Reptile Habitat
by Diane Otterson

Overview of Project
Habitat-based learning sites meet the needs of wi1dlife by providing the four-critica1 habitat components: food, water, cover, and places to raise young. Schoolyard Habitats site meets the needs of students, teachers and the school community. The evolution of a habitat site is an ongoing learning and growing process for all involved. It offers unlimited and diverse opportunities for active cross-curriculum learning and a new and creative outlet for meeting the requirements of national and state Standards of Learning.

Habitat-based learning sites provide educators and students with the opportunity to draw upon each of their five senses. The site can be thought of as a new resource for on-site field trips and is perfectly suited for exploration by investigative, eager m1nds that maybe stifled by the traditional indoor classroom.

Setting up the Project

A site inventory is the first step and an important educational process in the development of a Schoolyard Habitat. A site inventory takes into consideration both the natural and man-made aspects of the project such as:

Animals (including insects) and plants
Human-made structures (utility rights-of-way, sidewalks, playing fields)
Water sources

Topography and geology

Traffic patterns of wildlife, people and vehicles

Past land use and site history

Soil type (wet, dry. well-dra1ned. acidic, alkaline, etc.)

Path of the sun and wind exposure

Land use on adjacent property

The site inventory and subsequent mapping activities will help the teacher and the students see the "big picture" of all the observations and data collected during the site inventory. These mapping projects can also be used to chart the habitat's progress.

Identifying the Needs/Selecting the Site
After the site inventory the next step is to choose a location for the habitat site. You will want to keep in mind the needs of the wildlife, but also the activities of humans in the area as well.

The next step is to identify the existing wildlife habitat components and to determine which elements must be preserved, enhanced or developed. Keeping in mind the four essential elements of a habitat –food, water, cover, and a place to raise young.

Food

The ideal wildlife management, plan uses locally native vegetation to supply as much food as possible to meet the year-round needs of many species. Using native plants are the basis for the natural food chain in any given ecosystem. It is absolutely essential that any Schoolyard Habitat plantings consist of regionally native plant species, including trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. Native plants may support 10 to 50 times as many species of w1ldllfe as non-native plants. While plants are maturing and especially in winter, natural food sources can be supplemented with feed.

Water

Throughout the year wildlife needs water, both for drinking and bathing. A small pond set into the ground can provide water for drinking and bathing as well as cover and, perhaps, reproductive areas for small fish, amphibians, and insects.

Cover

Wildlife needs protective cover. Plants that offer food can also provide cover densely branched shrubs, hollow log, rock-piles, brush piles, stone walls, evergreens, meadow or prairie patches, and water provide cover for many animal species.

Places to Raise Young
In providing places to raise young, consider both vegetation and human-made devices. Plant dense pockets of shrubbery to provide safe areas for many species of
birds to nest. Someof the most interesting animals require a body of water as a safe haven for their young. Many salamanders, frogs, toads, and insects, like dragonflies and water boatmen, begin life in water and are unlikely to prosper in your area without the safe, healthy water environments that a stream or small pond can offer.

Cross-Curriculum Learning

Habitat sites offer constant teaching and learning opportun1t1es, not just for science classes, but for math, language arts/English and art, as well.

Mathematics

Measure /calculate plant growth rates and flower numbers
Calculate the area of the habitat. Try using the students as units of measurement.
Scale models of area
Surveys / graphing of favorite animals
Estimate how many blades of grass are in the area
Count bow many trees and shrubs make the schoolyard their home.
Calculate the height, age, and girth of the trees

Social Studies

Study local Native American culture and the use of foods and medicinal herbs
Study geography of area
Find out what occupied the site before the school was built

Act

Make leaf prints
Use plant materials for dyes and paints
Study the history and personalities involved in wildlife art and photography
Sketch flora and fauna -create personal field guides
Create stepping stones to be laid in the habitat site
Create statues for display in the habitat
Make site drawings of the schoolyard as it is" Color in what you would like to see constructed in different areas to make the yard more fun. A play structure? A garden? A rainbow? A waterfall? The sky's the limit!
Use found natural objects to make a sculpture or collage

Music

Create musical instruments form natural items
Listen to the sounds of nature and make seasonal recordings of natural sounds from your habitat
Listen to and discuss songs and other musical forms that reflect the natural world

Science

Study processes 1ike the food web, and photo-synthesis
Learn about regional weather patterns affecting the habitat
Investigate microclimates influencing the animals and plants in the site
Draw a sundial with chalk and let students be the centerpiece
Revisit the site throughout the day to see the changing ways in which shadows are cast. Mark the cardinal directions and relate them to the passage of the sun.
Do soil tests from different areas to see where a school garden might be planted
Gather and investigate the litter on school grounds. Discuss which items could have been recycled or reused

Language Arts

Read and analyze natural history authors
Involve students in keeping nature journals
Illustrate language concepts and forms with examples and exercises based on habitat experiences
Research native animals and plants
Write a poem such as what would the tree say if it could talk? Is the tree happy, sad, lonely, or wise?

Technology

Setup an internet connection to share your habitat projects with another school