Book 17 activities
Try it at home: 150 science activities from Book 17
Every question in A Million Whys Book 17, The Rainforest Expedition, ends with a "Think like a scientist" idea. Here they are in one place. Each one links to its question page, with the video and the full answer.
Expedition 1: Layers of the Forest (25)
1. What Is a Rainforest, and Where in the World Are Rainforests Found?
Find the equator on a globe with a grown-up. Put a sticker on three places where rainforests grow, such as the Amazon, the Congo, and Borneo. What do their locations have in common?
Do this with a grown-up2. How Is a Tropical Rainforest Different From a Temperate Rainforest?
Compare two photos with a grown-up, one of an Amazon rainforest and one of a Pacific Northwest rainforest. List two things that look alike and two that look different.
Do this with a grown-up3. Why Do Tropical Rainforests Grow in a Belt Around the Middle of the Earth?
Shine a flashlight straight at a ball, then at a slant. The straight spot is brighter and more concentrated. That is why the equator gets such strong sunlight.
4. What Are the Four Layers of a Rainforest?
Draw a tall four-layer rainforest on a long strip of paper. Label each layer and add one animal that might live there.
5. Why Do a Few Rainforest Trees Poke Up Above All the Others?
Measure your height with a string. Then stretch the string across a playground to see how many of you it would take to equal a 150-foot tree.
6. Why Is the Canopy Called the Roof of the Forest?
Hold a green umbrella or large leaf over a lamp and look at the light on the table. Notice how a roof of leaves changes the brightness underneath.
Do this with a grown-up7. What Is the Understory, and Why Is It So Still and Shady?
Put a sheet of colored paper on a sunny windowsill, then cover it with a gauzy cloth. How does the light change? The cloth is like the canopy’s leaves.
8. Why Is the Rainforest Floor So Dark?
Cover a flashlight with three layers of tissue paper. How dim is the light now? Each layer is like a layer of leaves.
9. Why Are So Many Rainforest Trees Tall and Skinny with No Branches Near the Ground?
Place a small plant on a windowsill and watch it lean toward the light for a week. Plants reach for the Sun, and in a rainforest they stretch a long way.
10. How Tall Can a Rainforest Tree Grow?
Use a long measuring tape to mark 100 feet across a park or yard with a grown-up. Stand at one end and picture a tree standing up at the other.
Do this with a grown-up11. Why Does the Air Under the Trees Feel Like a Warm, Wet Blanket?
Breathe onto a clean mirror and watch it fog. Your breath is full of water vapor. Humid air does the same thing to surfaces in the forest. That is why rainforest leaves stay wet.
12. Why Does the Temperature Stay Almost the Same All Year in a Rainforest?
Check an outdoor thermometer at the same time each day for a week and write down the numbers. A rainforest’s numbers would barely change. How much did yours change?
13. How Many Kinds of Living Things Live in a Rainforest?
Look outside and count how many different kinds of plants or insects you can find in one square yard. Make a tally chart. Now imagine hundreds in the same space.
Do this with a grown-up14. Why Can a Small Patch of Rainforest Hold Hundreds of Kinds of Trees?
Make a pattern by arranging 20 beads of 10 different colors in a circle so that no two of the same color touch. That is like a rainforest’s mix.
15. Why Is a Rainforest So Loud?
Close your eyes outside, or play a rainforest recording with a grown-up. Count how many different sounds you can pick out in one minute. Keep the volume low. Which sound was your favorite?
Do this with a grown-up16. Why Does the Rainforest Smell Earthy and a Little Sweet?
With a grown-up, smell a handful of damp potting soil and describe the smell in three words. Now smell a dry leaf. What changes? Wash your hands afterward.
Do this with a grown-up17. Are Rainforests Really the Lungs of the Earth?
Draw a two-column chart: “makes oxygen” and “uses oxygen.” Put forest plants, animals, and fungi in the columns and see why they roughly balance.
