INTRODUCTION

Biodiversity means all the living things on Earth. Biodiversity is the biggest things down to the very tiny things. Living things work together. Every living thing depends on another.

Biodiversity is a compound word: Bio is a Greek word. It means life. Diversity means many different kinds.Biodiversity means many different kinds of life.TASK 1

Take a walk outside your home or open your window. Sit and listen. How many different animal sounds do you hear? If you live in a city you may hear cats, dogs, squirrels, bees, flies, mosquitoes and several different birds. If you live in the countryside you will probably hear more. List your sounds here. If you hear birds, try to identify which species they are; if you hear insects, try to identify them too.Backyard Science Biodiversity ExerciseTASK 2

This is your activity for today: Find out what one thing (ISSUE) is harming nature in your neighbourhood. In Welcome Glen we know that the pollution of the Else River has a huge impact on the water quality, the animals that depend on the river, our dogs and our health. This water ends up in the wetland then in the ocean so affects everything in the catchment. The issue could be dumping, road building, developments, pollution, plastic, you name it. Are people using pesticides near you e.g. farms, wine farms, etc? Do a bit of research and find out what is going on around you.TASK 3

READ THIS DOCUMENT THROUGH AND ASK ME IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND: http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/nwepecosystems.htm Food Webs - please draw me a food web based on an ecosystem in your area?Now answer these questions:• Explain why humans are at the top of the food chain.• Give 3 examples of producers.• Give 3 examples of consumers• What does a scavenger member of the food chain do?• How is a food chain different from a food web?TASK 4

Give 5 reasons why South Africa is so MEGA BioDiverse? Draw something to illustrate this.

https://www.ket.org/education/interactives/KY-Bio/levels/biothreelevels.html (interactive - click on tabs at top)

What is this picture above trying to tell us? Write your answer down and send back to me.

Look at this infographic below. Which threats do you think are the greatest to Biodiversity? Why do you say this?

END: LET’S HAVE A PARTY FOR NATURE!

1. Who will you invite to your Nature Party? (Think here in terms of Biodiversity – ants, scorpions, moss, mushrooms, frogs, etc – think of a food chain in a habitat you love. A habitat can be a grassland, wetland, ocean, mountain, forest, desert, etc).

2. Where will the party be?3. What will be your theme for your party? (Anything you love: flowers, trees,

cookies, even Minecraft!)4. What will you eat? Make something for real that you can share with us! It can be

a green cake or a healthy smoothie or a vegetarian meal! We will share our creations on Skype!

5. Which famous person will give the main speech? (Think in terms if Biodiversity – David Attenborough, Steve Irwin, etc etc?)

6. What is your main message to all your guests at your Biodiversity party?

Do something to illustrate your party. A poster, a powerpoint presentation, a painting, make something from nature or to do with your theme…