Science Projects on the Rainforest for 1st Graders
The rainforest is a subject of endless fascination for first graders. It features exotic animals like cheetahs and chimpanzees, cool plants that grow in the air and wonderful creepy-crawly things like tarantulas. First grade science projects on the rainforest can focus on plants, animals, bugs, the environment or why the rainforest is important to the world.
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Build a Biome Diorama
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Shoebox dioramas are a perennial favorite science project for primary grades. They're fun to make, and can challenge a child to think about the many different components of the rain forest. A simple rainforest diorama may be no more than poster board cutouts of the five layers of the rainforest, each labeled with the name of the layer. If your first grader wants to get fancier, he can add plastic models of animals that live in the rain forest and create an entire scene inside a shoebox.
Build Your Own Rainforest
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With a little help, even a first grader can build her own rainforest in an aquarium or a jar. All you need to build a rainforest terrarium is a glass container that can be covered, some fish gravel for drainage, good potting soil and some tropical plants. Start with a layer of gravel in the bottom of the container. Lay down a thick layer of potting soil, and arrange the plants in the container. Water well, and cover the jar or aquarium. If you want, add plastic animals to make a little scene. This makes a great classroom project to teach kids about moisture and growing conditions in the rainforest.
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Profile a Rainforest Animal
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Animals that live in the rainforest are among the most fascinating animals in the world, especially to kids in the primary grades. Kids can learn a great deal about the rainforest environment by profiling a single animal that lives there. In exploring the animal's diet, predators and habits, they'll learn about other animals, plants that grow in the rainforest, the climate and even, in some cases, social and climate issues surrounding endangered animals and environments.
Rainforest Plants
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Kids love the unusual, and there are a number of rainforest plants that are unusual in different ways. Bamboo trees aren't really trees, for instance, and are among the fastest growing plants in the world. A project on the many uses of the bamboo tree would be a fun science project for a first grader. A first grader who wants a hands-on project could try to grow an epiphyte, a tropical plant that grow on air. They're available at many garden stores and are easy to grow. Add a little research on how epiphytes get their nutrition and a poster board with labels for the parts of the plant, and your first grader will have an attention-getting science project.
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