18. Why Are There So Many Insects in Rainforests?
Flip over a log or stone in a yard with a grown-up and look at the small animals living there. Count how many different kinds you can see, then put it back gently.
Do this with a grown-up19. How Do So Many Animals Share One Rainforest Without Crowding Each Other Out?
Make a chart of a rainforest apartment building with four floors. Write which animals live on each floor and what they eat.
20. What Is a Cloud Forest?
With a grown-up, hold a cold metal spoon in the steam over a cup of warm (not hot) water and watch drops form. Trees catch cloud droplets in a similar way.
Do this with a grown-up21. What Lives in a Temperate Rainforest on the Pacific Coast?
Look at a map with a grown-up and find British Columbia’s coast. Trace the line between the sea and the mountains where the rain falls.
Do this with a grown-up22. Why Are Temperate Rainforests Covered in Moss?
With a grown-up, weigh a dry kitchen sponge on a kitchen scale. Soak the sponge in water and weigh it again. How much water did it take up? Moss soaks up water the same way. Be sure to dry the scale afterward.
Do this with a grown-up23. Why Do Some Rainforests Flood for Part of the Year?
Fill a tub with a few inches of water, add small sticks as “trees,” and drop a toy fish in. Imagine the rising water creating a new home.
24. Where Are the Biggest Rainforests on Earth?
Find the three largest rainforests on a map with a grown-up and color them in on a blank map. Which continent has the most?
Do this with a grown-up25. How Old Are Rainforests?
Make a time line with a long strip of paper. Mark when dinosaurs lived, when the Daintree began, and today. Which is closer to the start of the line?
Expedition 2: Warm, Wet & Always Growing (25)
26. What Happens to a Raindrop on Its Way Down Through the Forest?
Hold a leaf or a green umbrella under a gentle spray from a watering can, with a grown-up. Watch how long it takes for water to drip off the leaf’s tip.
Do this with a grown-up27. Why Does It Rain Almost Every Afternoon in Some Rainforests?
For a week, check the sky at 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m. and draw the clouds. Do clouds grow taller as the day gets warmer?
28. How Does a Rainforest Help Make Its Own Rain?
With a grown-up, put a clear plastic bag gently around a leafy houseplant branch on a sunny day. Tie it loosely, and check after a few hours. Droplets inside came from the leaves. Keep bags away from faces, and let the grown-up remove it afterward.
Do this with a grown-up29. What Are the Flying Rivers of the Amazon?
Draw a big map of South America and add arrows carrying vapor from the ocean across the forest to the mountains. Label where rain falls.
30. Why Does Mist Rise From the Forest After a Storm?
With a grown-up, pour some warm (not hot) tap water into a cold bowl and look just above the surface. Do you see a wispy mist? That is the same trick of warm and cool air.
Do this with a grown-up31. Why Is Rainforest Soil Poor Even Though Plants Grow So Thickly?
Fill one tray with soil and another with soil and a few small plants. Tilt both over a bowl and sprinkle the same amount of water on each, like rain. See how much muddy water runs out of each. Which keeps more of the soil in place? What does that tell you about the roots?
32. How Can Giant Trees Grow in Poor Soil?
Spread your fingers wide on a pillow, then push one finger deep into it. Which is better at holding the pillow steady? Wide roots anchor like spread fingers.
33. Why Does a Fallen Leaf Disappear in Just a Few Weeks?
Place a leaf in a damp jar and another in a dry jar, and check after a week. Which one has more spots and fuzz? Do not open the jars; ask a grown-up to dispose of them.
Do this with a grown-up34. Why Do Mushrooms and Other Fungi Love the Forest Floor?
In a park with a grown-up, look for mushrooms. Take a photo without touching them. Notice what they are growing on: soil, logs, or leaves. Never eat a wild mushroom.
Do this with a grown-up35. Why Are Termites and Beetles Good for a Forest?
