daily activities
Enter the Rainforest
Guardians of the Rainforest
With its poisonous reptiles, unforgiving heat and humidity, hoards of insects, and overgrown brush, life in the rainforest is no walk in the park. Yet groups of people have been surviving and thriving in the rainforest for thousands of years. In many countries, they are even called the "guardians of the rainforest" for the role they play in protecting and conserving these special places. Today, you'll meet a few of them and learn more about their way of life.
what you’ll need
- Your Camp Kinda toolkit
- Popsicle sticks or craft sticks
- Wood glue
- Building blocks or Lego-type blocks (optional)
- Fort-building materials like cardboard boxes (optional)
- Small rocks and twigs for mini rainforest scenery (optional)
FOR PARENTS
Ask About Today
Can you tell me about the different rainforest tribes you learned about today? How do they live in and protect the rainforest?
Dinner Discussion
If an explorer who knew little about us took an expedition to our house, what are some cultural artifacts, practices or traditions that they would find unique to our family?
Skip the Ads
Unfortunately, online videos often start with short advertisements. Remind your campers to click the "Skip" button as soon as they can to move ahead to the video.
explore
15-30 minutes
There are many groups of people living in the rainforest and they all have different ways of life. Meet a few of them in these short videos and photo collections. What are some similarities and differences between these groups? How and why are their livelihoods and homes being threatened? What strategies are they using to preserve their ways of life and the rainforest around them?
01
The Threat of Deforestation
The Amazon rainforest is shrinking rapidly due to "deforestation." Learn more about deforestation and why it threatens the people of the Amazon as well as the plant life in this video from National Geographic.
Remember: Online videos often start with advertisements. (Annoying, we agree!) Click the "Skip" button as soon as you can to move ahead to the video.
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Visit the Achuar
To reach the Achuar people in Peru, you have to travel 4-8 days by plane, motorized boat, dug-out canoe, and foot. Luckily, you can stay right in your living room to learn more about them.
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Watching Over the Amazon
Amazon Watch, a nonprofit organization, works alongside indigenous groups and environmental organizations to protect the rainforest and native peoples in the Amazon Basin. Learn more about the organization's work and why it's so important in this beautiful video.
create
45-60 minutes
Imagine that you lived in the rainforest. What would your home look like? Better start designing—it'll be dark soon and there's always more rain coming.
01
Build (or Draw) Your Amazon Home
Follow this video to learn how to use craft or popsicle sticks to make your own tiny Amazon hut. You'll need a bunch of popsicle sticks, wood glue, a ruler, a pencil, and some sturdy scissors. After you're done, color your hut with markers or paint. Will yours be bright and colorful, or designed to blend in with the lush environment?
(Short on supplies? No problem. Grab some paper and crayons or colored pencils and start sketching your rainforest shelter. Consider drawing it from above, like a blueprint, so you can show its rooms and features!)
move
15-30 minutes
01
Rainforest Meditation
To feel close and connected to nature, it's helpful to be mindful and aware of ourselves and our surroundings. So for today's Move activity, we're going to try... being still. Get comfortable, then step into the rainforest in this guided meditation.