Free Habitat Activity for Grades K-2
Use this activity to go outdoors with your students and observe plants and animals nearby. Plus, be in-the-know with PLT's monthly updates.
Download the Backyard Safari Activity for Grades K-2 in English and Spanish
This hands-on activity helps students in grades K-2 observe habitats nearby - whether it's the school playground, a local park, or their backyard. Students will go outside, look for signs of animal life, and consider how animals in their area get food, water, and shelter.
This activity is part of Project Learning Tree's new, award-winning Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide, so be sure to check out the full guide!t
About Project Learning Tree
Project Learning Tree advances environmental literacy, stewardship, and career pathways using trees and forests as windows on the world.
We offer fun, hands-on interdisciplinary activities, suitable for all ages and settings, and high-quality professional development for educators.
Over the last 45 years, PLT has trained 800,000 educators to help students learn how to think, not what to think, about environmental topics.
PLT is an initiative of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
Download the Free Backyard Safari Activity
More Activities and Lesson Plans
Are you looking for more ways to help students explore nature? Check out PLT's new Explore Your Environment: K-8 Activity Guide!
This supplementary curriculum is designed to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The activities present students with real-world opportunities to focus and observe using their senses and apply STEM skills.
Use the activities to connect students to the outdoors, no matter if you live in a rural or urban area.
Hands-On Activities
Get students excited about nature with multidisciplinary, hands-on activities
Connections to Standards
Connections to Next Generation Science Standards, Common Core, and C3 Framework for Social Studies
Flexible Lesson Plans
The activities include ways to adapt them for different learning styles and abilities
With This Activity Guide, Students in Grades K-2 Will...
- Describe changes they observe in the environment around them
- Model the life stages of a tree
- Identify signs of animal life outdoors
- Set up an experiment to determine what plants need to grow
- Classify products that come from trees
- Make their own paper
- And more!
PLT's New K-8 Activity Guide Includes:
- 50 multidisciplinary activities
- Background information, worksheets, and assessments
- Ways to connect students to nature and the outdoors in both rural and urban areas
- Ideas for enhancing and extending the activities
- Activities to enhance lesson plans about ecosystems, patterns, biodiversity, and more
What teachers are saying about PLT's new activity guide
"The guide is attractive, easy to follow, and perfectly outlines everything needed for a flawless environmental education experience."
- Mandy Kern (Kansas)
"The strategies for differentiation and enrichment help to meet the diverse needs of my students and make the experience relevant."
- Robin C. McLean, Ed.D. (New Jersey)
"These activities provoke students' curiosities and inspire wonder. They are engaging and easy to implement."
- Megan Lee (Colorado)