This spring our 2nd and 3rd graders participated in a study of habitats. We began by thinking about what a habitat is and what a habitat provides for animals. They decided a habitat must provide air or oxygen, food, water, shelter, and space.Students had many amazing ideas to share about habitats. They listed many habitats including rainforest, deciduous forest, fresh water, ocean, deserts, and the arctic. They pointed out that habitats could be big or small, that habitats are very different, and that animals had to have ways to survive in their habitat. That conversation led us to study animal adaptations. We cut animal pictures out of magazines and researched their habitats and how their particular adaptations help them succeed in their particular habitat. We talked about physical adaptations versus behavioral adaptations. Each student chose an animal to study. They did research about their animal and its habitat. They talked about specific adaptations that helped it survive.
