5.+Our+Habitat+is+for+the+Birds!


 * Indoor and Outdoor**


 * What do I need?**
 * Clipboards
 * Pencils


 * Getting Ready**
 * Gather the supplies and prepare to go outside.


 * Big Idea:** A habitat provides the food, water, cover and space that a living thing needs to survive and reproduce.

All living things have a habitat--a place that provides the food, water, cover, and space that it needs to survive. Cover includes nesting areas, places to sleep or rest, places to hide or escape, and shelter. Space means a big enough area to hunt and feed, migration routes, and the amount and kind of habitat needed. If a place doesn't provide the right food, water, and cover in the right arrangement, a plant or animal can't live there.
 * Background Information**
 * Activity**

Imagine you are a bird--any bird. You can even close your eyes and imagine yourself: //What are you doing? Where do you live? What do you see?// Now focus more on habitat needs: //What do you eat? Where do you find food? How do you eat? Where do you get water? Where do you sleep? Where do you lay your eggs? Where would you hide if something scared you?// Have your students write down their ideas in their Bird Journals.
 * 1. Imagine life as a bird.**

After plenty of imagination time, share ideas as a group, interview a partner about their story, or draw their adventure.

After the list is complete, summarize that all living things have a place that supplies it particular food, water, cover, and space needs—its habitat. If an animal, such as a bird, cannot find these things in an area, and in the right arrangement, it can’t survive there.
 * 2.** **Create a habitat list.** As a full group, brainstorm a list of “What Birds Need for Survival” on the board. The habitat needs should fall into the following categories: food, water, cover, and space. If things in all four categories have not been mentioned, encourage deeper thinking. If other things, such as “love” or “parents” are mentioned, put them in a separate place on the board for non-habitat needs.

Add in the diagram from the Afterschool lessons

3**. Scavenger Hunt** Go outside to investigate your outdoor habitat via scavenger hunt. Instead of collecting the items on the list, this is an observation scavenger hunt! Check off the items as you spot them.

Ask the kids to explore, finding the following things:

Any insect or spider Ant Butterfly or moth Beetle A berry or seed A nest Place a bird could hide Bird on the ground Bird in the air A plant that is about as tall as you A place an animal could get water A mammal (besides humans!) Something smooth Something rough Three different types of leaves An animal that makes a noise. An animal track. Who left it? Dead tree A hole in a tree Feather Spider web A rock Something green Something brown Something red that is natural. Something that a bird can use to make a nest

When everyone has had a chance to look for the items listed, come back together to chat about where you found these things. Were any things difficult or impossible to find? Why do you think that is so? (For example, it might be impossible to find an animal tracks when it is very dry, or certain animals depending on the time of year).


 * 4. Find Your Habitat Tag**

Ask for volunteers to play the roles of birds and habitat components (food, water, cover and space). If you have a group of few than 10 students, choose 2 birds, with 10 or more students, choose 3 birds, and with 20 or more students, choose 4 birds. Assign the remaining students the roles of food, water, cover or space - in that order - until you run out of students. The object of the game is for each bird to "collect" the four habitat components it needs by tagging the appropriate person, and linking arms with him/her while together they continue to chase the remaining components needed. While running, students who are food will make eating motions with their hands; students who are water will make wave motions; students who are cover will keep their hands on their heads; and students who are space will keep their arms out to their sides. Once a bird has collected all four components, the group can sit down.

Before starting the activity, set the boundaries and explain: "These birds are trying to survive in this habitat. They have 5 minutes to find all of their habitat needs - food, water, cover and space."

At the end of the first round, any birds who were able to collect all four components survived! Those birds get to reproduce (choose one of the remaining students to become a bird). Play again, with the increased number of birds. What happens? (more competition).

In the next round, remove some students with different habitat roles, to highlight that sometimes habitats are negatively effected or resources are scare. You can use different scenarios to match the students that are removed, such as:
 * "People started harvesting food or raising cattle on a patch of forest." Remove 1 space and 2 covers.
 * "It's a dry year and the rivers are low." Remove 1 water.
 * "There is contamination from a local factory." Remove 1 food and 1 water.

Run the activity as many times as you want, adding new scenarios and modifying the habitat with each round. Any bird that cannot acquire all of its needed resources does not survive the round.

Consider scenarios that might increase habitat availability as well:


 * "Additional land is set aside as a wildlife refuge." Add 1 food, 1 water, 1 cover, and 1 space.