Today, I have some fun and simple rainforest science activities. And I have more ideas on my pages Rain Forest – Amazon, Rain Forest – Animals of the Amazon, and Rainforest Amazon Activities for Kids.
If you really want your kids to get excited about science, make it a fun hands-on activity that they can’t resist.
Preschoolers to middle schoolers love the sensory experience of slime.
You can use it for several interactive rainforest science activities starting with learning about viscosity, polymers, and non-Newtonian fluids which are neither a liquid nor a solid.
Add some rainforest creatures and a little color to turn your basic slime recipe into a rainforest floor creation that is a beautiful way to explore the creatures that make their home there.
Use it as a foundation for a sensory bin for dramatic play and to learn about everything from snakes to sloths.
I always like to add a good-themed book to any activity for inspiration and reference, for our rainforest science activities we grabbed Over and Under in the Rainforest.
It takes place as a young boy and his uncle (Tito) walk through the Costa Rican rainforest exploring the biome from top to bottom.
It introduces many rainforest creatures that live throughout all the layers of the rainforest with beautiful illustrations and an easy-to-read and follow story.
5 Rainforest Science Activities Facts
Then add some of these rainforest science activities to your study.
- Sloths have algae growing on their fur and it serves two purposes 1) camouflage and it is believed 2) sloths consume the algae, which is rich in fatty compounds and gives them energy.
- Tropical rainforests cover less than 3% of the planet, but amazingly they are home to more than half our planet’s terrestrial animal species.
- A chunk of the rainforest equal to 40 football fields disappears each minute.
- Rainforests get at least 100 inches of rain each year, sometimes nearly double that.
- There are two different types of rainforests, temperate and tropical. Tropical rainforests are the ones that are most found.
So how is slime science?
Learning how to make slime introduces younger children to textures.
And while younger kids may not be ready for the vocabularly yet, they will be amazed at how it stretches (elasticity), flows like a liquid (viscosity) but not quite.
They will explore what happens when you mix different matters together to create a new one (a chemical change).
Then, look at these books about the Amazon Rainforest.
16 Rain Forest Animals For Kids Books & Resources
Add these rain forest animal books, games, and toys to round out your study of the animals of the rain forest.
This book explores the rainforest layer by layer and the creatures that make their home in each part of the rainforest.
Which rainforest animal is a frog that uses its eyes to help it swallow its food? Which rainforest animal is a bird with a big, colorful bill? Let's learn more about rainforest animals such as sloths, poison dart frogs, toucans, and more! Read With You's Who Am I? series encourages children to be more curious about the world around them as they learn fun facts about animals from across the globe.
Part of the critically acclaimed Over and Under series that includes Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and Over and Under the Snow!Under the canopy of the rainforest hundreds of animals make their homes, but up in the leaves hides another world. Turn the pages of this beautiful and educational book to discover in words and mesmerizing illustration:
Animals like the slender parrot snake and the blue morpho butterfly.
The canopies where toucans and pale-billed woodpeckers chatter and call.
Capuchin monkeys who swing from vines and slow-moving sloths who wait out daily thunderstorms.
The rainforest is home to millions of plant and animal species. Some animals live high up in the trees, some crawl across the forest floor, and some tunnel underground, but they all depend on one another and the rain to survive. With colorful illustrations and fascinating diagrams from author-illustrator Kate Duke, In the Rainforest is a lively look at the most vibrant ecosystem on our planet.
This book introduces readers to the largest snake in the world: the anaconda. Readers learn about the life cycle, behavior, physical characteristics, and habitat of anacondas
Expanding the popular collection of animal books in the Learn to Draw Series, Learn to Draw Rainforest & Jungle Animals will teach kids how easy it is to draw a variety of exciting and exotic creatures from around the world. Each project starts with a basic shape and progresses with simple-to-follow steps to a finished realistic final colored artwork. While they’re learning, kids will also discover fun facts about each featured animal.
Imaginations will soar from the forest floor, up through the canopy and back down again, following the circle of life in this clever adaptation of the song “The Green Grass Grew All Around.” The jungle comes alive as children learn about a wide variety of the animals (jaguars, emerald tree boas, leafcutter ants, sloths, poison dart frogs, toucans, and bats) and plants (kapok trees, liana vines, and bromeliads) living in the lush Amazon rainforest. Delve even deeper into the jungle using sidebars and the three-page “For Creative Minds” educational section.
While it covers more than just the rainforest this is a fabulous resource to have on your shelves. You will find plenty of great pictures and information on many animals that live there- crocodiles, harpy eagles, monkeys, tapir , sloths,Jaguarundi, and the food web.
Tells a story of a man who came to cut down a kapok tree and encounters many of the beautiful and exotic native creatures who make their home in the Amazon Rainforest.
FUN FACTS: How about Reptiles versus Amphibians?! That's just one of the topic cards in this kids card game. Find out more fun facts from Eggs to the Komodo Dragon!
