Extreme Ecosystems                             Grades 4-7

Journey through the Amazon and Arctic galleries of the Aquarium and explore two very different places.  Students learn that ecosystems are defined by living and non-living components, and that the interactions between those components make ecosystems very dynamic places.   

Students engage in several hands on activities such as re-creating food webs, touching real props from the Amazon and Arctic, and conducting a biodiversity survey.  In the Amazon gallery students discover the amazing diversity of life by observing all the animals and their adaptations.  Through demonstration, students see how the Amazon River floods affect animals.  Students also explore the Arctic gallery and compare these animals and their adaptations to this extreme ecosystem.  Students will observe animal adaptations, compare complex food webs and uncover the importance of the diversity of life.  Above all students will gain an appreciation and understanding of the complexity and importance of healthy ecosystems and how humans impact ecosystems.

"Love the hands-on connections to learning and teaching students how to care for the world around us.  Volunteers were great!  The kids soaked up the information they shared."

                                  - Denise, Vancouver Christian School

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