With a grown-up, look at a log on the ground without touching it. Do you see small holes or tunnels? Draw what you see, and add a few notes. Guess who might have made them.
Do this with a grown-up36. What Happens When a Giant Tree Falls in a Rainforest?
Make a gap by cutting a hole in a paper “canopy” and place it over a tray with a lamp above. Where does the light fall? Plants sprouting there get a head start.
Do this with a grown-up37. Why Do Tiny Seedlings Wait in the Shade for Years?
Plant two seeds in cups with the same amount of water. Put one near a window and one in a dim closet. Check for a week. Which one grows faster?
38. Why Can a Tropical Sapling Shoot Up So Quickly?
Measure a houseplant or a bean sprout every day for a week and write the numbers on a chart. Which day had the biggest growth?
39. How Do Rainforest Trees Soak Up Carbon Dioxide and Store It?
Weigh a dry stick on a kitchen scale and divide the number in half to estimate its carbon. Draw a bar showing the carbon part and the rest of the stick.
40. Why Is the Rio Negro Black Like Tea?
Steep a tea bag in a clear glass of water and watch the color spread. That’s how leaf chemicals darken the river. Throw the tea bag away afterward.
41. Where Do Animals Shelter When It Pours in the Rainforest?
Make a tiny shelter for a toy animal using a large leaf or paper. Test it by dripping water from a spoon. Does the animal stay dry?
42. What Are Sunflecks, and How Do Small Plants Use Them?
Poke tiny holes in a piece of foil and hold it between a lamp and a table. Move it slowly. Watch the bright spots slide across the table like sunflecks.
Do this with a grown-up43. How Do Scientists Measure the Weather Inside a Rainforest?
Build a rain gauge from a clear bottle with a ruler taped to it. Place it outside after cutting the top off (with a grown-up) and measure rain for a week.
Do this with a grown-up44. Why Do Some Tropical Forests Drop Their Leaves in the Dry Season?
Make a calendar with two sections, wet season and dry season. Draw a tree that has leaves in the wet part and a bare tree in the dry part.
45. What Does a Rainforest Look Like From Space?
Look at a satellite image of a rainforest online with a grown-up. Find a river and one cleared area. How does the cleared land look different?
Do this with a grown-up46. What Is the Difference Between a Rainforest and a Jungle?
Draw one picture of a tall rainforest with open floor and one of a jungle with dense, low plants. What would make the plants so thick in the jungle?
47. What Is Humus, and Why Is the Layer of Good Soil So Thin in a Rainforest?
With a grown-up, dig a small hole in a garden. Look at the soil layers. Is the dark topsoil thick or thin? Compare it with the soil beneath, and wash your hands afterward.
Do this with a grown-up48. How Does a Forest Heal Itself After a Storm or Landslide?
Fill a tray with soil and sprinkle fast-growing grass seeds in one corner. Check each day. What is the first plant to appear, and how does the area change?
49. Can a Rainforest Change the Weather Far Away?
Use a map and arrows to show how a puff of moisture might travel from the Amazon across the continent. Where would it fall as rain?
50. How Do Insects and Frogs Take Advantage of the Rainy Season?
After a rainy day, check a puddle outdoors with a grown-up for insects or tadpoles. List who showed up. Never touch wild frogs.
Do this with a grown-upExpedition 3: Life in the Canopy (25)
51. How Do Monkeys Swing and Leap From Branch to Branch?
Hang from a safe, low bar or playground rail for a few seconds, with a grown-up spotting you. Which muscles feel it? Monkeys have strong arms for this.
Do this with a grown-up52. Why Do Some Monkeys Have Tails That Can Grab Like a Hand?
Try picking up a small toy using only your toes or elbow while sitting. How hard is it? Now imagine doing it with a tail that is always ready.
53. How Do Animals Glide From Tree to Tree?
Make a paper glider and a crumpled paper ball. Drop them from the same height. Which falls slower and farther? Wings or flaps slow the fall.
