Know-Before-You-Go
Grade level: Fourth-Sixth Grade

Discovery Center Overview

The RainForest Discovery Center, created in 2002 in honor of the 10th anniversary of The RainForest, consists of hands-on activities and self-guided educational opportunities. Located on the building's second floor in the Orchid Room and Jungle Lab, this space is open to everyone but has a target age-level of fourth-sixth grade. All activity stations in the Orchid Room are self-guided. Graphics will guide your students through the activity and additional lesson plans for some of the stations have been included in this packet. The following self-guided stations will be found in the Orchid Room:

Climate comparisons
Many people can tell you that it rains a lot in the tropical rain forest, but how much is a lot? How does that compare with the annual rain fall here in Ohio? In a typical year, Ohio's precipitation (rain + melted snow) will only fill the shallow end of the pool. Get out your rain gear and look up, up, up to discover a typical year in a tropical rain forest.

Biodiversity tapes
Biodiversity -- the diversity of plants, animals and other living things in a particular area or region. A fairly abstract concept can be made much easier with a visual representation. Our set of four biodiversity tapes list the names of all of the identified species of birds of Ohio, birds of Costa Rica, trees of Ohio or trees of Costa Rica. Can your students guess which area is more biodiverse before they pull out the tapes (hint: the more variety of species, the longer the list)? Even though Ohio is nearly twice as big as the country of Costa Rica, this activity proves that larger does not always mean more.

Telemetry
Scientists have a difficult time studying animal in tropical rain forests that are difficult to see in the dense canopy vegetation. Animals fitted with radio transmitters are easier to locate during scientific research studies. The animal hiding in our RainForest is wearing a transmitter set on channel 60. Our radio telemetry receiver and binoculars should help you find our hidden friend.

Panamanian golden frogs
How do animals utilize the space within their exhibit? Do they show preferences for where they like to hang out? With a little careful observation, see if you can find locate these highly endangered Panamanian golden frogs. Check the board to see if your observations matched those of our other visitors to the Orchid Room.

Layers of the Rain Forest
Climate conditions vary throughout the four layers of the tropical rain forest. The emergent layer is hot, dry and very bright while the forest floor is slightly cooler, wet and rather dark. Animals are adapted to life in specific layers based on their individual needs and will not typically go far from their food source. Guess which layer each of our animals inhabits and then raise them on the pulley to check your answers.

R.A.I.N. Station extension
What is Northeast Ohio doing to help save tropical rain forests? Check out the R.A.I.N. (RainForest Action Interactive Network) information boards to see what the Zoo, area schools and local individuals are doing to prevent the further destruction of tropical rain forests worldwide.

Boat dock area
Looking for a place to relax and learn about rain forest animals and habitats at your own pace? Pull up a seat in the center of it all at the town boat dock and local café. Take some time to peruse the written resources or enjoy the lighthearted fun of KaZoo (Kids at the Zoo) video. No need to rush. The next boat isn't expected for a while.

Products display
While tropical rain forests may be thousands of miles away from Ohio, they affect most of us every day. How many of these rain forest products are used in your home? School? Business?

Grade 5

Earth Science
5. Explain how the supply of many non-renewable resources is limited and can be extended through reducing, reusing and recycling but cannot by extended indefinitely.
6. Investigate ways Earth's renewable resources (e.g., fresh water, air, wildlife and trees) can be maintained.

Life Science
4. Summarize that organisms can survive only in ecosystems in which their needs can be met (e.g., food, water, shelter, air, carrying capacity and waste disposal). The world has different ecosystems and distinct ecosystems support the lives of different types of organisms.
5. Support how an organism's patterns of behavior are related to the nature of that organism's ecosystem, including the kinds and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and resources, and the changing physical characteristics of the ecosystem.
6. Analyze how all organisms, including humans, cause changes in their ecosystems and how these changes can be beneficial, neutral or detrimental (e.g., beaver ponds, earthworm burrow, grasshoppers eating all plants, people planting and cutting trees, and people introducing new species).

