Students will:
Mark off an area of the classroom that is at least six feet by six feet. One by one, have the students step into the area. Have the students indicate when the space has become too full to hold any more students. Discuss with the students how they felt as the space filled up. What made the space uncomfortable?
Have the students research and identify causes and impacts of animal and plant overpopulation or underpopulation in your community.
Give each student a bean of each color. Tell them that one bean is a male rabbit and the other is a female rabbit, and that they will record the rabbit population for five years. Each year, each pair of rabbits gives birth to two rabbits, one male and one female. As the years pass, have the students get beans for the new rabbits and record the numbers on their graph paper.
Note: You can change the number of rabbits born, the sex of the rabbits born, the number of years students record, or you can add limiting factors to impact populations.
Support for NatureWorks is provided by:
NHPBS inspires one million Granite Staters each month with engaging and trusted local and national programs on-air, online, in classrooms and in communities.
