If you have colleagues who need help and would like to have animals in their classrooms, this workshop will provide the necessary information to get started. An ecosystem includes all plants and animals living in an area plus the environment that supports them. A schoolyard is a mini ecosystem. Just outside your classroom window is a world your students can explore - filled with plants, animals and interesting environmental features. Even those schoolyards which at first glance seem to be nothing but blacktop have something to offer.
Nature is at the doorstep of every school and it is a great starting point for outdoor studies.
Direct observations of the relationship between the schoolyard environment and the organisms that live in it can spark students' curiosity about patterns and interactions in nature and lay the foundation for better comprehension and appreciation for the complex interactions of world ecosystems. The arrival of spring presents a great opportunity to observe nature in full bloom. Insects and many species of small animals are abundant. We have included the first activity of the schoolyard ecology series with this issue. It is geared towards elementary school students but can be adapted for middle school to help construct a fuller understanding of the concept of an ecosystem by focusing on the interactions of specific organisms within a particular habitat.