A Visit to the Rainforest Without Leaving the Classroom

C.V. Starr fifth graders visited the rainforest yesterday without ever leaving their classrooms.

Patrick Harmon, a science educator from PNW BOCES, , rolled his cart into each of the classrooms and took students deep into the layers of the forest. 

“Close your eyes and listen to the sounds of the rainforest,” said Harmon. “What do you imagine when listening to the sounds? What do you smell? What do you feel?” 

As students closed their eyes, they listened to the sounds of birds, insects, and wild cats.

They learned that tropical rainforests are home to more than half of the plant and animal species on Earth and are the oldest and most diverse ecosystems on our planet today. They learned about the locations of rainforests around the world, the layers of a rainforest, and the unique plants and animals that inhabit them. 

Then, the best part–they got to see and pick up colorful artifacts and meet a live animal ambassador who provided opportunities to discover more about the animals, products, and cultures found in these rainforests.  

At hands-on stations, students played instruments made of wood from the rainforest, smelled spices like cinnamon and pepper grown in the rainforest, and played animal “I Spy” with pictures of the different layers of the rainforest: cover, canopy, understory, and forest floor.

The highlight was the live animal ambassador, a giant hissing cockroach, a wingless five-centimeter-long bug with an exoskeleton who hisses to defend itself and to communicate with others.

“Does it bite?” asked one student.

“No. It does not bite. It is harmless,” explained Patrick 

Students took turns gently touching the cockroach’s back.

“It’s not so bad, he’s kind of cute,” said another student.

The program is run through PNW BOCES Center for Environmental Education, meant to inspire respect for Earth's natural systems and help students understand the connection between their choices and the environment. There have been similar assemblies this year in grades 3, 4 at C.V. Starr on weather and energy.