How to bring biodiversity into focus in the classroom

• biodiversity
• school

By Liam Taylor 6 September 2024

Biodiversity is a fundamental part of life on Earth but can be a complex subject to introduce to students. Here’s some ideas on how you can introduce this vital concept to your classroom.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of living species, from plants and animals to microorganisms, that interact within ecosystems. Every species, no matter how small, plays a role in maintaining the balance of nature, and the loss of even one can ripple through the entire system.

When biodiversity is threatened—whether by habitat destruction, pollution, or climate change—ecosystems become fragile, and their ability to provide essential services diminishes. Teaching kids about the interconnectedness of life helps them appreciate how human actions can either harm or help the planet.

Teaching students about biodiversity not only raises their awareness but also empowers them to become stewards of the environment. So how can teachers and parents bring the concept to life through engaging, age-appropriate activities?

Here are a few simple approaches to bring the concept of biodiversity to life for your students:

1. Build a ‘Web of Life’

Create a physical web to demonstrate the interconnectedness of living things. You can do this by having students stand in a circle and give each one a piece of paper or cardboard with a plant or animal name on it. Once everyone has one, get your students to pass the piece of string to each other while explaining how the plants or animals they are connecting are related to each other (for example, a bee might pass the string to a flower to show pollination). Soon, a web will form linking everyone in the class.

Once the web is complete, start asking students to leave the web to represent habitat destruction or species extinction. Students will visually see how the loss of one species can affect many others, emphasising the importance of each in maintaining the ecosystem's balance.

2. Go on a biodiversity scavenger hunt

Organise an outdoor scavenger hunt where students search for different types of plants, insects, birds, or fungi around the school grounds. Give each student or group a checklist of species or signs of life (like spider webs or ant nests) they need to find. This activity will allow students to appreciate biodiversity and local flora and fauna firsthand. You can take it one step further by adding a map of the school grounds, with students marking where they found each species and the type of environment they found it in (eg trees, leaf litter).

3. Create a biodiversity garden

This one will take a bit of time, space and commitment, but a biodiversity garden is an excellent hands-on project that teaches students about native species and their role in local ecosystems. Students can help plant a variety of flowers, shrubs, and vegetables, while learning how different plants attract certain insects and animals. You can also introduce composting as a way to enrich the soil, showcasing how natural cycles support plant life. This could even become a long-term class project, where students monitor plant growth, note which species visit the garden at different times of the year, and discuss how the garden promotes biodiversity.

4. Build or draw food chains and food webs

Introduce students to the concept of food chains and food webs to show how energy flows through an ecosystem. You can start with simple food chains (like native grass → termite → echidna → dingo) and then build on these to form more complex food webs that involve multiple species. Much like the web of life, creating these visual demonstrations of biodiversity in the classroom allows students to see all living things rely on one another for survival.

5. Try out interactive technology and games

There are a variety of interactive tools and online games that teach biodiversity in a fun and engaging way. Websites like iNaturalist encourage students to observe and document the species around them. It’s a great way for them to become “citizen scientists”, building their own knowledge and discovering how their observations could contribute to a larger understanding of biodiversity worldwide.

Turning knowledge into action

The activities above are great conversation-starters, creating opportunities to discuss current challenges to biodiversity such as deforestation, climate change, and pollution. Building upon these discussions by sharing age-appropriate news stories or documentaries that focus on conservation efforts or species protection helps to expand those initial touch points into more comprehensive understanding.

But teaching about biodiversity isn’t just about understanding, it’s also about empowering students to take action. You can encourage them to start small by participating in projects like litter clean-ups, recycling drives, or creating wildlife-friendly habitats in their gardens or neighbourhoods. You can also check out our guide for setting up a National Tree Day event at your school, which is a great way to connect students to nature and inspire them to participate in environmental action. After all, today’s students are tomorrow’s conservationists.

More resources

Planet Ark has developed a range of fun, curriculum-aligned lesson plans and activities for students of all ages. Check out our nature program and recycling program resources for environmental education ideas for your classroom!