Biomes ~ Habitats

What's Schoolin'?

Here is a conglomeration of resources for Biomes Studies.  My plan is to just go through the different biomes using websites/resources listed here and library books.  There are so many wonderful books.  I will just post a few here and will probably post more books in separate posts as we get to them.  I have a world biome pin map already in the geography cabinet and some cards.  I want to make more deliberate works instead of the haphazard ones I have in an envelope.

I think a lapbook for each that includes plants, wildlife (flora/fauna), geographical location, and climate description would be good.  I already have one for grasslands printed from In the Hands of a Child and desert animals from homeschoolshare.

I have omitted water biomes/habitats for now, in case you are wondering where ponds, wetlands, or the ocean are :). I needed to limit my scope and will research those resources later.

General Resources (or may have several biomes)

Idea:  Just as one can make a land/water or continent globe, wouldn't it be cool to paint a World Biome Globe??  Hmmm.....  Sometimes around Spring/Summer you can find inflatable world balls...

About half-way are the areas of study for within each biome as recommended in this Montessori Geography scope and sequence:
http://www.montessori.org/sitefiles/geography.pdf?PHPSESSID=efc852f7420ac8b6c249ffd63bab8286

Intro educational video:
http://www.zo.utexas.edu/faculty/sjasper/images/biomes.swf

Interactive World Biome map.  Use for each biome.
http://www.thewildclassroom.com/biomes/index.html

Nice graph showing how temp/rain affects the biomes located in those regions:
http://www.zo.utexas.edu/faculty/sjasper/images/biomesclimate.jpg

This has an assortment of interactive site links for History, Science, and more.  There are several for biome studies such as Build a Prairie and some Rainforest ones:
http://www.eduweb.com/portfolio/portfolio.php

This is a great interactive resource for each biome:
http://www.mbgnet.net/index.html

This has pages for each biome:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/habitats

I *think* this is the one I used for my biome pin map.  I like the clear delineations and bright colors.  It would be a good guide for painting salt maps.
http://www.freemontessori.org/wp-content/uploads/world_biomes_large.pdf

Interactive World Biome map (can use for each biome):
http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/biome_main.htm

Here is a World Biome map:
http://www.freemontessori.org/wp-content/uploads/world_biomes_large.pdf

Another World Biome map:
http://www.biomes.org/biomes_map.htm

Another World Biome map:
http://www.zo.utexas.edu/faculty/sjasper/images/f37.25.jpg

This has World maps showing specific biome locations (great to use to color in a world map for each biome study):
http://www.bio.utexas.edu/faculty/sjasper/Bio301M/biomes.html

Enchanted Learning habitat/biome page.  You can link to each biome from here.  Some are free and some are not.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/

This takes you to short information, maps, and a few links for each biome:
http://www.worldbiomes.com/

Waseca has gorgeous materials. They sure are inspirational!
http://wasecabiomes.org/collections/all

At the end of this Waseca document are cards - sort of Who Am I? cards that could be made into a self-correcting game/review of biomes:
http://f.cl.ly/items/263i2c1J2g0b1N1x062s/WAC_masters_copy_.pdf

Ranger Rick online:
http://www.nwf.org/Kids.aspx?siteId=3&departmentId=78&articleId=934

Putting 'biome' in the search bar at homeschoolshare brings up several hits:
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/

Photos for each biome:
http://www.sbs.utexas.edu/levin/bio213/biomes/biomes.html

The 'next' page has a really good comparison graph showing the different biomes.  It also has good summaries for each biome:
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/biomes.html

Deserts

Very comprehensive, informative, interactive site:
http://www.desertusa.com/life.html

Lots of videos:
http://www.neok12.com/Deserts.htm

Here you can create a presentation using photos.  You could also use these to make cards (the photos are creative commons).
http://www.neok12.com/pictures/Deserts.htm

Interactive Deserts of the World.
http://www.neok12.com/diagram/Deserts-01.htm

Desert jigsaw puzzles (interactive):
http://www.neok12.com/jigsaw-puzzles/Deserts.htm

Interactive information website:
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/desert/index.htm

Free desert animals lapbook:
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/desert_animals.php

Summary of deserts:
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/desert.html




Rainforest

This has videos:
http://www.neok12.com/Forests.htm

Summary of tropical rainforest:
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rforest.html

