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Make a Rainforest
Rainforest in a jar: Build your own ecosystem!
Bring the wonders of the rainforest to life by creating your own mini ecosystem in a jar! In this hands-on activity, Scouts will learn about the unique structure and climate of rainforests while building a self-sustaining microclimate. It’s science, creativity, and environmental awareness rolled into one fun project.
Why are rainforests so special?
Bring the wonders of the rainforest to life by creating your own mini ecosystem in a jar! In this hands-on activity, Scouts will learn about the unique structure and climate of rainforests while building a self-sustaining microclimate. It’s science, creativity, and environmental awareness rolled into one fun project.
What you'll need
- A glass jar with a lid and a wide base
- Small pebbles or gravel
- Potting soil
- Cup of water
- Moss and plants such as
- Tiny ferns, baby spider plants or miniature African violets
- Have a look in your garden for plants and moss you could use
Instructions
- Have a look around your garden to see if there are any plants and moss to use in your mini rainforest.
- Cover the base of your jar with pebbles, then spoon in a layer of soil about 5cm deep.
- Next, spray your plants with water. Plant your small plants into the soil.
- Add little pieces of moss to the jar around the plants.
- Water your rainforest a little.
- Put the lid on and place the jar in a warm, well-lit spot.
- Watch your rainforest bloom and record what happens over the next few weeks.
Change the challenge level
Increase the challenge
Do some research into the water cycle, specifically about how the heat warms up the jar and how water vapours - or gases - are turned into liquid, forming on the inside of the jar and dropping down into the soil, which the plants take up through their roots.
Consider what would happen, for example, if the jar had no light.
Reflection
You will see first-hand how a rainforest's microclimate works and will learn that rainforests don't actually require much rainfall at all.