54. How Do Tree Frogs Stick to Leaves?
Wet two pieces of smooth plastic and press them together. Try to slide them apart, then try to pull them straight apart. Which is harder?
55. What Is the Smallest Frog in the World?
Mark 8 millimeters on a ruler and draw a dot that long. Then draw a leaf-litter scene around it. How would you ever find an animal that small?
56. Why Are So Many Rainforest Birds Brightly Colored?
Draw a made-up rainforest bird with three colors that would help it be seen in the dim forest. Explain why you chose them.
57. How Do Fruit Bats Find Ripe Fruit in the Dark?
Smell three different fruits with eyes closed, with a grown-up’s help, and guess which is which. Which smell was strongest?
Do this with a grown-up58. Why Do Howler Monkeys Howl So Loudly?
Cup your hands around your mouth to make a megaphone and hum. How does the sound change? Howlers have a built-in sound booster.
59. How Do Weaver Ants Build Nests From Living Leaves?
Fold two leaves or paper strips together and join them with tape. Now imagine doing it with ants holding the edges. What part would be hardest?
60. How Do Sleeping Animals Stay Safe in the Treetops?
Sit on a stool and bend your knees as if you were perched. Notice how your feet grip. Birds do this without even thinking.
61. How Can a Snake Climb a Smooth Tree Trunk?
Pull a piece of rope slowly up a rough wooden board, then a smooth tile. Which surface lets it grip? Rough bark is easy for snake scales to catch.
62. Why Do Orangutans Build a New Bed in the Trees Each Night?
Build a nest for a toy using sticks, grass, and leaves outside. Is it stable if you give it a gentle shake? Why did you weave the sticks?
Do this with a grown-up63. How Do Chimpanzees Use Sticks as Tools?
Use a long bendy straw or stick to pick up a small object from inside a narrow jar. What changes did you need to make to your tool?
64. How Can a Frog Become See-Through?
With a grown-up, hold a clear piece of plastic wrap or a clear plastic lid over a green leaf and look at the leaf through it. How does a see-through body help an animal hide on a leaf? Draw a frog hiding on a leaf.
Do this with a grown-up65. Why Do Butterflies Gather at Muddy Puddles?
Put a shallow dish of damp sand in a sunny garden spot. Watch from a distance for a few days to see if butterflies or bees visit.
66. Why Do Animals Use Vines as Highways?
Stretch a rope between two chairs. Roll a toy car or walk a small toy across it. How would a rope bridge help animals?
67. How Do Rainforest Animals Avoid Shouting Over One Another?
With friends, hum at different pitches at the same time. Can you still hear each voice? Now try humming the same pitch. What changes?
68. Why Do Some Rainforest Animals Eat Clay?
Look up a photo of a macaw clay lick with a grown-up. Count how many birds you can see. What do you think they might be getting?
Do this with a grown-up69. How Do Animals High in the Canopy Get Water to Drink?
Set a small cup on a leaf-shaped tray and drip water into it with a spoon. How many drops does it take to fill? That’s how a bromeliad collects rain.
70. Who Shows Up When a Fig Tree Is Full of Fruit?
Draw a fig tree with five visitors and show what each takes. Which animals might come in the day and which at night?
71. How Can One Rainforest Tree Hold Thousands of Insects?
Look at one tree in a park with a grown-up. Find three different places insects might live on it: bark, leaves, or the base. What would you find?
Do this with a grown-up72. Why Do Monkeys Spend So Much Time Grooming Each Other?
Offer to brush a stuffed animal’s fur gently and notice how relaxing it can be. Why might grooming make a monkey feel calm?
73. How Do Canopy Animals Know Which Tree Is Fruiting?
Draw a map of a pretend forest with six fruit trees. Mark which ripen in spring, summer, and fall. Plan a route that visits each at the right time.
