Monday
Monday: What Changes a Habitat?
Rocket skids to a stop at the end of the sidewalk. "The empty lot is gone!" he says.
Where tall grass stood last week, there is now flat, gray pavement.
Raven opens her notebook to an old page. "I logged crickets and a sparrow here in Week 2."
Nova scans the lot and hums. "The habitat changed," she says. "Where did the crickets go? That is today's question."
Habitats do not stay the same
A habitat gives a living thing food, water, shelter and space. You mapped yours in Week 2.
A habitat change is anything that makes those four things different.
Some changes come from nature. A storm knocks down a tree. A dry summer shrinks a pond.
Some changes come from people. A lot gets paved. A hedge gets cut. A new plant gets planted.
Some changes are fast. A tree can be cut in one morning.
Some changes are slow. A pond can take a whole summer to dry up.
Fast or slow, every change moves the four things that living things need.
| Change | From nature or people? | What it takes away or adds |
|---|---|---|
| a lot is paved | people | takes away soil, plants and the insects that lived in them |
| a big tree is cut | people | takes away shade, nest spots, seeds and shelter |
| a pond dries up | nature (or people) | takes away water and the home of water animals |
| a storm drops branches | nature | takes away a perch, adds shelter on the ground |
| a new plant is planted | people (or nature) | adds a new food or shade, may take space from others |
- Read the question.
- Tap your answer.
The four things, again
Every habitat change touches food, water, shelter or space. Often it touches more than one.
Think about the cut tree. Its seeds were food. Its branches were shelter. Its shade kept the soil damp.
One cut tree can change food, shelter and water all at once.
That is why scientists ask a first question: what did this change take away? Only then do they ask about the animals.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Habitats stay the same forever. | ? |
| A pond drying up is a slow change. | ? |
| A cut tree can change food, shelter and water at once. | ? |
| Only people change habitats. | ? |
Find one thing that is different from the start of this course. A new plant? A bare branch? A puddle gone?
Write it in your notebook. Was it fast or slow? Nature or people?
Look with your eyes. Do not touch animals, nests, mushrooms or plants you do not know.
Wash your hands when you come back in.
Sharp eyes, explorer! Tomorrow we follow the crickets and find out what living things do when home changes.