School › Rainforests › Ages 6–7
Up and down the rainforest
Rainforests are hot, wet and full of life. Climb from the dark forest floor to the windy treetops, meet the animals, and catch the water that leaves let out!
Read
A rainforest is a forest of very tall trees where it rains a lot. The biggest rainforests grow near the middle of the Earth, where it is warm all year.[2][1]
It never freezes in a tropical rainforest. It is warm by day and still warm at night.[1][2]
A rainforest has floors, like a tall house. At the very top a few giant trees poke out into the sun and wind. Below them the treetops make a thick green roof called the canopy.[4][1]
Under the canopy it is shady. Small trees, vines and ferns grow there. At the bottom is the forest floor: dark, wet and covered in fallen leaves.[1][3]
Most rainforest animals live up in the leaves and branches. High in the treetops you can find eagles, gliding animals and bright blue butterflies.[2][4]
More than half of all the kinds of plants and animals in the world live in rainforests![3]
Try it: Catch the water from leaves
You need
- A clear plastic bag (a sandwich bag)
- A string or a twist tie
- A leafy plant or a low tree branch outside, in the sun
- A second bag with nothing in it, closed the same way
Safety
Only use plants you know are safe to touch; an adult chooses the plant. Do not pull branches down. Keep plastic bags away from faces. Wash hands afterwards.
What to do
- Find a leafy branch or a plant in a sunny spot.
- Put the bag over a bunch of leaves. Do not pick the leaves.
- Close the bag gently around the stem with the string.
- Close the empty bag too and hang it next to it.
- Guess: what will be in the bags tomorrow?
- Look the next day. Which bag has water drops in it?
What happens, and why?
Plants drink water from the soil with their roots. The water goes up to the leaves and comes out of them as invisible water vapour. Inside the bag, the vapour turns back into drops you can see. In a rainforest millions of trees do this, and the water helps make new rain clouds.[7][6][5]
Play: Top or bottom?
Is this found high up in the treetops or down on the forest floor? Tap the right place.
Your best score is kept only on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Quiz
Other ages: Ages 10–11 · Ages 15–16