The Circle Of Life

We’re all connected, not just in our families or communities, but with all living things. And they are also connected to water, air, and the rest of the earth. Find out how these elements work together in the great circle of life.

CONNECT:

• Different types of plants animals grow in different climates. Imagine a cactus in the Arctic or polar bears  in the jungle. To appreciate the differences, try some of the activities at http://www.nclark.net/CommunitiesBiomes
• Plants and other living things depend on each other; the system is called ecology.  Explore some ecology activities at http://www.biologyjunction.com/unit9_ecology.htm#POWERPOINTS
• What’s a food web? Think of it as an inter-related food chain.  Spin your food web in this simulation: http://www.nclark.net/CommunitiesBiomes (you might want to check out the whole ecolab set of activities as background information).
• The status of one animal impacts the status of another; see how moose and wolves reflect predator-prey dynamics at http://www.onlinelearningexchange.com/texas_demo/assets/bio_11b_interactive_art_moose/elab2.html
• How do diseases spread? See how populations impact the dynamics of diseases at Speed Sim (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/speed-sim-spatial-population/id437545518?mt=8).

CREATE:

• The prairie is one of North America's great ecosystems, and a vital habitat for many plants and animals. Can you turn a bare dirt field into a thriving prairie? Take the restoration challenge in this interactive game! http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/games/prairie/build/index.html
• Explore the amazing world of recycling for kids with a range of fun experiments, free games, crazy facts, cool projects, interesting videos, quizzes and more! http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/recycling.html
• Recycle these great ideas of crafts made from recycled materials: http://www.planetpals.com/recycle_crafts_kids.html
• Here are 20 toys you can make from trash: http://bigspringenvironmental.com/20-toys-to-make-from-trash/

CARE:

• The Greenhouse Effect is not the result you want when growing plants. Since out how greenhouse gases affect climate at http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/greenhouse
• Smog:  smoke and fog – and more. Try the simulation Smog City (http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/smogcity.html) and accompanying activity to find out what causes smog -- and the worst conditions for smog. What can your family to to help address the smog problem?
• Want to go green? Play these environment games to learn about some of the issues, and how to deal with them:  http://ecogamer.org/environmental-games
• Find out ways that your community can reduce waste by checking out the garbage scene at http://www.learner.org/interactives/garbage/intro.html

CAREER:

• Brainstorm all the careers that come to mind when you think about ecology. The list may be longer than you think: http://careerservices.rutgers.edu/ecology.shtml
• Here are some simple descriptions of ecologist careers, along with ecology projects: http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/ecology/careers.html
• Want to make some “green” while work in the the green work sector? Check out http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/green-jobs-in-ecology.html