Your next great Lessn starts here.

Welcome to Ecosystems! – Good morning, little explorers! – Today’s adventure: ecosystems – What’s an ecosystem? Any ideas? – An ecosystem is like a big outdoor home for plants and animals. – How squirrels help our forests – Squirrels plant seeds which grow into trees! | Begin the class with a warm and engaging greeting. Introduce the concept of ecosystems in a way that is relatable to Kindergarten students, perhaps comparing it to their own homes where many different things interact. Encourage the children to share their thoughts on what an ecosystem might be to assess their prior knowledge. Introduce the role of gray squirrels in ecosystems, emphasizing how they contribute to the growth of forests by planting seeds. This will set the stage for further discussion on the interdependence of organisms within an ecosystem.

Our Forest Home: Ecosystems – Ecosystems: Big nature homes – Includes air, sun, soil, water – Everything is connected – Plants and animals help each other – Like squirrels plant acorns that grow into trees | This slide introduces the concept of ecosystems to Kindergarten students by comparing it to a large home where various elements like air, sunlight, soil, and water are present and everything is interconnected. Emphasize the idea that all living things, including plants and animals, depend on each other and their environment to survive. Use simple language and relatable examples, such as how gray squirrels bury acorns that can grow into oak trees, which in turn provide more homes and food for other creatures. This helps students understand the role of animals in changing and maintaining the forest ecosystem.

Meet the Gray Squirrel – Gray squirrels’ forest home – Their ecosystem is the forest where they find food and shelter. – They have bushy tails – Their tails help them balance and communicate. – Squirrels are great climbers – They use their strong legs to climb up and down trees. – Let’s climb like squirrels! | This slide introduces the gray squirrel and its habitat to the kindergarten class. Emphasize that the forest is an ecosystem, a special home where the squirrels and other animals live. Highlight the squirrel’s distinct bushy tail and its use for balance and communication. Engage the children by encouraging them to pretend to be squirrels, using their arms to mimic climbing trees. This activity helps them connect physically with the concept being taught and makes the learning experience memorable. Provide guidance on how to safely pretend to climb, ensuring the activity is both fun and safe for the children.

How Squirrels Help Our Forests Grow – Squirrels gather nuts and seeds – Just like we collect toys, squirrels collect nuts! – They hide them in the earth – They make little ‘treasure spots’ in the ground – Forgotten seeds become new plants – When squirrels forget their ‘treasure spots’, plants sprout up! – Squirrels are like tiny gardeners – Squirrels help the forest by planting seeds without knowing it | This slide aims to teach Kindergarten students about the role of gray squirrels in forest ecosystems. Start by explaining how squirrels gather food, similar to how children might collect toys. Emphasize that when squirrels bury their food in the ground, they’re creating ‘treasure spots’. Sometimes, squirrels forget where they’ve buried their nuts and seeds, and this leads to new plants growing, just like magic! Highlight that squirrels, without knowing, act like tiny gardeners of the forest. Encourage the children to think of squirrels as helpers in nature, contributing to the growth of new plants which in turn support the forest ecosystem.

Squirrels Help the Forest Grow – Squirrels plant seeds – They bury seeds that grow into new plants – New plants make homes – New trees and plants become homes for birds and bugs – More trees help animals – More trees mean more space for forest creatures – Squirrels are forest gardeners – Like gardeners, squirrels help the forest to be healthy and grow | This slide aims to teach Kindergarten students about the role of gray squirrels in forest ecosystems. Explain that squirrels bury seeds, which can grow into new plants and trees. This is similar to planting seeds in a garden. The new growth provides more homes and food for other animals, showing how one species can impact an entire ecosystem. Emphasize the importance of every creature in the forest, including the children’s role in protecting the environment. Use simple language and encourage students to think of squirrels as tiny gardeners who help the forest thrive. You can bring in acorns or show pictures of squirrels to make the lesson more engaging.

Let’s Help the Squirrels! – Pretend to be squirrels – Plant seeds in cups with soil – Observe seeds growing into plants – Learn how squirrels help forests – Squirrels bury seeds, which can grow into new trees! | This slide introduces a class activity where students will engage in a hands-on experience to understand the role of gray squirrels in forest ecosystems. By pretending to be squirrels and planting seeds, children will learn how these animals contribute to the growth of new plants and trees. Provide each student with a cup filled with soil and a seed to plant. Over time, students will observe the growth process, which simulates how squirrels inadvertently plant seeds by burying them. This activity will help students grasp the concept of ecosystems and the interdependence of organisms. Teachers should prepare different types of seeds to show variety and discuss how each plant provides different resources to the forest ecosystem. The activity can be extended by having students journal the growth of their plants and compare with the growth of trees in a forest.

Class Activity: Little Squirrel Gardeners – Each student receives a cup, soil, and a seed – We’ll plant our seeds like squirrels – Pretend we’re squirrels planting acorns – Cups will bathe in sunlight – Just like squirrels, we need sunlight for our plants – Observe how seeds sprout and grow – We’ll watch our seeds become plants, like squirrels watch their trees grow | This activity is designed to help students understand how gray squirrels interact with their forest ecosystem by planting seeds, which can grow into trees. Provide each student with a cup, soil, and a seed to simulate how squirrels bury acorns that later grow into oak trees. Guide the students through the process of planting their seeds and explain the importance of sunlight and water for plant growth. This hands-on activity will help them grasp the concept of growth and the role squirrels play in shaping their habitat. Monitor the progress over time and encourage students to observe changes, fostering a connection with nature and understanding of ecosystems.

Squirrels Help the Forest Grow! – Squirrels are forest helpers – They hide seeds which grow into plants – When squirrels forget their seeds, new plants can grow – We’re like squirrels when we plant seeds – Remember planting seeds in our garden? That’s what squirrels do! – Together, we help the earth be green! | In conclusion, we’ve learned that gray squirrels play an important role in changing the forest by planting seeds. They bury seeds for later, but sometimes they forget where they’ve put them, and these seeds can grow into new plants. This is similar to what we did in our class activity where we planted seeds in our garden. It’s a fun and engaging way to show how animals and humans can contribute to the ecosystem. Encourage the children to observe squirrels in their own environments and to continue planting seeds at home or school to see how they grow into plants, just like the squirrels’ forgotten seeds do.