Designing a Habitat and the Importance of Habitats

On 7 October 2024, students celebrate World Habitat Day under the theme “Engaging youth to create a better urban future.” This theme is relevant as many young people live in urban areas. A well-planned city has the potential to provide inhabitants with opportunities to realize their dreams. But cities can also be a place with inequality and social exclusion.  Urban populations are increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters like flooding and wildfires. These disasters may increase as our climate changes. 



World Habitat Day highlights the basic right to shelter and the importance of sustainable urban designs and planning. 

By celebrating this day we can plant tiny seeds in our students so that they can contribute to building inclusive urban cities for the future.



Your students can compare and contrast human needs in an urban area with animal habitats from the desert to the ocean and the rainforest and savanna. Animals live and thrive in many fascinating places. Exploring these different habitats will help your students understand how all living things, people, animals as well as plants, need food, water, shelter and space to survive. 

Explore how living things depend on each other, for example, a bird needs a shrub or tree to build a nest. Humans need shelter but our homes are different from what animals think of as homes. Humans need places to share with friends and neighbors. How can you design a city where people can meet and enjoy time together?

World Habitat Day is a chance to explore the importance of habitats, both for humans and animals. Reflect on our responsibilities towards protecting our environment and the species that live there whether it is in the rainforest or an urban park.

Designing product may be found in my store: 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/thebeezyteacher  

October 2024 Products

Fill your October classroom with new and exciting ideas! Fall is the time to incorporate familiar activities involving pumpkins, bats, spiders and other thrilling and maybe even scary characters of the season.  While it is easy to start the new year with an enthusiasm and spirit that anything is possible, many of us might feel a bit fatigued and disillusioned by this time of the year. Here are some National and World Awareness Days that you can add to your lesson plans. Use these special days as inspiration for new ideas and help to shake up the usual routine. Refresh your themes and teaching while providing your students with engaging and learning experiences. 



October is Squirrel Awareness month and your students will enjoy learning about these quirky little creatures! Students love using their creativity and designing a squirrel-friendly habitat in the garden or schoolyard is a wonderful opportunity to use their understanding of these charming creatures’ needs to survive the winter months.

 



A great way to start the month is to celebrate one of the few animals that is more visible during fall. Make a Racoon craft to mark National Raccoon Day on October 1st. These smart animals use their paws resembling hands to open latches and remove lids from containers. Something that does not always make them popular. There are several fun and engaging books about cheeky and rebellious racoons that you can read for your class.

World Farm Animal Day is celebrated on October 2nd. This day provides a perfect opportunity to explore familiar animals such as pigs, chickens and sheep. The day was chosen in honor of Mahatma Gandhi's birthday. He said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” This quote can be used to discuss the way farm animals are raised and treated on a farm. You can also talk about endangered farm animal breeds. While farm animals are not near extinction, some local breeds of farm animals may be rare and face extinction.

  



Use the Architect Fact Booklet to celebrate World Architect Day on October 7th (celebrated on the first Monday in October). The theme for this year is “Empowering the Next Generation in Participatory Urban Design”. A wonderful day to discuss with your students their dream homes for the future. Designing a sustainable city might be a challenge, but your students will embrace the creative challenge to explore ways to save water, how reusing products can benefit the environment, and how to travel in new exciting ways to schools!



You can continue the building theme to talk about octopuses - World Octopus Day on October 8th. These fascinating intelligent creatures build little dens and they even use stones to protect the entrance. There is also the fascinating discovery of underwater coral “cities” made by octopuses. Great inspiration to ignite an interest to learn more about these little architects in the oceans.



Some students love learning about reptiles and towards the end of the month you can make these students happy by celebrating National Reptile Awareness Day on October 21st. A great chance to raise awareness of different threats to reptiles’ natural habitat.

 

Prepare for a grand last week of October with a variety of bat activities. Bat Appreciation Week, 24th to 31st October, is a chance to show that these popular Halloween decorations used to ignite fear are wonderful useful creatures!



Make this October an incredible time in your classroom! All products may be found in my store! 

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/thebeezyteacher