Photos and can make presentation:
http://www.neok12.com/pictures/Forests.htm

Free rainforest animal mini-books:
http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/Rainforest/Coati,Caiman,Anaconda,Pink%20dolphin,%20and%20others.pdf
These go inside the animal mini-books:
http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/Rainforest/Animal%20Info%20Cards.pdf

Food from the rainforest ('fresco de tamarindo' will be a must - I have some frozen tamarind pulp in my freezer):
http://www.folklife.si.edu/resources/maroon/foodways/tropical_rainforest_edible_plant.htm

Amazon interactive information:
http://www.eduweb.com/amazon.html

Very nice resource for rainforests:
http://kids.mongabay.com/

El Salvador national park El Imposible video:
http://www.salvanatura.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=51&Itemid=195

Ecotourism game:
http://www.eduweb.com/ecotourism/eco1.html

Printables:
http://www.abcteach.com/directory/subjects-science-habitats-biomes-rain-forest-3779-2-1

Tropical rainforest map:
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/rainforest-map/

This has short articles for specific animals (right-hand tab).  Would be great for mini-books for lapbooks or for short research:
http://www.costarica-homeschool.com/

Interactive information:
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/rforest/index.htm

Chocolate study is a must :).  I've had the privilege of having authentic Indigenous chocolate in water up in the mountains near the borders of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala when I was a young teenager.  The taste of the chocolate mixes with the smells, sounds, and feel of that morning.  Unfortunately, my dc are accustomed to always having chocolate with milk and don't care for the bitter/sweet of that style of chocolate.
Here is a short history of chocolate:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/brief-history-of-chocolate.html



Grasslands

Compares steppe, prairie, and savanna (see options below right for :
http://www.worldbiomes.com/biomes_grassland.htm

Summary of tropical Savannah:
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/savannah.html

Video, information, and links:
http://www.thewildclassroom.com/biomes/grasslands.html

Very cool website:
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/grasslnd/index.htm

Build a Prairie (a must-see!):
http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/games/prairie/build/

Field Guide to the Prairie:
http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/games/prairie/fieldguide/index.html

Plants as food/medicine (dandelion salad):
http://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/games/prairie/plant_activity.pdf

Black-footed ferret movie (prairie)
http://www.thefutureschannel.com/dockets/realworld/the_blackfooted_ferret/

From an interactive map.  Flor and fauna photos:
http://www.marietta.edu/~biol/biomes/grass.htm

Enchanted Learning grassland page:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/grassland/grassland.shtml

African Savanna (dry tropical grassland) webcams at the zoo.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/AfricanSavanna/

Homeschoolshare resources that came up in a 'grasslands' search on the site:
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/gauchada.php
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/prairie_dogs.php (prairie dog lapbook)
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/lions.php
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/legend_of_the_indian_paintbrush.php
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/honey_honey_lion.php
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/where_the_buffaloes_begin.php

Regions of Texas:
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wildlife/wildlife-trails/

 

Forests (Deciduous):

Interactive game of Ituri Forest (Africa)In Search of the Ways of Knowing Trail (sidebar tab):
http://www.eduweb.com/ecotourism/eco1.html

Summary of deciduous forest:
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/dforest.html

Interactive informational site for temperate deciduous forest:
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/temp/index.htm



Mountain/Tundra/Alpine/Taiga

Tundra Cam and drop down informative pages:
http://instaar.colorado.edu/tundracam/tundra.php

Summary and animals/plants of tundra:
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/tundra.html

Tundra - interactive informational website:
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/tundra/index.htm

Taiga - interactive informational website:
http://www.mbgnet.net/sets/taiga/index.htm

Summary of taiga:
http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/taiga.html

Video (short):
http://www.neok12.com/php/watch.php?v=zX025e4167705f4069530341&t=Mountains

Interactive ranges of the world:
http://www.neok12.com/diagram/Mountains-01.htm

Jigsaw puzzles [on the right there is a tab for quizzes and vocabulary]
http://www.neok12.com/jigsaw-puzzles/Mountains.htm


**This is sort of unrelated, but a really cool online field guide**
http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/



The books I've listed on this page are ones that I don't want to forget to look for as we study them.  As I actually use and recommend biome books I will post them within each biome's separate post.


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