ClassX Video Lessons Habitats for Kids | Learn all about deserts, forests, grasslands, mountains, and more
Did you know that you have something in common with every living thing on Earth, even the tiny creatures we can’t see? It’s true! 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 both living things, like animals and plants, and non-living things, like rocks and water.
Let’s take a journey to learn about some amazing habitats!
Grasslands are full of tall grass and have very few trees. You can find them on almost every continent 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 survive here.
There are many kinds of forests! Tropical forests get lots of rain and have more animals than any other habitat. You might see monkeys, tigers, and toucans here. Temperate forests have trees that lose their leaves in winter. Deer and wolves live here. Coniferous forests have the tallest trees and animals like eagles and pandas.
Mountains are cool and have thin air. Animals like gorillas and red pandas make their homes here.
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 lobsters and sharks. Oceans are the largest habitats, and some parts are still unexplored!
Cities and farms are also habitats. They are home to humans, pets, and many other creatures. 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) Can you name two types of habitats we talked about? (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 vast ocean to a tiny rock. Next time you’re outside, see if you can find different habitats around you. Have fun exploring!
Hope you enjoyed learning with us! Visit us at learnbrite.org for more fun resources!
Habitat Hunt: Go on a mini adventure in your backyard, garden, or local park. Look for different habitats and the creatures that live there. Can you find a bird’s nest in a tree, a bug under a rock, or a fish in a pond? Draw a picture of one habitat you find and the living things you see there. Share your drawing with your class and describe what makes it a habitat.
Create a Mini Habitat: Use a shoebox or a small container to create a mini habitat. You can choose any habitat you like, such as a forest, desert, or ocean. Use materials like paper, clay, or natural items like leaves and rocks to make your habitat. Add small toy animals or draw your own to live in your habitat. Present your mini habitat to the class and explain why you chose it and what makes it special.
Imagine and Write: Imagine you are an animal living in one of the habitats you learned about. Write a short story about a day in your life. What do you see, hear, and feel? What do you eat, and where do you sleep? Share your story with a friend or family member and discuss how your chosen habitat helps you survive.
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. 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 likely to find animals like baboons, bats, butterflies, geckos, frogs, monkeys, tigers, toucans, tortoises, ladybugs, elephants, and crocodiles, among many others.
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.)
I bet you got at least two of those, didn’t you? 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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