74. Why Do Morpho Butterflies Flash Bright Blue?
Tilt a CD in the light and watch the colors change. Never look at the Sun or shine reflected sunlight into anyone's eyes. Wings use tiny structures in a similar way. Tell a grown-up what you saw!
Do this with a grown-up75. Why Do So Many Animals Live in the Canopy Instead of on the Ground?
Make a simple pyramid drawing of a rainforest food web with the sun at the top, then leaves, fruit eaters, and hunters. Which layer has the most energy?
Expedition 4: Clever Plants & Giant Leaves (25)
76. Why Do Rainforest Leaves Have Long, Pointed “Drip Tips”?
Cut one paper leaf with a pointed tip and another with a round tip. Tilt each and drip water from a spoon. Which one sheds the water faster?
Do this with a grown-up77. Why Do Some Rainforest Trees Have Giant Flared Roots Like Walls?
Stand a tall paper tube on a table and push it. Now tape cardboard fins around its base and push again. Which version stays up better?
78. What Is an Epiphyte, and Why Do Some Plants Grow on Other Plants?
Look for plants growing on tree bark, rocks, or old logs on your next walk, such as moss or lichen. Take a photo and compare them with ground plants.
79. How Do Bromeliads Hold Tiny Ponds in the Treetops?
Wrap a paper rosette from a coffee filter and pour a few drops of water in the middle. Does it catch and hold the water? Draw who might live there.
80. How Does a Strangler Fig Grow Around Another Tree?
Wrap a few strands of yarn around a tall cardboard tube, then add more strands crossing them. Slide the tube out. You’ve built a hollow fig lattice.
81. Why Are Orchid Seeds as Tiny as Dust?
Sprinkle flour or cocoa powder on a table and blow gently. See how far it travels. Dust-sized seeds can ride the wind in the same way.
82. Why Do Some Plants on the Forest Floor Have Leaves as Big as Umbrellas?
Hold a small paper circle and a large paper circle under a lamp with a dimmer light. Which catches more of the light? Bigger leaves catch more.
Do this with a grown-up83. What Is the Titan Arum, and Why Does It Smell Terrible?
Measure 10 feet on the floor with a tape measure and stand beside it. Imagine a flower that tall. What would it look like in your room?
84. How Do Pitcher Plants Trap Insects?
With a grown-up, make a slippery slide using a wet plastic plate and a dry one. Roll a small bead down each. Which one is faster? A pitcher's rim is slippery like the wet one.
Do this with a grown-up85. Why Are Leaves at the Top of the Canopy Smaller and Tougher than Those Below?
Compare a thick leaf like holly or ivy with a thin leaf like lettuce. Hold them to the light. Which lets more light through?
86. Why Do the Leaves of a Sensitive Plant Fold Up When Touched?
If you have a houseplant such as a mimosa, gently touch one leaf. If not, watch a video online with a grown-up. How long does it take to open again?
Do this with a grown-up87. How Can a Vine Grow Hundreds of Feet Without a Thick Trunk?
Twist a long piece of string around a broomstick, spiraling upward. See how thin material can cover a lot of height. Think about what makes lianas strong. Share your ideas with a grown-up!
Do this with a grown-up88. How Does a Cacao Pod Turn Into Chocolate?
With a grown-up, smell some cocoa powder and then a chocolate bar. Which smells stronger? Cocoa powder is ground cacao beans. Can you smell the roasted beans?
Do this with a grown-up89. Why Do Some Tropical Fruit Trees Grow Flowers and Fruit Right on Their Trunks?
Draw a tree with fruit hanging from branch tips and another with fruit on the trunk. Which design do you think is stronger for heavy fruit?
90. Why Do Rainforest Fruits Come in So Many Colors?
Look at a fruit bowl with a grown-up. Which fruits change color as they ripen? What clue tells you when each is ready to eat?
Do this with a grown-up91. Why Do Some Rainforest Seeds Spin Like Helicopters?
Cut a strip of paper, fold the bottom up to make a base, and slit the top into two wings bent in opposite directions. Drop it from a height. Watch it spin.
