I agree with Tom, in that it is most important to tie it to things that they know and can interact with. I taught this age group for four years, but had the advantage of being in Hawaii where the environment is a big part of most people lives and was easy to tie it to things they engage in.

For the youngest kids I found that things on the ground get there attention. We did, for instance, seed exploration and would have discussions on plant seeds and movements. One would be to have them collect seeds they could find on the ground in a park or on weeds or whatnot, and perform the "wind, water, wings" test to determine how seeds move. Put them in water and if they float they can travel by water, put them in your hand a blow and if they fly away they travel by wind, stick them to your shirt and if they stay they can travel by bird wings. We would use this to talk about plant colonization and how they move around, and it was surprising how even the 1st graders could grasp this concept when it was very hands on like that. For older students we would have more dexterous activities. One of my favorites was making plant rubbings, an old but still highly effective field tool for recording plant species, and then use the rubbing to discuss things like why the leaves are shaped the way they are, what the different patterns of veins do, etc. Again they can find the leaves anywhere, so it's something you can engage in with nature even in a city.

While I agree that there is a lot of very cool things on YouTube, etc. I would urge educators, especially environmental educators, to stay away from more videos and technology. I would argue that technology is the number on threat to nature, and it seems inconsistent and more than a little ironic to teach environmental education through a television. Engagement, more than the scientific understanding, of nature is what I feel is really needed, and I've been amazed at how pushing students to have even a little engagement with nature has awakened a huge desire in them to really engage with it and start to love it. In that sense I don't think the topic you chose is as important as the method you use to teach the topic. Just make it hands on and engaging and they will not only learn it, but want to learn it. Nature is fascinating, and once you can show them that the rest is easy.

Hi Abhirama,

Keep it simple and close to there experience.

if you choose for example wildlife and link it to ecology, then limit it to the world they know.

their pets, animals and plants in their gardens, in the village, in the pettingzoo.

something like how butterflies and bees help polinate the flouwer, and how we need bees for honney and to polinate fruit plants (sugesting a benificial realationship or simbiosis)...

It is easy to get kids interested, but YOU have to join their viewpoint. Make it in to a story, or even a cartoon, make it visual and let them experience it...if possible.

Good luck

Are you looking for a real activity?

Between 6 and 10 is a pretty broad range: 10 year olds are capable of attention and planning that most six-year-olds I know would totally get lost with. For younger than 8, I would suggest something where their part is either relatively quick or relatively physical. For older kids (over 8) you could try something more knowledge-intensive, as long as it's not boring.

Planting seeds and comparing growth always fits these requirements. But if you're just talking to them, young kids will always just like to hear about animals. Older kids still prefer demos, but they get more scientific concepts.

Tell us more about what you're doing.

Joel

What exactly is your "boring" work ? It could be interesting to make these children think about your work. At this age, they are really attracted by experimentation. Your talk will not be necessary about the theoretical aspect of your work, but much more about the experimental approach you use.

If you have a decent internet connexion, I would suggest you to search on YouTube what natural history documentaries you could show them (dinosaurs, etc.), it's a gold mine in this respect! Isn't there also a nearby natural history museum where you could bring them? Or even a farm - there are plenty of ecological processes you can illustrate while showing the kids a farm.

If you just have some hours and you want to teach something in ecology, you can try with "cascade effects in trophic webs". It's cool because you can do "games" with the kids (i.e. you can print big animals and asking them where in the trophic web put them, and what happens if one dissappear,...), and the topic is complicated enough to be explained in different levels, really simple as simple chains for 6 yold kids, or more complicated with more species and mechanisms.

Other option it's not to teach a concept, just to try to awake in them their environmental concern, or scientific interest. You can show examples of weird animal behaviours (with cool videos or performances with the kids), or about things that you can build with recycled materials...

If you have the opportunity, I would take the group out into the local countryside for a nature walk. You could look for signs of animals known to exist in the locality. Kids love anything like this. It is something I did many times when teaching in schools and something I have continued to do where I live, in terms of recognising signs that indicate that hedgehogs live in the local parks.

I agree with Tom, in that it is most important to tie it to things that they know and can interact with. I taught this age group for four years, but had the advantage of being in Hawaii where the environment is a big part of most people lives and was easy to tie it to things they engage in.

For the youngest kids I found that things on the ground get there attention. We did, for instance, seed exploration and would have discussions on plant seeds and movements. One would be to have them collect seeds they could find on the ground in a park or on weeds or whatnot, and perform the "wind, water, wings" test to determine how seeds move. Put them in water and if they float they can travel by water, put them in your hand a blow and if they fly away they travel by wind, stick them to your shirt and if they stay they can travel by bird wings. We would use this to talk about plant colonization and how they move around, and it was surprising how even the 1st graders could grasp this concept when it was very hands on like that. For older students we would have more dexterous activities. One of my favorites was making plant rubbings, an old but still highly effective field tool for recording plant species, and then use the rubbing to discuss things like why the leaves are shaped the way they are, what the different patterns of veins do, etc. Again they can find the leaves anywhere, so it's something you can engage in with nature even in a city.

While I agree that there is a lot of very cool things on YouTube, etc. I would urge educators, especially environmental educators, to stay away from more videos and technology. I would argue that technology is the number on threat to nature, and it seems inconsistent and more than a little ironic to teach environmental education through a television. Engagement, more than the scientific understanding, of nature is what I feel is really needed, and I've been amazed at how pushing students to have even a little engagement with nature has awakened a huge desire in them to really engage with it and start to love it. In that sense I don't think the topic you chose is as important as the method you use to teach the topic. Just make it hands on and engaging and they will not only learn it, but want to learn it. Nature is fascinating, and once you can show them that the rest is easy.

I agree with the key is a hands on activity. With an old microoscope, you can just catch a fly and a spider with them, (or other bugs) and show their eyes, the little "hairs" in the legs, ... kids will love it!

maintain several aquariums with fish, insects and snails caught from local ponds/streams. Make a rain gage from a plastic bottle (cut top and invert to make a funnel) and keep daily rain records. Grow a garden...

Some tanks with a good water circulation system containing organisms from the coast, aquariums with fish and a microscope with a camera connected to a big screen for them to see the small things, that might be a good combination. Good luck!

:-) , thank you all,, :-) ,,,

now i plan to make 2 groups, 6-8 , 9 -10 according to age, they are gonna stay with me for 10 days, i ll stars with introduction class i have my own videos and some pics,

than,

garden, - Plant tissue culture lab, - microbiology lab, - caecilians lab, and other activities like 1, wind, water, wings 2, nature walk 3, cascade effects in tropic webs, finally Planting seeds :-) ,, :-)

, i have been teaching for age group 16- 22, but this is bit interesting to teach to this age group, thank you :-)

Teaching environment is very much interesting if you include example from student daily life activities. Prepare food chains taking good pictures of different tropic levels in your environment . prepare individual food chain for each ecosystem (for example pound ecosystem, forest ecosystem, grassland ecosystem etc.,). Start with that food chain which your students come across in their daily life. Ask them to identify producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers in different ecosystem, plan according to your time available. Don’t go for more video’s some students may go to sleep. Best of luck.