Young children often think of rain in terms of how it affects their day – whether or not they can play outside, for example. In this short CAP, we will attempt to have them realize that the amount of rain that falls in various areas of the Earth has a great deal to do with the characteristics of the environment. We will also introduce the concept of biomes. Biomes are large natural areas of a habitat that are home to specific plants and animals.

As suggested in this slide, the amount of rainfall a biome gets has a major impact on the nature and characteristics of that biome. In this CAP, we will only examine three individual biomes: Deserts, Temperate Forests, and Rainforests. There are many other biomes that we will not have time to consider such as tundra, savanna, oceans, salt marshes, etc.

The desert biome receives less than 25cm of rain per year. This amount of annual rainfall is indicated by the cartoon metric stick shown in the upper left. Have students look at this scene from a North American desert and discuss their observations. In particular, have them observe and discuss the plants that they see. Are there many trees? Do the plants look soft and moist or prickly and dry?

This slide shows several animals that might be found in a desert biome. There is a desert rabbit, a rattlesnake, and a tarantula spider. Students should make observations and discuss these animals, for example, their coloring to blend in with their surroundings. Once again, the metric indicating the low amount of rainfall is in the upper left.

This slide depicts a typical temperate forest biome. Students may notice that there is an abundance of water and green plants present. Focus on the types of plants they see. Are there trees? Do the plants look dry like in the desert biome? Also, focus discussion on the amount of average annual rainfall a biome like this one receives. The meter sticks show 160cm of average annual rainfall. Notice that it takes two meter sticks to depict all the rainfall this type of biome receives in an average year. If a meter stick(s) is available, hold it up next to a student to show how much water 160 cm is.

This slide shows several of the animals that live in temperate forest biomes. Notice that one of the examples, the turtle, actually spends much of its time in the water. The turtle is a reptile, as is the rattlesnake in the desert biome. The deer is a mammal, as is the jackrabbit in the desert biome. Thus, similar animals can live in different biomes IF they have made adaptations to do so.

This is a tropical rainforest biome. Such biomes are found near the equator. Notice the high level of rainfall indicated by the meter sticks in the upper left, suggesting an average rainfall of 350cm per year. Some rainforests on some years may see a great deal more rainfall than the average indicated here. Even so, 360cm (over three and a half meters) is over the height of a typical classroom!

Ask students to observe the plants in the picture. Are there trees? Do the plants look dry and brownish as in the desert biome or more like the plants of the temperate forest? Have students observe and comment on the density of plant life in this rainforest. Look at how many more plants can grow in a rainforest compared to a desert. This is largely the result of the large difference in rainfall.

This slide shows some of the animals that live in a rainforest. There are a couple of green parrots, a monkey, and a green tree python. Have students observe the animal’s color and how it helps them blend in with their surroundings. Also notice that the picture includes a reptile and a mammal, just like in the desert and temperate forest. In this case, however, these animals have adaptations for their rainforest biome.