Background information:

When we talk about an ecosystem we are talking about a community of living organisms, and how these relate with each and with non-living components to form a system. The living and non-living components are linked by the energy that flows between them. For example, a kangaroo eats grass (energy flows from the grass to the kangaroo). The kangaroo does a poo which is broken down by bugs and micro-organisms (energy flows from the kangaroo to the bugs and micro-organisms). The bugs and micro-organisms turn the poo into the soil (energy flows from the bugs and micro-organisms to the soil). The soil feeds the grass (energy flows from the soil to the grass). A kangaroo eats the grass (energy flows from the grass to the kangaroo) etc etc etc. This is a pattern that is repeated across all ecosystems with all living and non-living components in millions of different ways.

A forest is just one ecosystem where these interactions between living and non-living organisms occur. However, there are many different types of forest ecosystems. In Australia, you can find rainforests, Melaleuca forests, Eucalypt forests, Casuarina forests, Callitris forests, Acacia forests and Mangrove forests (for the purposes of this activity just focus on a forest that you are familiar with - it is not necessary to be correct in details about how the forest looks or what animals reside there).

Other examples of ecosystems include coral reefs, tundra, polar environment, grasslands, savannahs, rivers, and deserts.

Definitions:

Ecosystem - An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment, interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows.
Energy - The capacity for work and the ability to do work.

New words for kids to learn:

Forest
Ecosystem

Activity: A big picture of nature

Ages - 0 to 2

What to do

Preparation: Create a landscape backdrop on an A3 sized or larger piece of cardboard. Your backdrop should include the ground (grass) and the sky. You could also include a creek or river. You will be working with children to create a forest collage on this backdrop so you will also need to collect a range of images and objects that relate to the forest, such as the images on the Forest flashcards (discard the related questions as these are for older children), other images of forests and animals that can be cut up, leaves, twigs, nuts, flowers, animals (toys or images), and materials to represent the sun, wind and water (e.g. coloured paper or material).

Present the range of forest objects to children and encourage them to look closely at these objects. Talk to children about what these objects are, explaining that they can all be found in a forest. Talk about how the objects and images look and feel, and where in the forest they can be found.

‘Create a forest collage’ - Work as a class to create a collage of a forest using the objects and images you have collected. Ask children to think about where the animals of the forest might live, where the creek or river might flow and whether there are any people in the forest.

Provocations

I wonder what a forest is?
I wonder what you can find in a forest?
I wonder what animals you can find in a forest?
I wonder what birds you can find in a forest?
I wonder what bugs you can find in a forest?
I wonder why forests are special?

Possible lines of development

‘We are a forest’ role play - ask children to role-play the different elements of the forest, including the plants, animals, water and wind.
Create a collage of a different ecosystem, such as a beach, coral reef or polar environment.
Sounds of a forest - e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp8LH4eiQNA or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHxyd6DOVU.
Investigate objects from different ecosystems, such as shells from a beach, sand from a desert, ice from the poles.

Ages - 2 to 3

What to do

Preparation: Cut out the images on the Forest flashcards. Discard the related questions - these are for older children. Also collect a range of objects relating to forests that can be used in a collage, such as leaves, twigs, nuts, flowers, animals (toys or images), and materials to represent the sun, wind and water (e.g. coloured paper or material).

Begin by asking children if they have ever been to a forest. Explain that a forest is a place of many trees, where the plants and animals live with the trees and need trees to be happy and healthy.

If children have been to a forest, talk to them about what they saw in the forest. Alternatively, talk about what they might expect to see if they went to a forest. Use the forest-related images and objects to prompt discussion.

‘Create a forest collage’ - Work as a class to create a collage of a forest using the objects and images you have collected. Ask children to think about where the animals of the forest might live, where the creek or river might flow and whether there are any people in the forest.

Provocations

I wonder what a forest is?
I wonder if anyone has been to a forest?
I wonder what you can find in a forest?
I wonder what animals you can find in a forest?
I wonder what birds you can find in a forest?
I wonder what bugs you can find in a forest?
I wonder why people might visit a forest?
I wonder why forests are special?

Possible lines of development

Ages - 3 to 5

What to do

Preparation: Cut out the Forest flashcards, sticking the relevant questions to the back of each image.

Begin by asking children if they have ever been to a forest. What did they see there? What plants did they see? And did they see any animals or any traces of animals? What did they hear? Did the forest have a special smell?

Use the flashcards and the associated questions to prompt discussion around the elements of a forest.

‘We are a forest’ role-play: Ask children to take on the roles of all the different parts of a forest, including the trees, shrubs, flowers, grasses, birds, animals, insects, soil, water (creeks or rivers), wind and sunlight. Children should individually play different parts and should think about how their part responds to all the other different elements in the forest.

Provocations

I wonder what a forest is?
I wonder if anyone has been to a forest?
I wonder what you can find in a forest?
I wonder what animals you can find in a forest?
I wonder what birds you can find in a forest?
I wonder what bugs you can find in a forest?
I wonder why people might visit a forest?
I wonder how people might use a forest?
I wonder why forests are special?

Possible lines of development

Repeat the role-play for other ecosystems, such as a coral reef, a grassland, a desert or a polar environment.
Collect images of other ecosystems for investigation.
How do people use the forest? Wood, riding, walking, birdwatching, quiet time, picnics etc.
Sounds of a forest - e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp8LH4eiQNA or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHxyd6DOVU.
Why do we need trees? (Humans breath out carbon dioxide, trees breath in carbon dioxide, trees breath out oxygen, humans breath in oxygen.)

Evaluation

Complete an analysis of learning listing evidence about:

Belonging	Finding something of interest
Communication	Expressing an idea or feeling
Exploration	Engaging with challenge and persisting when difficulty arises
Well being	Being involved

Embedding into daily practice

Use any relatively clean water left over after craft activities and games to water plants in your garden.
Provide hollows, rocks, logs and leaf litter, which are used by many little and large animals for shelter and nesting.
Grow flowers containing nectar. Some birds, mammals and bugs need nectar for food.

A Big Picture of Nature

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