Science Literacy Week 2020 - B is for Biodiversity

September 18, 2020 | Jennifer

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The theme of this year’s Science Literacy Week (September 21 - 27) is "B is for Biodiversity." We're celebrating Canada, a country rich in biodiversity. Opportunities to learn about science and conservation are readily available to budding scientists. 

LEGO person photograping a small plant
Photo by Clement127 on a CC license.

If we were holding a Biodiversity Bash for our country, who and what would be invited to this pretend party?

  • the Great Lakes, the prairies, the Boreal forest, marshland and tundra
  • a long list of animals including moose, caribou, beavers, porcupines, geese... don't forget raccoons
  • various plant life, wildflowers, grasses, and mosses
  • fungi like puffball mushrooms and chanterelles
  • amphibians like wood frogs and toads

 

... just to name a few!

 

Kids can easily add to this list from their own experiences, but how can they feel engaged about preservation?

Farmer LEGO person in the fields
Photo by Clement127 on a CC license.

Even if You're Little, You Can Do A Lot

  • Everyone can contribute to a sustainable world, from turning off the running faucet while brushing their teeth to recycling materials around the home for crafts. 
  • Help kids determine what it means to be an environmental steward and get involved in community projects like park cleanups.
  • And remember: "If you think that you are too small to make a difference, you haven't spent the night with a mosquito." - African proverb, quoted by the Dalai Lama

 

Citizen Science

  • Read informational plaques when walking together, like the city's tree identification program. More than 217 different kinds of trees grow in Toronto alone! City plaques may also include a call to action, like crowd-sourcing photos in a particular area to track invasive species.

 

Start With Your Library

 

LEGO person wearing a parka and photograping a penguin on ice
Photo Credit: Philippe on a CC License

B is for Biome

Plants, animals and other living things adapt to live together in a biome, sharing a similar terrain and climate.

  • Ask kids, "If you were constructing a biome, what kinds of plants and animals would live there?"

 

The Boreal Forest - A Year in the World's Largest Land Biome

The Boreal Forest: A Year in the World's Largest Land Biome by L.E. Charmichael (ages 8-12)

 

Amazing Biome Projects You Can Build Yourself

Amazing Biome Projects You Can Build Yourself by Donna Latham (ages 9-12)

 

Biome Geo Facts

Biome Geo Facts by Izzi Howell (ages 8-12)

 

B is for Bumblebees

Pollinators are incredibly important to maintaining biodiversity and bumblebees are usually first to spring to mind.

  • Did you know that bats, butterflies, wind and even people are pollinators?

 

The Bee Book

The Bee Book by Charlotte Milner (ages 5-8)

 

Explore Honey Bees!

Explore Honey Bees! by Cindy Blobaum (Ages 7-10)

 

Bees - A Honeyed History

Bees: A Honeyed History by Piotr Socha (Ages 6-9)

 

Follow That Bee! - A First Book of Bees in the City

Follow That Bee! : A First Book of Bees in the City by Scot Ritchie (Ages 4-7)

 

B is for Biology

Here is another big topic for young science lovers and conservationists: the study of life and living organisms.

  • Break biology down into digestible parts or other "ologies" for kids to discover: zoology (the study of animals) or botany (the study of plants).

 

Do Not Lick This Book - It's Full of Germs

Do Not Lick This Book* : *It's Full of Germs by Idan Ben-Barak and Julian Frost (ages 4-6)

 

Who Was Charles Darwin

 Who Was Charles Darwin? by Deborah Hopkinson (ages 9-12)

 

Biology in Your Everyday Life

Biology in Your Everyday Life by Donna M. Bozzone, PhD (ages 8-12)

 


How are you participating in this year's Science Literacy Week? Share with us in the comments below.

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