Did you know that you have something in common with all the living things on Earth? Even the tiny creatures you can’t see with your eyes! Want to know what it is? We all live in habitats!
A habitat is a special place where a living thing makes its home. It has everything that living things need to survive. Your home is your habitat! Habitats can be big, like a whole continent, or small, like the space under a rock. They have living things like animals and plants, and non-living things like rocks and water. Some animals can live in more than one habitat.
Grasslands are full of tall grass and have very few trees. You can find them on six of the seven continents, except Antarctica. There are different types of grasslands, like prairies and savannas. Animals such as aardvarks, lions, and hippos live here.
Deserts are very dry and can be hot or cold. They get less than six inches of rain each year. Even though there aren’t many plants, animals like snakes, camels, and kangaroos can live in deserts.
There are many kinds of forests! Tropical forests get rain all year and have more animals than any other habitat. You might find monkeys, tigers, and elephants here. Temperate forests have trees that lose their leaves in winter or stay green all year, like pine trees. Deer and wolves live in these forests. Coniferous forests have the tallest trees and are home to eagles and pandas.
Mountains are cool and have thin air, but animals like gorillas and foxes can live there. They are a unique habitat with different challenges.
The polar regions are the coldest places on Earth, found at the North and South Poles. Polar bears and penguins live in these icy habitats.
Water habitats include freshwater places like lakes and rivers, and saltwater oceans. Freshwater habitats have fish and birds, while oceans are home to sharks and seals. Oceans are the largest habitats on Earth!
Cities and farms are also habitats. They are home to humans, pets, and other animals. If you live there, it’s your habitat too!
Let’s see what you remember! Fill in the blank: The place where an organism lives is called its ______. (habitat) Name two types of habitats we talked about today. (grasslands, desert, forest, mountains, polar regions, freshwater, oceans, cities, farms) True or false: A habitat can be large or small. (True!)
Great job! Habitats are everywhere, from the big ocean to a tiny rock. Next time you’re outside, see if you can find your own habitat and explore others around you. The possibilities are endless!
Habitat Hunt: Go on a mini adventure in your backyard, local park, or even your home! Look for different habitats and the living things that call them home. Can you find a bird’s nest in a tree or a bug under a rock? Draw a picture of one habitat you find and label the living and non-living things in it.
Create a Mini Habitat: Use a small box or container to create a mini habitat. You can use toys, leaves, rocks, and other materials to represent a habitat like a forest or desert. Think about what animals might live there and what they need to survive. Share your mini habitat with a friend or family member and explain why you chose those items.
Imagine and Share: Imagine you are an animal living in one of the habitats we learned about. Write a short story or draw a comic strip about a day in your life. What do you eat? Where do you sleep? What challenges do you face? Share your story or comic with your class and see if they can guess which habitat you are describing!
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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Did you know that you have something in common with all the other life forms on Earth? Seriously, even down to the tiny microorganisms our eyes cannot see. Ready to find out what it is? We all live in habitats!
Today, we are going to take a journey through some of these habitats and learn more about them. First, what is a habitat? Habitats are places and environments where a living organism makes its home, providing everything a living thing needs for survival. No matter where you live, it is your habitat. A habitat can be large or small—an entire continent or the space underneath a single rock. These environments usually have lots of different kinds of organisms living together and include non-living things that also exist in the habitat. For example, your bed is not a living thing, but it is definitely a part of your habitat. Some living things can live in more than one habitat.
There are many different kinds of habitats that can be found on Earth. Let’s talk about a few.
First up are grasslands. A grassland is full of tall growing grass and does not have a lot of trees. You will find grasslands on six of the seven continents, minus Antarctica. Here is an interesting fact: there are different types of grasslands. Prairies and savannas are two of these different kinds. Animals like aardvarks, antelope, brown bears, squirrels, lions, and hippos can all live in this kind of habitat.
Now let’s travel to the desert. A desert is extremely dry, can be hot or cold, and gets less than six inches of rain per year. Deserts are found everywhere on the planet. There is little plant life, but animals like snakes, lizards, birds, camels, kangaroos, and more can survive in the desert.
Want to guess how many different kinds of forests there are? So many! Let’s begin with tropical forests. A rainforest gets rain all year long, while a seasonal forest has a rainy season and a dry season, but both of these types of forests receive more than eight feet of rain per year. Here is another interesting fact: there are more animals living in these tropical forests than in all of the other habitats combined! If you are in a tropical forest, you are more than likely to find animals like baboons, bats, butterflies, geckos, frogs, monkeys, tigers, tortoises, ladybugs, elephants, and crocodiles, and so many more.
Temperate forests have trees that lose their leaves in the winter or remain green all year long, like pine trees. There are lots of temperate forests found in the United States and on other continents like Europe and Asia. This is the habitat where you can find deer, elk, turkeys, and wolves. And guess what? Way back in the day, dinosaurs used to live in temperate forests too!
A coniferous forest is where the tallest trees in the world grow. These trees are very strong and can survive extremely cold temperatures. Many animals call this habitat home, including eagles, owls, raccoons, giant pandas, weasels, wasps, and worms.
Our Earth is pretty amazing! Hey, what is that over there? That’s right, it’s a mountain! Mountains are another kind of habitat. The temperature up high is much cooler, and the oxygen is much thinner than in places closer to the ground, but there are still animals that live there, such as badgers, beavers, buzzards, foxes, red pandas, wombats, wrens, and gorillas.
The polar regions are the coldest places in the world, and the land is partly frozen. As you probably already guessed, these habitats are found at the North and South Poles of the Earth. Animals like polar bears, penguins, whales, and walruses live there.
Habitats are not just found on land. Freshwater sources like lakes, streams, and rivers, as well as saltwater-filled oceans with their coastlines and coral reefs, are also habitats. Freshwater habitats are home to many reptiles, fish, and birds, while oceans are home to creatures like lobsters, orcas, seals, and sharks. Here is a cool fact about the ocean: it is the largest animal habitat on Earth! It is so large that there are some parts that have never been explored by humans. Coral reefs are like a habitat within a habitat and need sunlight to survive. Reef animals include crabs, seals, clams, and angelfish.
Last but not least, we have cities and farms. After talking about all of these other kinds of habitats, it might seem strange to include these last two, but they are both just as important. In fact, they just might be the habitats you live in! Cities are home to humans, pets, bugs, and other small mammals and birds. Farms too! Remember, if you live there, it is a habitat.
Guess what time it is? It’s pop quiz time! Let’s see what you remember about what we just learned. Fill in the blank: the place where an organism lives is called its ______. (habitat) Name two of the different types of habitats we talked about today. (Answers may include grasslands, prairie, savanna, desert, forest, rainforest, seasonal forest, temperate forest, coniferous forest, mountains, polar regions, freshwater, oceans, coral reefs, cities, or farms.) True or false: a habitat can be large or small. (True!)
Great job, friends! Habitats are found all over the world and come in all different shapes and sizes. Whether it is the huge ocean that is home to a whale or a small rock that is the home to a worm, habitats are everywhere. The next time you are outside, grab a group of friends and see if you can discover your own habitat, then see what other habitats you can discover all on your own. With habitats, the possibilities are endless! Hope you had fun learning with us. Visit us at learnbrite.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
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