* rain forest waterfall * courtesy of gify.com *
Isn't that a pretty scene above with the plants fluttering ever so slightly, touched by a light rain? And can't you just hear the ambient sounds of the plunging waterfall?
How are you all handling Spring in your part of the country? It blew in, then out, and, some folks just couldn't do without having another bout of Winter! Methinks our seasons became a bit befuddled this year, agreed? And, me...well, I am happy to still have a mild, cool, and sometimes rainy season!
* Madison Square Park * photo by Kris Koeller *
*** New York City Snow 2013 * Brrrr.....pretty, isn't it!
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And, now...for today's program!
Being a "hands-on" Grandma also grants me "The Organizer" rights. And, with this title, I own the opportunity to hand down to my son and grandson the creative skills given to me from my dear mother. Thus, when this project came along from my Grandson's school in late March, I went into high gear! The 3rd grade students are currently studying the Rainforest Biome, and each table in the class was given one of the 3 or 4 layers to artistically create and construct his or her layer at home with parents. Before beginning the project, the students were asked to bring as many shoe boxes as they could from home in order that each child would have a shoe box. Scootie was able to take two boxes for the class project, and then he brought one box home to begin his phase of the rainforest. Scootie's table of 4 kiddos was assigned to the Emergent Layer of the rainforest.
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I have to admit, I had NO IDEA what the Emergent, or any other layer of the Rainforest is! The teacher gave the students permission to bring ipads, etc. to school twice a week in order to take some time for research on the internet. Scootie and I did research at home, and I found the Rainforest to be a very interesting subject!
* Below is a diagram showing the layers of the Rainforest *
In our study, Scootie and I learned that the Emergent layer is the tallest layer of the rainforest, with trees towering up to heights of 200+ feet. This top layer, of course gets more sun, wind and rain than the layers below. Consequently, the surviving leaves of the hot weather are sparse, small and waxy,
* We had to have a plan of action...sheesh! Where to start! We needed to cover the shoe box first to give it a forest appearance. And, even though the main focus was to be the top layer, or Emergent layer, we had to create a proper illusion leading upward to our main focus!
*We covered the shoebox with green construction paper, then glued some rafia to the floor to give a woody appearance. I found the backdrop of a rainforest on the interenet, printed it and glued to the inside back of the shoebox showing the trunks of the forest trees.
And our first draft was starting to come together! We wanted to get a feel for how the treetops should look, and where would we find suitable animals? You know...the animals that are adapted to this environment, such as Monkeys, Butterflies, Hawks and Bats? Believe me, it was no easy task hunting for these creatures, and, we found only a few.
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In the meantime, Scootie's teacher asked for volunteers to color a picture of an animal that would be provided by the teacher. With only three days to complete the picture, Scootie was sent home with a hand drawn /rough sketch of a Howler Monkey! Duh! So, I began my task of coloring this creature. I found this vicious looking guy on the internet and got an idea of what he should look like. I outlined and highlighted his features, to give more of a true appearance, and, added the tree branch on my own to give a complete picture of what he is about. The pictures of various Rainforest animals colored by parents are now hanging throughout the 3rd grade pod along with other rainforest decorations that are on display. Alas, I didn't get the chance to photograph this area!
I'm not much of an artist!
BUT...
* He is pretty believable, isn't he!
* done by "The Grandmother", Suzanne *
* Many of the world's "tropical moist forests", aka "Jewels of the Earth", are located in the equatorial zone between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn. This region of tropical Rainforests would include Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Amazon, South and Central Americas, Australia, and even the Pacific Islands.
The Rainforests are also known as the world's largest pharmacies! Who knew!!! They are responsible for 28% of the world's oxygen turnover from photosynthesis and carbon dioxide. The annual rainfall in a tropical Rainforest is between 98 and 177 inches.
* map courtesy of Pinterest *
* And Voila! *
* Rainforest, featuring the Emergent Layer *
* Constructed by 'Scootie' and Grandma * April 2018
*** Yes...it is a bit over the top, isn't it! ***
As you can see, we completed the project and Scootie was able to deliver it to his classroom safely a few days before the due date. YAY! I had most of the materials at home, which made the project easy to work on. Although we didn't have all of the animals, we were able to feature quite a few, and some snakes! I hope to visit his class soon to view the other students' Rainforests and their various layers.
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All in all, this was a pretty good collaboration between the two of us.
Once we became motivated, the sky was the limit!
* Rainforest project with Scootie *
"We have yet to discover possibly millions of plants and other living species in the Rainforests."
Thanking our resources:
Wikipedia
Yahoo images
Google
Blogger
A Big Thank You goes out to:
My Scootie
Scootie's 3rd grade teacher and class
The Rainforest
*** Thank you dear readers for stopping by today and checking in to KardKornerKrib! I appreciate all visits and encourage you to say hello if you want to! Everyone is welcome anytime! ***
*** Watch out for each other, and be kind to all ***
"Making PUNS about me? Toucan play that game!"
See you next time! 💓