This bright and exciting Hello, World! board book teaches toddlers all about the amazing world of a rainforest—with easy-to-understand facts about the incredible animals who make their home there.
Human beings have inhabited the banks of the Amazon River since 13,000 BC and yet they make up just a small percentage of the "population" of this geographic wonderland. The Amazon River basin teems with life—animal and plant alike.
Compete to grow the most bountiful rainforest! Carefully select what grows in your forest, and give rise to a thriving ecosystem.
Vampire bats and killer ants? That's what Jack and Annie are about to run into when the Magic Tree House whisks them away to the Amazon River. It's not long before they get hopelessly lost. Will they be able to find their way back to the tree house? Or are Jack and Annie stuck forever in the rain forest?
NatureI n a tropical rain forest in Central America, a red-eyed tree frog spends the night looking for food while avoiding potential predators. Award-winning photographer Nic Bishop's larger-than-life, gorgeous images document the hunt, which ends happily with the frog settling down in the leaves to spend his daylight hours sleeping! Joy Cowley's simple, readable text makes the frog's story fun, interesting, and accessible to young readers.
Explores the richness of the Amazon rainforest, how humans have damaged it, and efforts being taken to protect it. Clear text, vibrant photos, and helpful infographics make this book an accessible and engaging read.
Next, look at these rainforest science activities to try.
7 Fantastic Rainforest Science Activities
- Investigate How do Plants Breathe?
- Scroll down a bit and you will find these Rainforest Animal Matching Cards.
- Littles will love studying animals with this Rainforest Animal File Folder Game.
- If you have a child who enjoys or learns better with paperwork check out the Animals of the Rainforest Worksheet.
- Dive into the flora and fauna with Plants and Animals in The Tropical Rainforest Biome Cards.
- Learn about the two different types of Rainforests in this YouTube video.
- These adorable Sloth Life Cycle Printables are a great way to learn more about these slow-moving creatures.
Then, look at more rainforest activities for kids below.
More Rainforest Activities for Kids
- 10 Plant Life in The Amazon Rainforest Facts and Make a Fun Rafflesia Arnoldii
- Fun Easy Amazon Rainforest Crafts and Make a Bubble Wrap Pattern Anaconda
- Learn About Mammals In The Amazon Rainforest & Make an Adorable Sloth Craft
- Blue Morpho Butterfly Adaptations In The Tropical Rainforest and Fun Symmetry Craft
- Amazon Rainforest Predators and Make a Fun Pasta Emerald Tree Boa
- Creating Fun Red Eyed Tree Frog Manipulatives for Rain Forest Math
- Cute Colorful Toilet Paper Roll Rainforest Frogs for a Rainforest Frog Craft
- 18 Rain Forest Animals For Kids Books and Fun Resources
- Beautiful And Colorful Amazonian Rainforest Animals Lapbook For Kids
- 100+ Best and Free Tropical Amazon Rainforest Educators Resources
- The Ultimate Guide to the Flora and Fauna of the Amazon Rain Forest
- 3 Free and Amazing Amazon Rainforest Lapbooks for Kids
- Rainforest Crafts for Kindergarten: Make an Easy Paper Plate Monkey
- 19 Fun Hands-on Rainforest Activities for Kindergarten
- Rainforest Science Activities For Kindergarten Amazing and Fun Living Terrarium
- Wildlife in the Amazon Rainforest – Create Fun Macaw and Toucan Crafts
Also, add some fun vocabulary to learn about slime.
Rainforest Floor Slime Vocabulary
Challenge older children to define the following slime-related vocabulary words and phrases.
- Slime- A thick, viscous matter.
- Elasticity-The tendency of a body to return to its shape after being pulled or stretched.
- Viscosity- The thickness of a liquid.
- Polymer-A large, chain-like molecule made up of monomers, which are small molecules.
- Non-Newtonian fluid-A fluid that does not follow Newton’s law of viscosity, meaning that it has variable viscosity dependent on stress. Viscosity can change under force to either more liquid or more solid.
- Chemical change-When a new substance is formed through a chemical reaction.
Finally, look at how to make this fun rainforest floor slime activity.
Rainforest Floor Slime Activity
You will need:
- 1 ½ cups water
- 8-10 oz. white or clear glue
- ½ teaspoon borax
- Green food coloring
- Green glitter (optional)
Warm 1 cup of water in the microwave until it’s hot and stir in borax until dissolved.
In a separate container mix together glue and ½ cup of water.
Once mixed, stir in food coloring and glitter if desired to get the shade you want.
Pour the colored glue mixture into the borax mixture and stir until it starts to cling together and is no longer sticky.
You may find it easiest to mix with your hands but some people do find borax to be a skin irritant.
Once the mixture is no longer sticky you can remove it from the water mixture, and it is ready for play.
To add a little more texture and interest to it you can cut small leaf shapes and vines out of craft foam and mix into the slime.
Additionally, you could also stir in a few drops of your favorite essential oil to introduce another sensory input with a soothing or invigorating scent.
