The World’s Largest Treehouse

The canopy layer is home to most of the rainforest's animals and plants, including some that almost never touch the ground. Learn about a few of them here!

Orangutans are the heaviest tree-dwelling creature on earth, and can be found in the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. Get a look at the lives of these highly intelligent animals of the canopy in this video from National Geographic.

Watch the harpy eagle, the most powerful bird of prey, swoop and glide in between the canopy trees. Who is it going for?

Why are sloths so slow, anyway? Are they just lazy? Let's find out.

(Also, "So slow sloth" is a pretty good tongue-twister. Try saying it three times fast.)

Besides a cool tail that acts like an extra arm, spider monkeys only have four fingers. You'd think thumbs would help with all that leaping and climbing, but it's actually the opposite.

What's the tallest tree in the Amazon rainforest? Join these researchers in their quest to find it.

The canopy might be the world's largest treehouse, but people have built some of the coolest ones. Right now, living in a tree sounds pretty good to us. Which one of these would you want to call home?

The rainforest canopy functions like the largest treehouse in the world, home to countless animals and insects. Spend some time designing your own dream treehouse with this online tool from ABCya. Pick your tree and wood types, add rope ladders and bridges, fill it with furniture, and more!

Let's try some bird beaks! Here's how:

1) Gather materials for your own "beak" collection. Look for things like:

- Chopsticks, pointed pliers, or tweezers for long, skinny beaks
- Spoons or small shovels for more curved, scooping beaks
- Clothespins or tongs for shorter, stubbier bills

2) Then find some small items like marbles, beans, rice, and rubber bands to serve as your "food."

3) Practice "eating" with your beaks. Use your beak materials to pick up the objects. Which type of beaks work best for which foods? Which type works best overall?

4) After practicing, challenge your siblings or your parents and see who can pick up more food in 20 seconds!

Check out the link for more ideas and instructions.

Spider monkeys spend most of their lives hundreds of feet above the rainforest floor. To get around they leap and climb from branch to branch. They can easily leap 10, 20, or even 30 feet through the air and land safely! Their secret? A tail that acts like a fifth arm. Check out the video linked here to watch them at work and learn more.

When you're done, head to a long hallway with carpet or a grassy area outside. If you have a tape measure at home, bring it with you. Use a marker like a small towel or a stick to mark your starting point. Stand behind it, and see how far you can leap without a running start. Use another item to mark where you land. Then try a few more times and measure your distances. What techniques help you jump farther? How far can you get?