Do this with a grown-up92. Why Can’t Brazil Nut Trees Grow Well Without a Rodent and a Bee?
Draw a three-part cycle with the tree, the bee, and the agouti, and label what each one gets from the others.
93. How Do Some Rainforest Plants Call for Bodyguards?
Crush one fresh leaf from a herb plant, like mint, in your hand and smell it. Smell a second, uncrushed leaf. Plants can send chemical signals through the air when they are chewed. How do you think a wasp might use a smell?
94. Why Do Some Tree Trunks Bristle with Spikes?
Look at a picture of a thorny trunk with a grown-up. Draw a smooth trunk and a thorny one. Which would be harder for a climbing animal?
Do this with a grown-up95. What Is the World’s Biggest Flower, and Why Does It Have No Leaves?
Mark a circle 3 feet wide on the floor with string. Which things in your house are smaller than the biggest flower in the world?
96. Which Plant Has the Longest Leaves in the World?
Measure 80 feet in a yard or park with a long string. Walk along it and imagine one leaf stretching that far.
97. Why Are Young Leaves on Many Rainforest Trees Red or Pink?
Look at a young plant’s new growth in spring. Are the new leaves a different color than old leaves? Take photos over a week.
98. How Can a Giant Water Lily Leaf Be So Big and So Strong?
Float a baking pan in a tub of water. Add small toys, one at a time, spread out evenly. How many can it hold before it sinks? What happens if you stack them in the middle?
99. How Do Rainforest Plants Race Each Other for Sunlight?
Plant three seeds in a tray. Place a book over one, a thin cloth over another, and nothing over the third. Which one grows tallest toward the light? Wash your hands when you finish.
100. Do Scientists Still Find New Rainforest Plants?
Press a leaf between pages of a heavy book for a week to make a plant specimen. Write where and when you found it. Do not pick plants in parks or protected places.
Expedition 5: Partners, Tricks & Tiny Rulers (25)
101. Why Do Leafcutter Ants Carry Pieces of Leaves They Never Eat?
Cut leaf shapes from green paper, with a grown-up helping with the scissors. Carry one across the floor on a spoon. Pretend to be a leafcutter and count your trips. How many trips can you make in one minute?
Do this with a grown-up102. How Do Army Ants Build Bridges with Their Own Bodies?
Link arms with friends to make a bridge. Let a small toy roll across the top. Change the bridge when the toy moves on. How did everyone have to work together?
103. Why Do Some Ants Live Inside Special Trees?
Make a list of what each partner gets in a tree-and-ant team. Then draw a picture showing both the tree’s gift and the ants’ gift.
104. How Do Fig Wasps and Fig Trees Depend on Each Other?
Draw a fig cut in half, showing flowers inside and a tiny wasp coming in. Label the opening.
Do this with a grown-up105. What Does It Mean When Two Living Things Are Partners?
Think of a pair of partners at home or in your yard: bees and flowers, or you and a pet. What does each one give and get?
106. How Do Hummingbirds and Heliconia Flowers Fit Together Like a Lock and Key?
Bend a flexible straw and try to sip from a bent tube, like a curved flower. How does the straw’s shape change how you reach inside?
107. Why Do Birds Visit Red Flowers but Bees Prefer Blue and Yellow?
Draw a red flower and a yellow flower. Add a note about which visitor each one invites and why.
108. How Do Some Birds Follow Army Ants to Find Food?
Use a toy and string to act out an ant swarm with bits of paper “insects” that scatter. Where would a bird wait to catch them?
109. How Does a Bucket Orchid Make Bees Take a Bath?
Cut a small paper cup in half and make a pretend bucket flower. Plan how a toy bee gets in and out. What would force it through one exit?
Do this with a grown-up110. How Do Dung Beetles Help the Forest Floor?
Roll a small ball of play dough in a straight line across the floor. It’s hard to keep straight! Beetles use light cues to steer.
