Sequoia Park Zoo is located alongside Sequoia Park, over 75 acres of old-growth redwood forest and trails. Our zoo is the perfect place to teach 3rd-5th grade students about redwood forest ecosystems. Specialize your zoo field trip by incorporataing these educational resources with a hike through Sequoia Park.
The following are some resources to guide 3rd-5th grade students on a forest adventure through our zoo and Secrets of The Forest Interpretive Center. All activities, except the Activity Journal, can either be implemented in the forest or classroom environment.
Secrets of the Forest Activity Journal
Summary: Personal journals to guide students on an exploration of the Zoo’s Secrets of the Forest Interpretive Center and specific animals associated with our redwood forest ecosystem. Please remember to double side your copies to save paper.
(link to Activity Journal.pdf))
Reach for the Sun
Summary: The objective of this activity is to help students gain a basic understanding of the photosynthesis process in an active game. Two students representing chlorophyll will race each other and attach water and air molecules to the tree, while the sun is rising and setting.
(link to Reach For The Sun.pdf)
Build A Redwood
Summary: The objective of this activity is for students to understand and experience the functioning parts of a tree, specifically a Coast redwood. Small groups of students will represent the various parts of a tree and build a tree as an entire class.
(link to Build A Redwood.pdf)
Transpiration Investigation
Summary: The objective of this activity is to engage students in investigating transpiration through a plant’s leaves. Students will conduct a simple investigation to observe if a tree’s transpiration is affected by environmental conditions.
(link to Transpiration.pdf)
Food Chain Tag
Summary: The objective of this activity is to help students gain a basic understanding of trophic levels and the food chain. By playing an active tag game, students will experience moving through the food chain as producers, consumers and decomposers.
(link to Food Chain tag.pdf)
Web of Life
Summary: The objective of this activity is for students to understand the interrelationships between living and non-living factors in the Redwood/Douglas fir forests Students representing parts of the forest ecosystem will form a “web of life” demonstrating the interconnectedness of abiotic and biotic factors. Once the web is created, environmental changes will be examined to understand the impact on the web’s balance.
(link to Web of Life.pdf)
Other Education Resources
Click here for other educational resources for grades K-12:
savetheredwoods.org/education/
This project was sponsored in part by
Save the Redwoods League's Education Grants Program.
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