Science and Technology
1. Investigate positive and negative impacts of human activity and technology on the environment.
3. Explain how the solution to one problem may create other problems.

Scientific Inquiry
1. Select and safely use the appropriate tools to collect data when conducting investigations and communicating findings to others (e.g., thermometers, timers, balances, spring scales, magnifiers, microscopes and other appropriate tools).
2. Evaluate observations and measurements made by other people and identify reasons for any discrepancies.
3. Use evidence and observations to explain and communicate the results of investigations.
6. Explain why results of an experiment are sometimes different (e.g., because of unexpected differences in what is being investigated, unrealized differences in the methods used or in the circumstances in which the investigation was carried out, and because of errors in observations).

Grade 6

Physical Science
8. Describe how renewable and nonrenewable energy resources can be managed (e.g., fossil fuels, trees, water).

Science and Technology
2. Explain how decisions about the use of products and systems can result in desirable or undesirable consequences (e.g., social and environmental).

Scientific Inquiry
2. Choose the appropriate tools or instruments and use relevant safety procedures to complete procedures needed.

Scientific Ways of Knowing
1. Identify that hypotheses are valuable even when they are not supported.
2. Describe why it is important to keep clear, thorough and accurate records.

Halt! Don't Flow There!

This lesson is developed to enhance the Soil Profile Demonstration. It is equally useful used before or after visiting the demonstration.

Goals: The students will gain an awareness of the causes of soil erosion, the consequent environmental problems and how they can be prevented.

Objectives: Students will define soil erosion and determine methods for controlling erosion.

Materials: bag of potting soil, watering can, shallow baking pan for each group (10"x20" or larger), assorted leaf litter (leaves, grass clippings, etc.), assorted building materials (rocks, Popsicle sticks, cardboard, cloth, plastic, etc), assorted craft supplies (string, tape, glue, scissors, etc.), ruler

Procedure:
1. The instructor will work with the students as a large group to brainstorm a definition for erosion. How do you know that erosion happens (what evidence is there)? What types of surfaces can be eroded? What types of forces cause erosion? Why is erosion a problem?
2. Students will be broken down into groups of 4-5. Small students groups will be conducting experiments about preventing soil erosion.
3. Each student group will place a mound of dirt in the center of their shallow baking pan. All groups should have mounds that are of equal height. Using the leaf litter, building materials and craft supplies that are available to them, student groups are to design and build a system to keep their soil mound from eroding.
4. Student groups will measure and record the height of their mound so that accurate comparisons can be made. Using the watering can, the instructor will "rain" on each mound for one minute.
5. After the "rain," student groups will measure the height of their mound, measure the depth of any standing water in their pan and observe the color of that water. Data from all groups should be recorded at the front of the class and shared with the students as a large group.
6. Students will graph the results of the experiments and explain their conclusions in a short paragraph.

Evaluation:

¨ Participation in group discussions
¨ Participation in the small group
¨ Individual written paragraph

¨
Going Up?

This lesson is developed to enhance the Layers of the Rain Forest activity. It is most effective if used before visiting the zoo.

Goals: The students will recognize the connection between an animal's adaptations and the layer of the rain forest it inhabits.

Objectives: Students will: 1) hypothesize the layer their animal inhabits, 2) list animal adaptations to support their hypothesis, and 3) compare adaptations of animals in different layers.

Materials: "Tropical Rain Forests: Location and Description"