111. How Do Poison Dart Frog Parents Carry Tadpoles to Tiny Pools?
Draw the frog on a tree, with a tadpole on its back and a bromeliad pool above. How would you find a safe pool for a tadpole?
112. How Can a Frog Smaller than Your Thumb Be So Loud?
Puff out your cheeks and say “ko-kee” softly. Then say it again while cupping your hands in front of your mouth. Does it get louder?
113. Why Do Some Rainforest Spiders Live Together in Giant Webs?
Tape string across a doorway frame with a grown-up to make a crisscross web. Toss soft pom-poms onto it. Does a bigger web catch more?
Do this with a grown-up114. Why Are There More Kinds of Beetles than Anything Else?
Draw three beetles that look totally different: one for eating leaves, one digging in dung, and one for chewing wood. What body parts differ?
115. Why Do Some Rainforest Bees Have No Sting?
Draw a stingless bee nest with wax pots in a hollow tree. Why would a hollow tree be a good home?
116. Why Does the Atlas Moth Have No Mouth as an Adult?
Draw a wing with a pattern that looks like a snake’s head at the tip. Why might that scare off a bird?
117. What Lives in a Handful of Rainforest Soil?
With a grown-up, scoop a spoonful of garden soil onto white paper and look at it with a magnifying glass. What moves? Wash your hands afterward.
Do this with a grown-up118. How Strong Is a Rhinoceros Beetle?
Lift a paperclip, then a light book. Compare each one to your own weight. A beetle with a toy car is like you with a truck! Why is lifting easier for tiny animals?
119. How Do Big Fruit-Eating Birds Plant New Trees?
Look at a grape or a fruit with a grown-up and find the seeds. Imagine a bird swallowing the fruit. Where would the seeds go? Plan a seed trip across a map.
Do this with a grown-up120. How Do Glasswing Butterflies Get See-Through Wings?
Hold a clear plastic sheet and a shiny mirror to a window. Which one reflects more light? A glasswing’s wing is designed to reflect little.
121. Why Does the Durian Fruit Smell So Strong?
Smell some strong foods in the kitchen, like onion or garlic, with a grown-up. Rank them by smell power. Why might a smell attract animals?
Do this with a grown-up122. Who Works the Night Shift in the Rainforest?
With a grown-up and a flashlight, go outside at dusk. Keep your light low and stay quiet. Look for eyeshine. Do any animals' eyes glow back?
Do this with a grown-up123. What Tiny Flies Pollinate Chocolate Trees?
Draw a cacao flower with a midge on it. Label the leaf litter below it where the midge’s babies grow.
124. What Is a Keystone Species in a Rainforest?
Build a small arch from blocks and remove the center stone. What happens? That’s how a keystone species works.
125. What Can Happen to a Rainforest If One Kind of Animal Disappears?
Draw a web with six rainforest living things, joined by lines. Cross one out and see how many others are affected.
Expedition 6: Scientists, Products & Saving the Green (25)
126. How Do Scientists Reach the Top of a Rainforest?
Design your own canopy research station on paper. What would you need: a platform, a ladder, a basket for samples? Sketch it and explain why.
127. What Is a Canopy Walkway, and Why Do People Build Them?
Make a bridge between two chairs with string and a cardboard strip, with a grown-up. Test how much weight it can hold with small toys.
Do this with a grown-up128. How Do Scientists Use Sound Recorders to Listen to a Rainforest?
Record a minute of sound outside with a phone and a grown-up. Listen back and list every sound. Do it again in another place and compare.
Do this with a grown-up129. How Do Drones and Lasers Help Scientists Map a Rainforest?
Build a pretend canopy from stacked blocks of different heights. Take a photo from above. Take another from the side. Which view shows how tall each block is?
130. How Can Two Look-Alike Rainforest Animals Turn Out to Be Different Species?
Draw two creatures that look nearly the same but have different songs. Write what a scientist could measure to tell them apart.
