Wetlands for Kids
At one point, wetlands were thought to be a waste of outdoor space; these areas were often drained to make way for roads, railways and farmland. Studying wetlands can not only provide a diverse wealth of material on habitats and animal life, but it can also teach kids the value of these underappreciated ecosystems.
Wetlands Online Resources
Online resources on wetlands provide pictures of wetlands, games for kids to play and facts about Wetlands and their importance.
The Young Scientist's Introduction to Wetlands
Print off a copy of The Young Scientist's Introduction to Wetlands from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website. This 15-page booklet was written for children at the K-5 grade levels. Youngsters reading the booklet will learn what a wetland is, the kinds of plants and animals found there, and why they should be preserved.
National Wildlife Federation
The Ranger Rick Green Zone, part of the National Wildlife Federation's website, features facts about wetland contained in the form of an interview with Wally the Frog.
Iowa Wetlands
Kids can explore the Iowa Wetlands and Riparian Area Conservation Plan's Kids' Page. It contains facts about wetlands, fun activities for kids and real-life stories about kids in Iowa who are working to improve wetlands.
Wetlands Online Games
Lost in the Wetland
Lost in the Wetland is part of ThinkQuest's Wet and Wild: The Hydrology and Biodiversity of Wetlands. While playing the simple game, children must identify animal tracks in order to find their way out of the swamp.
Engaging Science
The Wild Wetlands game, from Engaging Science, has children try to preserve the wetlands by clicking on bad things to remove them from the environment.
Wacky Wetland Wildlife
Children learn about the animals of the wetlands through the Wacky Wetland Wildlife game where they mix up animal parts to create unique new wetland animals.
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust offers multiple games for children to play and learn about wetlands.
Wetlands Webquests
Webquests encourage students to explore the wetlands on their own through guided research. Some webquests have students complete a creative activity while others simply ask them to learn facts about wetlands.
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
Wetlands Lesson Plans
Pre-made lesson plans make it easy for you to discuss the basics about wetlands and teach students about wetlands preservation.
- The World in Our Backyard resource from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contains multiple lesson plans related to wetlands.
- National Geographic offers a lesson plan for grades 3-5 that has students create a wetlands theme.
- The Louisiana Wetland Education Coalition features slide shows, videos and articles for teachers to incorporate into their lesson plans.
- The Academy Curricular Exchange has a lesson about wetlands and migration that can be adapted for grades 2 through 6.
Wetlands Books
Books give you a chance to show children what wetlands look like and engage them with interesting stories and unique facts about wetlands.
- Wetlands: Soggy Habitat by Laurie Purdie Salas
- Meadowlands: A Wetlands Survival Story by Thomas Yezerski
- Wetland Food Chains by Bobbie Kalman
- Threatened Wetlands by Catherine Chambers
- Everglades Forever by Trish Marx
Teaching About Wetlands
Use these resources to create extensive units for children about the wetlands. Include a lot of pictures to help them visualize what wetlands look like. Of course, nothing helps children learn better than actually experiencing the wetlands. If you have wetlands nearby, take students to see actual wetlands to help reinforce the learning.
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