Procedure:
1. Before the activity, the instructor will lead a discussion on the layers of the rainforest using "Tropical Rain Forests: Location and Description" as a resource.
2. The following animals are to be used in this activity: tapir, macaw, tree frog, jaguar, harpy eagle, praying mantis, human, boa constrictor, iguana, anteater, sloth, Jamaican fruit bat, leaf cutting any, rhinoceros beetle and howler monkey. The instructor will write the name of each of the animals on the board as well as the names of the different layers of the rain forest.
3. Students will be broken down into groups of 2-3.
4. The instructor will assign each group an animal from the above list. The students are not to share what their animal is with the other groups.
5. Students will research their animals and then decide in which layer of the rain forest their animal would live. Students will write a paragraph explaining their reasons for their choice and provide at least three pieces of supporting information.
6. Student groups will act out their animal for the entire class. The rest of the class will guess the animal of each group (using the list on the board for assistance).
7. The students, after acting out their animal, tell the class which layer they think their animal would live in and why.
8. The instructor will then check the answers each group gives using the following answers:
forest floor -- tapir, jaguar, human, boa constrictor, anteater, leaf cutting ant, rhinoceros beetle
understory -- tree frog, jaguar, praying mantis, boa constrictor, iguana, rhinoceros beetle
canopy -- macaw, tree frog, praying mantis, iguana, sloth, Jamaican fruit bat, vine snake, howler monkey
emergent layer -- macaw, harpy eagle, howler monkey
9. The instructor will guide the students in a discussion to compare/contrast animals that inhabit the same layer of the rain forest.

Evaluation:
¨ Participation in group discussions
¨ Participation in the small group
¨ Individual written paragraph

Tropical Rain Forests: Location and Description

The majority of the world's tropical rain forests are located in a broad belt around the equator. Extensive tracts of rain forests are found in Latin America's vast Amazon region, central Africa's Congo Basin and the huge archipelago that stretches from Southeast Asia to Australia.

Rain forests have existed for millions of years. They developed on ancient land surfaces with deep layers of well-weathered soil, leached of nutrients over time by rainfall. Over these poor soils, rain forests evolved into a highly efficient system, capturing nutrients in rainfall and rapidly recycling and using the nutrients in leaf litter and other decaying organic matter. Very few nutrients are allowed to wash away or penetrate deep into the soil. The rain forest's constantly warm, humid atmosphere makes these processes possible. Under a dense canopy that moderates the heat of the sun and slows the force of strong winds, temperatures do not vary much from an average of 75o F. High humidity is generated by the abundant plant life, which returns much of the moisture from rainfall to the air through a process called transpiration. In fact, scientists estimate that half of the rain that falls in the rain forest is created by the forest itself.

If you look at a cross-section of rain forest, you will see four major layers: the emergent layer, the canopy, the understory and the forest floor. The conditions that exist within each layer promote differences that dictate the types of animals that will live in or visit that layer.

1. The emergent layer includes the giant trees of the forest. The crowns of these trees may reach over 150 feet in height (as tall as a 15-story building) and spread out above the rest of the trees. They are usually the oldest trees in the forest. They receive the most sunlight and are subjected to the highest temperatures, lowest humidity and strongest winds. Animals that live in or visit this layer for food and shelter include birds, mammals, insects and reptiles. Special types of plants called epiphytes are able to survive the extreme climatic conditions of this layer.

2. The canopy, located just beneath the emergent trees, reaches 75-90 feet above the forest floor (taller than an 8-story building). The dense branches and leaves overlap to form an umbrella that limits the amount of sunlight and rain that reaches the forest floor. Thousands of animal species such as monkeys and apes, slow loris and sunbirds live on the high branches where there is an abundance of light and food (fruit, nuts and leaves). Many epiphytic plants, such as orchids, ferns and bromeliads are found in the forest canopy. In addition, vines, called lianas, grow on the trees forming a maze that helps tie the canopy together.

3. The understory, the vegetation between the canopy and the forest floor, is made up of smaller trees and shrubs that grow to heights of about 12 feet. This layer experiences a milder climate moderated by the large trees above. Only diffuse sunlight penetrates the canopy, and less rain reaches the vegetation here; winds are greatly reduced and humidity is high. Some trees in this layer mature at lower heights, while others do not mature until one of the taller trees in the canopy falls and creates a gap. Most of the plant and animal life is concentrated just below the canopy. Protected here from the extremes of weather, plants still receive enough light and moisture to thrive. The understory teems with animal life. Many animals spend most of their lives high above the ground. Butterflies, frogs, mice, ants, bees and katydids -- species one might expect to see in an open field -- live out their lives in niches 150 feet in the air. Understory species often are specially adapted to life high in the trees. Some primates use their long tails for balance. Wallace's frog and the flying draco lizard make use of extra flaps of skin to glide from tree to tree.

