To the Mbuti of Africa, the Pesch of Latin America, and other peoples around the world, the forest is home. More than just a place to live, the forest provides their basic needs. By comparing and contrasting different forest peoples, both past and present, your students can learn about some of the ways people have depended on forests throughout history.
This is one of 96 activities that can be found in PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide. To get the activity, attend a training either in person or online and receive PLT’s PreK-8 Guide. Below are some supporting resources for this activity.
STUDENT PAGES 
Download the copyright-free student pages that are included with this activity:
The Pesch in Honduras
(PDF)
From the Forest People
(PDF)
Spanish Student Page(s):
Los Pesch en Honduras
(PDF)
De la Gente del Bosque
(PDF)
RECOMMENDED READING 
Expand your students’ learning and imaginations. Help students meet their reading goals, while building upon concepts learned in this activity, with the following children’s book recommendations:
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES 
The following tools and resources may be used to enhance the activity.
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The State of the World’s Forests 2020
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has monitored the world’s forests at 5 to 10-year intervals since 1946. The State of the World’s Forests 2020–Forests, Biodiversity and People, examines the contributions of forests, and of the people who use and manage them, to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. For the first time, this edition is a joint effort between two United Nations entities: FAO and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
In addition, this interactive report contains the main findings of the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 (FRA 2020). FRA 2020 examines the status of, and trends in, more than 60 forest-related variables in 236 countries and territories in the period 1990–2020. The information provided by FRA presents a comprehensive view of the world’s forests and the ways in which the resource is changing.
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The Fresh Air App
Download the Fresh Air – Hyperlocal Weather & NOAA Radar Map app to explore the weather around you using data from the U.S. NOAA Weather radar map. Visualize local temperature, precipitation, wind, and more with daily weather notifications.
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DooF: Nutrition Education Materials
DooF (“food” spelled backwards) is a fast-paced television series that teaches students ages 6-11 about where food comes from and interests them in good food, because it’s healthy and tastes good! The accompanying website, www.foodbackwards.com, offers recipes, food-related videos and stories, a blog, and food-literacy materials.
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Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food
Using the USDA-sponsored Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Website, students can learn about local and regional food systems, read case studies, watch videos, and see pictures from the field. Students can also use the interactive Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass to discover local and regional USDA-supported food projects in communities across the USA.
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The Place Where You Live
Orion magazine has reinstated its popular column called “The Place Where You Live.” This is a space where students and educators can share thoughts and experiences related to their communities or personal places. First-hand feelings are shared, such as what connects individuals to their special place, the history it holds, their hopes and fears for it, as well as resources necessary to protect it, prepare it for the future, and/or improve it.
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Canopy in the Clouds
This website provides an immersive video experience that presents an up-close look at a tropical montane cloud forest. Visitors click on numbered links to access video clips and background information for teachers and information for grades 6-8 on topics such as water, weather, soils, ecology, and the science processes. Canopy in the Clouds is also available in from this Spanish-language website (Dosel en las Nubes).
