Creatures of the rainforest
WORKING
TOGETHER TO
HELP SAVE
1 BILLION TREES
Emergent layer
Canopy
Understory
Forest floor
Sky Rainforest
Rescue
WORKING
TOGETHER TO
HELP SAVE
1 BILLION TREES
Sky and WWF are working together to help protect 1 billion trees in the Amazon.
We want to inspire others to do the same - and that’s what I Love Amazon for
primary schools is all about.
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It is believed that 10% of the world’s species
of plants and animals are found in the Amazon
rainforest, including species that are found
nowhere else on Earth. Each layer of the rainforest is home to a different range of animals
which, due to human activities, are either already
threatened with extinction or could become
threatened.
What’s more, of the 6-7% of the Earth’s total
land surface covered by rainforests, the Amazon
contains almost half. And it also has the largest
river basin on Earth and one of the world’s longest rivers - the Amazon river. Flowing east and
emptying into the Atlantic Ocean, the Amazon
river is second only to the Nile and is also by far
the world’s largest river in terms of the volume
of water it discharges into the sea.
In real terms, just two hours of its flow could
meet the freshwater needs of London’s 8.3 million residents for a whole year.
You can make a difference by supporting
your pupils to learn about the value of
rainforests and how they can help protect
them through their everyday actions.
Our Amazon themed activities will help
you transform your classroom into a
stimulating learning environment with a
tropical rainforest twist.
Just log onto sky.com/amazonschools
to awaken your pupils’ senses to a truly
inspirational, educational walk on the
wild side.
Who am I?
Play this game to explore the animals of the Amazon rainforest
with your class. Photocopy the cards below, cut out and distribute to
pupils who can display them on a headband, so the person wearing it
has to ask questions to find out who they are/what type of animal they
are, or the child can simply keep the card a secret for their partner to guess.
Either way pupils take turns to ask questions of
their partner in an attempt to discover which
animal they are. Questions can only be answered
‘yes’ or ‘no’ and pupils should be encouraged to ask
questions about the layers and the type of animals
included on the poster. They could also ask questions
about colour and key features.
As a result of the activity, pupils could then write
questions that they would like to find the answers
to during their Amazon topic and these could be
displayed simply as post-its around the poster or as
a structured ‘I wonder why?’ geographical/scientific
enquiry wall.
$
Scarlet
macaw
Blue and
yellow macaw
Harpy eagle
Blue Morpho
butterfly
Toucan
Howler
monkey
Woolly
monkey
Sloth
Pygmy
marmoset
Tree boa
Tree frog
Fruit bats
Ocelot
Kinkajou (honey bear)
Potoo
Ring-tailed
coati
Spider
monkey
Tarantula
Tapir
Peccary
Capybara
Agouti
Poison
dart frog
Bullet ant
Anaconda
Leaf cutter
ant
Jaguar
Where in the world?
UK
Amazon
The Amazon contains the planet’s largest
remaining rainforest, which has an unparalleled
diversity of species and habitats. With between
20 to 80 different species of tree per acre and
a wide variety of animal life, many of which have
special adaptations that allow them to live in
the tropical conditions, they would not survive
outside of this ecosystem.
The Amazon spans across 9 countries in
South America: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia,
Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru,
Suriname and Venezuela.
The temperature of tropical rainforests ranges
from 18 to 35 degrees celsius, due to its close
proximity to the equator.
Climate change
Deforestation worldwide accounts for as many
emissions as all the world’s trains, planes, cars
and ships put together. One of the keys to
protecting the world’s rainforests is to create
more sustainable opportunities for rainforest
people to make a living without cutting down
the trees.
Halving global deforestation by 2030
would save us more than $3.7 trillion
in damages caused by climate change.
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The Amazon rainforest is at least four times larger than either of the next two largest
tropical forest regions, Indonesia and the
Congo Basin.
The Amazon rainforest is about 50% larger
than the European Union. In Europe, 10,000m2
of woodland might have 20 species of trees
compared to the same area of Amazon
rainforest which can shelter as many as
220 different species of trees.
What’s it to me?
Bring the rainforest into your classroom with Sky Rainforest Rescue. Study the
significance of the rainforest and the importance of the work we do to protect
the forest for everyone.
Using the activity below, consider how the
rainforest impacts on your lives.
Conduct a survey to see how many products
you use/consume that have come from the
rainforest. Below are some examples:
Moisturiser
Next time you see your mum smooth
on her face cream, take a look at
the ingredients. Lots of Amazonian
plants - like Brazil nut and coconut
oil - help make skin soft and
wrinkle free!
Medicine
Not only do ingredients in
Amazonian plants make us smell nice, they can
save lives too. 70% of the plants that can help us
fight against cancer are only found in
tropical rainforests.
Shampoo
You can thank the Amazon for your
luscious locks! Lots of ingredients
found in shampoo, like the passion
fruit, are grown in rainforests.
Nuts
We all love a healthy snack but
did you know that your packet
of dry roasted cashew nuts
started out in a faraway tropical
climate such as the Amazon? So did Brazil nuts.
Vanilla seed pods
Vanilla is used in lots
of our favourite foods,
soaps and shampoos
because it tastes and
smells so good! And you guessed it; the vanilla
orchid, which produces these powerful little
vanilla pods, grows in rainforests too.
Coffee
Grown-ups often drink coffee.
Did you know that shade-grown
coffee can help local people earn
a living while keeping the rainforest standing?
Avocado and bananas
Most of us won’t have visited a
rainforest but a large part of our
diet either comes from or is grown
there - including foods such as
avocados, coconuts, grapefruits,
bananas, guavas and pineapples to
name but a few.
Spices
No matter what kind of food you enjoy, chances
are it will be seasoned with spices found in
rainforests, as they provide a wide range of spices such as cinnamon and pepper.
Acai berries
Acai is often called a ‘superfood’
because it is so rich in protein
and minerals. The acai palm tree
grows naturally in the Amazon rainforest and its
berries can be harvested without harming the
forest or the species that live there.
Chocolate
Did you know that your favourite
chocolate comes from the cacao
plant? This grows wild in Central and
South America and growing it can be
a way for people who live in the
Amazon to make a living without hurting
the forest.
The Amazon might seem like a very far away
place, but actually it’s closer to home than
you think. Can you find out what other products
the rainforest provides e.g. rubber, mahogany
and kapok?