See the course info at ‘August Art Adventurers’
Hello and welcome to 'Wonderful Waterlife’ - our theme for Week 2!
This week we will be learning all about the animals that live in ponds, rivers, lakes and canals.
An important note about Week 2: As this week explores the many wonderful animals that live in or near water, please be aware that all of the outdoor activites should be supervised and don’t get too close to the edge! We have included photographs of freshwater environments for you to use if it is not possible to visit a local freshwater spot safely.
Activity Sheet 1
Let’s learn about freshwater habitats and animals
What does ‘freshwater’ mean?
Freshwater is the water found in ponds, lakes, rivers, streams and canals in the UK. It has very small amounts of salt in it, unlike sea water (also known as saltwater) which is very salty. This means it is the home to different animals then those we might expect to find in sea water.
There is much less freshwater on our planet then saltwater, but even so it is the home to many many different types of life. But even though about only 3% of the water on Earth is freshwater, it is thought that it 100,000 species of plants and animals live and depend on it.
Most land animals rely on freshwater to live, as like us they cannot drink saltwater so need to drink from lakes and rivers. However there are other animals that always live in or very near freshwater habitats. Can you think of any you might have seen near ponds, lakes, rivers or canals?
Activity Sheet 1 might give you some ideas!
Colour and cut out the different animals on Activity Sheet 1A, and then stick them in the two boxes in Activity Sheet 1B.
Do you think they depend on freshwater or saltwater to live?
Once you’ve finished the activity you can check your answers by pressing the button below.
Don’t worry if you didn’t get them all in the right box though - it can be confusing working out where freshwater ends and saltwater begins sometimes as freshwater rivers lead to the sea!
Freshwater habitats can also be damaged by people.
To learn more watch the video ‘How to draw an Emperor Dragonfly’ and answer the questions below.
What can we do to protect freshwater habitats from becoming polluted?
How many ponds do we think have been filled in the last 100 years?
You can also go on to draw an Emperor Dragonfly using the tutorial, or another type of dragonfly if you would like to -
there are 36 in the UK to choose from!
Activity Sheet 2
Make a paper sculpture Smooth Newt
Smooth Newts (also known as Common Newts) are an amphibian, like frogs and toads. They are found throughout most the UK, and you can find the in ponds in the Spring, breeding and hunting frog tadpoles. In later Summer and Autumn they are found hiding under logs and rocks, hunting slugs, worms and insects before they shelter over winter under rocks or under mud, waiting for warmer weather. While on land their skin changes texture and becomes more dry, so they are often thought to be lizards.
For this activity you will need:
To print the newt template OR plain paper to fold in half to draw your own
Colouring materials (felt tip pens, pencils, crayons - if you use paint try not to use too much water or your paper will go soggy! You will need to let it dry)
Scissors
Glue stick or PVA glue
Activity Sheet 3
Colour in these wonderful Water Birds
There are lots of birds living in the UK that depend on freshwater for feeding and breeding, often nesting and raising their young on the water or near the edge.
Below are just a few you might have seen.
Can you think of any others?
Activity Sheet 4
Make a Diving Bell Spider puppet
The Water Spider is the only spider that is able to live its life underwater! To do this it builds a silky web between the water plants. It then visits the surface to collect air bubbles using the hairs on its furry abdomen, and drags this air down into the web to make a big air bubble so it can breathe. It has to keep refilling its bubble with air, and because of this is often called the Diving Bell Spider.
Use the activity sheet below make your own Diving Bell Spider puppet! Just follow the instructions below:
Cut out the rectangle with the ‘diving bell’ and water plants inside.
Cut out the spider or draw your own.
Colour everything in!
Take a strip of paper about 2cm wide and 6cm long. Wrap this around the top of your finger to make a ring (don’t make it too tight though!)
Stick your spider to the paper ring and it is now a finger puppet!
Have fun getting your spider to move from the surface to collect air, back down to its air bubble. You could even draw some water bugs for it to hunt!
Nature Journal Week 2
This week’s Nature Journal activity
Let’s continue to fill our Nature Journals!
Every week there will be new pages for you to fill in, helping you to record the nature you have seen all through August.
This week your Nature Journal activities are to:
Watch this video on how to put your nature journal together:
Use this page to draw the animals you see living in or near ponds, lakes, rivers and canals. Can you name any of them?
Pond poems - Let’s wrote some poems about ponds!
Draw a study of a water plant using this sheet in your nature journal.
Image Gallery
If you can’t visit a freshwater habitat safely then feel free to use the photographs below to inspire this weeks Nature Journal!
We hope you really enjoy your second week of August Art Adventurers!
Don’t forget, if you take a photo of anything you make this week and email it to us at librarian@thelibraryofnature.com.
Remember to stick in your first ‘Activity Achieved’ sticker along in your August Art Adventurers poster below!