4. The forest floor is dimly lit: only about two percent of sunlight ever reaches it. The air is still, the humidity level is about 95-100 percent, and the temperature rarely varies from approximately 75o F. While many of the nutrients in temperate forests are found within the soil itself, the majority of the nutrients in the rain forest are contained within the trunks, branches, leaves and roots of trees and the top few inches of the soil. The roots of the rain forest trees perform an important function by forming a dense, shallow mat over the soil and trapping the nutrients before they can be leached into the lower layers of the soil. This matting of the roots protects the soil from erosion. Many of the forest floor inhabitants are decomposers (certain insects and fungi) that live on a constant supply of leaf litter and other debris (seeds, fruits and so on). They recycle the waste, which provides nutrients that plants can use. In addition, frogs, snakes, wild pigs and deer can be found living on the forest floor.

Reprinted with permission of World Wildlife Fund from Vanishing Rain Forests Teacher's Manual

Where, Oh Where, Has My Habitat Gone

This lesson is developed to enhance the Biodiversity Table demonstration. It is equally useful used before or after visiting the demonstration.

Goals: The students will become aware of threats to rain forest habitats and develop ways to promote rain forest conservation.

Objectives: The students will: 1) create a list of threats to the rain forests, 2) analyze the effects of human activity on habitats and biodiversity through the outcome of their game, and 3) develop ways to promote rain forest conservation.

Materials: indoor/outdoor space of at least 75 sq. feet, something to mark off the habitat area (chalk, string, etc.), 50 one inch squares of red paper to represent food, 100 one inch squares of blue paper to represent water

Procedure:
1. The instructor will brainstorm with the class the possible threats to tropical rain forests, including how biodiversity would be affected by these threats.
2. The instructor will mark off the "habitat area" and spread the food and water pieces throughout the area.
3. The instructor will inform the students that in this activity, they are orangutans, living in the rainforest, seeking food and water from their natural habitat.
4. The first round acts as a representation of a natural habitat's resources. The instructor will time the students for approximately 10 seconds as they go through their "habitat area" and pick up food and water pieces. At the end of this first round, each student must have 4 water pieces and 2 food pieces in order to survive and move on to the next round. The instructor will record the ratio of survivors:non-survivors.
5. All food and water pieces will be placed back throughout the entire habitat area. In the second round, the instructor will tell the students that some human activity has affected their habitat (use one of the brainstormed human activities). The instructor will mark off ¼ section of the "habitat area" and make it unavailable to the students. The students then repeat the 10-second "hunt" and the instructor will record the results.
6. The instructor will determine how many rounds to play during the game. During subsequent rounds, the instructor will describe more events that will cause habitat destruction in the rain forests (i.e. road building, water contamination, etc.). Remember, at the beginning of each round, all food and water pieces are to be placed back throughout the entire habitat area.
7. The instructor will share recorded data with the students and lead a discussion with the class on what they discovered about habitat destruction and animal populations through the activity. Students will make predictions as to what this type of destruction would do to biodiversity. The instructor will encourage each students to create a list of at least five ways to help promote rain forest conservation.

Evaluation:

¨ Participation in group discussions
¨ Participation in the game
¨ Individual written list

Where Did You Get That?

This lesson is developed to enhance the Products display. It is most effective if used after visiting the Zoo.

Goals: The students will develop an understanding of how much their daily lives are influenced by the existence of tropical rain forests in distant lands.

Objectives: Students will: 1) identify a variety of common products that originated in tropical rain forests, 2) classify some common food items that originated in tropical rain forests, 3) create a list of products that can be taken from tropical rain forests without destroying them, and 4) identify use practices that are contributing to the destruction of tropical rain forests.

