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Ecology - A Field Study for All Ages

© Angela Plumb

Using our own backyards, the neighborhood park or the wooded creek that runs behind a grassy field, we can uncover a remarkable number of living things for our ecology study. You don't have to travel to exotic destinations to become an ecologist.

ECOLOGY is the study of how living and non-living things in an environment interact with one another. They could be living together in peace and harmony, or they could be out to destroy and use one another. This is part of the cycle of life. This activity introduces a few terms and applies science to real life.

You will need:
-4 sticks (you can use straws, twigs, bamboo skewers, popsicle sticks)
-a metre stick
-4.5 metres of string or yarn
-a magnifying glass
-a trowel
-gardening gloves (optional)
-paper, pencil, ruler
-an outdoor environment

Step 1
Go outside and find an area to study. It's probably best to find an area with some grass or something growing. If your area has rocks, or pavement, it's okay. There are so many man-made things in our environment nowadays that is it necessary to study how living things react to them too.

Step 2
Using the sticks and the string, mark off a square area. Measure the sides of the area with your metre stick so that each side is 1 metre long. Gently place the sticks into the ground at the corners of the square and tie the string around the sticks so that you have a border of string around the area. This is the area you are going to study.

Step 3
On your piece of paper, make a chart with two columns - one titled "LIVING" and one titled "NON-LIVING". Ecologists sometimes use other words to describe whether something is living or non-living. Biotic means living, and abiotic means non-living.

Step 4
Look at the area you are studying. Without disturbing the area, write down as many living and non-living things you can observe. Can you find any living organisms? An organism is a living creature. If there are any dangerous items, like razor blades or needles, make sure to tell an adult right away! Do NOT touch anything!

Step 5
Using the trowel or your fingers, gently lift up a section of the ground. Are there any new observations you can make? Did you unearth some more organisms? Use your magnifying glass to get a close up view. Add to your chart of living and non-living things.

Step 6
On the back of your piece of paper, make some extra observations on the living and non-living things you've seen. Use your ruler to make some (remember what those are? They are observations that involve numbers or measurement).

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