131. Why Do Scientists Put Numbered Tags on Rainforest Trees?
Measure the distance around a tree trunk with a string and a ruler, with a grown-up. Do it again in a few months. Did it change?
Do this with a grown-up132. What Medicines Come From Rainforest Plants?
Crush a fresh mint leaf between your fingers and smell it. Plants make strong chemicals, and some became medicines. Never taste unknown plants or take medicine without a grown-up.
Do this with a grown-up133. Which Foods That We Eat Began in Tropical Forests?
Check your kitchen for five foods that might come from tropical places. Find where each is grown on a map.
134. Which Tree Gives Us the Stretchy Material Called Natural Rubber?
Stretch a rubber band and let it go. Why does it spring back? Natural rubber is stretchy because of its long, coiled molecules.
135. How Is Chewing Gum Linked to a Rainforest Tree?
Stretch a rubber band, a strip of paper, and a lump of modeling clay. Which is the stretchiest? Chicle is a stretchy sap, which is why it made good chewing gum.
136. Why Does Soil Wash Away When Rainforest Trees Are Cut?
Pour water gently over a tray of soil with grass on it and over a tray of bare soil, tilted slightly. Which one sends more muddy water down the slope?
137. Why Are Some Rainforests Getting Smaller?
Draw a forest as a big green square. Shade in a piece to be cleared, then draw the animals that lived there. Where would they go?
138. What Happens to Animals When a Forest Is Cut Into Small Pieces?
Draw a green forest, cut it into four patches with scissors, and place a toy animal on one patch. How could it reach the others?
Do this with a grown-up139. What Is Ecotourism, and How Can Visits Help a Forest?
Write a “visitor promise” with three rules for a nature trip, such as stay on the trail and never feed wildlife. Share it with a grown-up.
Do this with a grown-up140. What Is Shade-Grown Coffee and Why Does It Help Forests?
Set two cups of soil outside. Cover one with a leafy branch and leave the other in the sun. After two hours, feel both with a grown-up. Which is cooler and damper? How might shade help a coffee plant?
Do this with a grown-up141. How Does Planting Trees Help Heal a Rainforest?
Plant a seed in a pot and care for it. Record its height every few days. How long do you think it would take to become a tree?
142. What Can Kids Do to Help Rainforests?
Make a poster with three things your family could do to help forests. Show it to a grown-up and pick one to start this week.
Do this with a grown-up143. What Jobs Do People Have Studying and Protecting Rainforests?
Pick one rainforest job and write three questions that person might ask each day. Draw them at work.
144. How Do Rangers Help Protect Rainforest Animals and Plants?
Create a ranger checklist for a day in a park: what would you look for, and who would you tell if something seemed wrong?
145. What Is a Protected Area, and Why Do Rainforests Need Them?
Find a park or nature reserve near you online with a grown-up. What rules help protect it? List three.
Do this with a grown-up146. How Do Wildlife Rescue Centers Help Animals Return to the Forest?
With a grown-up, make a list of what a baby animal would need to learn before going back to the wild. Which skills seem the most important?
Do this with a grown-up147. Why Do Rainforests Matter to People Who Live Far Away?
Choose one product from a tropical country at home with a grown-up, like bananas or chocolate. Find its home on a map and draw how it could travel to your kitchen.
Do this with a grown-up148. How Do Birds That Visit Your Backyard Depend on Rainforests?
Find a bird that visits your area with a grown-up and look up where it spends the winter. Mark both places on a map.
Do this with a grown-up149. How Can a Jar of Plants Show How a Rainforest Recycles Water?
With a grown-up, fill a clear jar with a layer of pebbles, damp soil, and a small plant or moss. Close it and watch the drops on the glass for a week.
Do this with a grown-up150. What Do Scientists Still Wonder About Rainforests?
Write your own big rainforest question. Then plan how you would find an answer: reading, asking, watching, or exploring.