Materials: "Tropical Wealth" background sheet, "Jungle in the Pantry" student worksheets, student art supplies, large sheets of construction paper, samples or mounted pictures of tropical rain forest products, tropical products selection slips (pieces of paper with the following products written on separate slips of paper: bamboo, banana, chicle [chewing gum], chocolate, coffee, coconut, cola [kola nut], curare, jute, orange, pepper, pineapple, quinine, rattan, rubber, tropical hardwoods [teak, mahogany], vanilla), old magazines to cut up for collage construction

Procedure:
1. Ask students if they know anything they use regularly that might come from a tropical rain forest. After several student responses, tell the class that many of the items we use every day originated in tropical rain forests.
2. Using the background information from the "Tropical Wealth" sheet, describe the general types of products that have originated in tropical rain forests. Hand out the "Jungle in the Pantry" student worksheets and ask students to complete them for homework.
3. The following day, ask students to get out their completed "Jungle in the Pantry" survey sheets. List a variety of the more common items on the chalkboard.
4. Lead a discussion focusing on the importance of tropical rain forests in our everyday lives, i.e., many products on the list, like citrus fruits, are presently cultivated and harvested around the world but find their origins in the tropical rain forest; in some instances, synthetic alternatives have been developed to replace rain forest products, e.g. artificial flavors, synthetic rubber, etc.
5. Introduce and discuss the concept of sustainable development to allow the careful harvest and wise use of some tropical resources. Remind students that protecting tropical rain forest ecosystems is important in terms of both the existing and still to be discovered tropical products.
6. Divide the class into pairs and have each pair select a tropical products selection slip to determine the item they will research and present information about to the class.
7. Research areas to address include: What plant does the product come from? What does the plant look like and what part of the plant is used? Do/did native people use your product? How? How is the product used now? When/how was the product discovered by non-native people? If necessary, how is the product processed or manufactured? Do substitutes for the product exist? What are they?
8. Display student efforts in a "Tropical Products" exhibit in one area of the classroom. Encourage students to embellish their display later by bringing in drawings or product samples from home.

Evaluation:
¨ Participation in group discussions
¨ Individual "Jungle in the Pantry" surveys
¨ Small group display/presentation

Portions of the above lesson have been adapted with permission of
National Wildlife Federation from the Rainforests: Tropical Treasures issue of NatureScope.



Tropical Wealth

WOODS, CANES AND FIBERS: Some of the world's most beautiful woods, including teak and mahogany, come from tropical forest trees. People use tropical hardwoods for construction, boats, furniture and many other household products.

Tropical fibers are important in making packaging materials and cording, and also for soundproofing and insulation. People use the fibers and stems of different species of palms to make woven goods, such as baskets, mats, cane chair seats, window blinds, hats and knit fabrics.

FOODS: Try to imagine life without coffee or chocolate! These and other foods we eat, as well as many of the flavors we use to enhance our foods, come directly from tropical forests. Some tropical foods and spices, though, originated in certain forests, but are now also grown in other tropical areas. Bananas, for instance, got their start in Malaysia, but Brazil is now the leading banana producer.

Wild relatives of some of the world's staple crops still grow in tropical areas. These wild strains are important to agriculture because they can be crossed with cultivated varieties to help keep these domestic crops strong and healthy. There are potentially many other food sources in tropical forests, too.

GUMS, RESINS AND OILS: The saps and other juices of some tropical plants are important components in a number of products. Rubber, derived from latex in trees in Amazonia, is probably the most well-known product. (Rubber trees are now grown in Southeast Asia.) Another latex is tapped from sapodilla trees in Central America to produce chicle, a substance that's been used to make chewing gum. And tree resins such as copal and dammar are used to make varnishes, enamels and lacquers.

Some oils are distilled from different parts of trees, such as the fruits (lime), flowers (ylang-ylang), leaves (bay), or wood (sandalwood). The pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries use these oils for their medicinal properties or for their flavor and/or scents. People use other oils, such as coconut and palm, for cooking. Some of these oils are also used in making soaps, candles and lotions.

HOUSEPLANTS: Many of the evergreen plants that grow in tropical rain forests also grow very successfully indoors as houseplants. Common houseplants that originated in tropical rain forests include African violets and many species of orchids and bromeliads.

