be adapted for any area with native plants. Wood bugs and soil animals can be found and then studied more deeply in a variety of habitats, from gardens to forests. Notes Eton Arrowsmith tacked a chicken observation onto this lesson. Grades taught Gr 1 Gr 2 Gr 4 Gr 5 Gr 7