OTHER TROPICAL FOREST PRODUCTS: Some tanning substances and dyes are derived from tropical plants. For example, annatto is an orange-red dye that comes from the seeds of a small tree. It's been used to color fabrics, foods, cosmetics and polishes. Rotenone, a poisonous substance that comes from the roots of the Derris plant, is commonly used as an insecticide.

Many important drugs are also derived from tropical plants. Here's a look at a few:
· Curare -- derived from a tropical vine; native peoples use it as a poison on darts and arrows; doctors use a synthesized version as a muscle relaxant during surgery
· Ipecac -- made from the roots of a Brazilian plant; used to treat dysentery and as an emetic
· Quinine -- made from the bark of the Cinchona tree; used to prevent and treat malaria and also used in carbonated beverages
· Reserpine -- derived from Rauwolfia plants; used in treating hypertension
· Vincristine -- derived from the rosy periwinkle of Madagascar; used to treat Hodgkin's disease and childhood leukemia

PETS: Tropical birds have been a part of people's lives for a long time. For example, most experts think the ancestor of our domestic chicken is the jungle fowl of Southeast Asia. For centuries, people have kept many kinds of brightly colored tropical birds as pets -- notably the parrots.

Many reptiles that roam tropical forests, such as iguanas, chameleons, boas and caimans, end up in the pet trade, too. Tropical aquarium fish, such as swordtails and certain tetras and angelfish, originated in rain forest rivers and streams. Although many of these animals are raised in captivity, far too many are smuggled from the wild.

Reprinted with permission of National Wildlife Federation from the Rainforests: Tropical Treasures issue of NatureScope

Jungle in the Pantry Survey

Household Products

Houseplants
___African violet
___aluminum plant
___ begonia
___bird's-nest fern
___bromeliads
___Christmas cactus
___Croton
___ Draceana
___Dieffenbachia
___fiddle-leaf fig
___kentia palm
___orchids
___Philodendron
___prayer plant
___rubber plant
___snake plant
___spathe lily
___swiss-cheese plant
___Schefflera
___zebra plant

Oils
___bay (bay rum lotion)
___camphor (insect repellent, medicine)
___coconut (snack food, baked goods, lotions, soap)
___lime (food flavorings, candles, soap, bath oil)
___palm (snack food, baked goods)
___patchouli (perfume, soap)
___rosewood (perfume)
___sandalwood (soap, candles, perfume)

Gums and Resins
___chicle (chewing gum)
___copal (varnish, printing ink)
___dammar (varnish, lacquer)
___rubber (balloons, erasers, foam rubber, balls, rubber bands, rubber cement,gloves, hoses, shoes, tires)

Food Products

Fruits and Vegetables
___ avocado
___banana
___grapefruit
___guava
___heart of palm
___lemon
___lime
___mango
___orange
___papaya
___passion fruit
___pepper
___pineapple
___plantain
___potato*
___sweet potato*
___tangerine
___tomato*
___yam*

Spices and Flavors
___allspice
___black pepper
___cardamom
___cayenne
___chili pepper
___chocolate or cocoa
___cinnamon
___cloves
___ginger
___mace
___nutmeg
___paprika
___turmeric
___vanilla

Other Food Products
___Brazil nuts
___cashew nuts
___coconut
___coffee
___cola
___corn*
___macadamia nuts
___peanuts*
___rice*
___sesame seeds*
___sugar*
___tapioca
___tea
Woods, Canes and Fibers

Woods
(furniture, floors, doors, paneling, cabinets, carvings, toys, models)
___balsa
___mahogany
___rosewood
___sandalwood
___teak*

Canes and Fibers
___bamboo (cane furniture, crafts)
___jute* (rope, twine, burlap)
___kapok (insulation, stuffing)
___ramie* (knit material)
___rattan (furniture, wicker, cane chair seats)

* products that may have originated in other types of tropical habitats near rain forests

Reprinted with permission of National Wildlife Federation from the Rainforests: Tropical Treasures issue of NatureScope