1 INTRODUCTION: Welcome to your very own Kid‟s Workbook! Throughout the following lessons we hope you will learn a lot about your environment, the importance of health and sanitation, and the value of wildlife conservation. Hi there! My name is Abu, I will be helping guide you through the following lessons, so keep an eye out for me! I hope you enjoy all the fun activities, and that you are inspired to become an advocate for the environment after completing your workbook. Do you know what kind of bird I am? (Hint: I live in Sierra Leone!) Answer on the next page. Authors: Ethel Sillah, Wilson Sherman, and Cate Twining-Ward Creating a comprehensive educational workbook takes dedication, talent, and collaboration. We would like to thank everyone involved in the creation of this updated workbook. In particular, we would like to extend our thanks to the staff members of Tacugama’s Environmental Education Program me. This publication was created strictly for educational, non-commercial purposes. Many thanks to the artists who contributed their images to help further the quality of this workbook. A special thanks to Cotattoo for her design of the grey parrot. 2 CONTENTS: Term One: The Rainforest Ecosystem LESSON 1: Types of Vegetation in Sierra Leone……….3 LESSON 2: Plant Observation……….8 LESSON 3: Trees & Shrubs……….16 LESSON 4: Tree Planting……….21 EVALUATION 1 Term Two: Health & Sanitation LESSON 5: Living in a Clean Community……….27 LESSON 6: Health & Sanitation (Part One) ……….34 LESSON 7: Health & Sanitation (Part Two) ……….40 LESSON 8: Waste Management……….45 EVALUATION 2 Term Three: Wildlife Conservation LESSON 9: Mammals, Primates, and Adaptations LESSON 10: Animal Populations and Welfare LESSON 11: Conservation I am a Timneh LESSON 12: Threats to Chimpanzees African Grey Parrot! LESSON 13: The National Animal of Sierra Leone EVALUATION 3 APPENDIX 3 TERM ONE: THE RAINFOREST ECOSYSTEM LESSON 1: Types of Vegetation in Sierra Leone LESSON 2: Plant Observation LESSON 3: Trees & Shrubs LESSON 4: Tree Planting LESSON Types of Vegetation in Sierra Leone 1 This lesson we will focus on land and plant conservation. Fun things you will be doing as a member of TKEEP: Visiting nearby gardens/farms Setting up you own tree nursery Environmental events Film show Field trips Vegetation are the types of plants that are found in a particular area. Factors that Influence Plant Growth: Rainfall: many plants have different ways to adjust in a specific climate, some lose moisture, and some take more. 4 The unique environmental conditions of an area will influence the type of vegetation. Sunlight: is very important for all plants to survive but not all plants need the same amount of sunlight. Some plants survive better in the open, while others can only survive in areas that are shaded. Temperature: temperature can affect the amount of evaporation in an area and influence the amount of water a plant needs. Some plants can survive in colder climates with a limited growing season, while other plants survive with the abundance of sunlight found in warmer climates. Soil: The quality of the soil in an area is influenced by rocks underneath the soil and is affected by the climate. For example, an area that has high rainfall, high vegetation growth and good conditions for plants will produce good quality soil with nutrients. This will influence different plants to grow in that area. Note that different soil types will produce different vegetation types, and different vegetation types will produce different soil types. Examples, clay loamy soil, clay soil. Types of Vegetation in Sierra Leone: In Sierra Leone, there are seven main types of vegetation: these include: moist rainforest, semi-deciduous forest, montane, mangrove, savannah, farm bush and swamp forests. Farm bush arises from slash-burn agriculture and is becoming the dominant vegetation type in the country. Savannah vegetation is limited to the Northern parts of the country. Semi-deciduous vegetation (broadleaf)-this vegetation type shed their leaves partially in a season. Most of the moist and semi- deciduous forests are found in protected areas, often on mountain tops and slopes. Tropical moist evergreen forest is a slightly wet 5 forest with heavy annual rainfall and with trees bearing leaves throughout the year. 6 Exercise 1: Answer the questions! What are the impacts of human activity on vegetation? _____________________________________________________ _________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Name the different types of plants you know. ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ________________ ______________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ What do these plants need to survive? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Do different plants have different needs for survival? ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ ____ ______________________________________________________________ 7 Types of African Vegetation and their Main Characteristics Vegetation Type Main Characteristics of the Environment Desert Very low rainfall, bare rocks, sand Dry Savannah or Low rainfall, short grasses and bushes, Grasslands few trees Wet Savannah or Low to moderate rainfall, mainly grasses Grasslands and shrubs Mountain Variable rainfall and vegetation depending on altitude Temperature Moderate rainfall, short grass, tall evergreen trees Equatorial or tropical High rainfall, many tree species, dense rainforests vegetation Wetland Very wet many trees, grasses, and shrubs What life would be like in your community without vegetation? What would life be like without trees for shade or fruits? Discuss with your class. Exercise 2: Homework Draw a vegetation map of your community, like the one of Sierra Leone on page five. 8 LESSON Plant Observation 2 This lesson will focus on plants. Plants are important resources in our environment. Most plants are best suited for a particular area. Many plants can also survive in certain areas by adjusting to their surroundings . These qualities enable plants to grow and reproduce in different areas, climates and soil types. All throughout this lesson, we will be focusing on flowering plants; from small plants to tall trees. Exercise 1: Draw two flowering plants in your community, and label the petals, leaves, and stem. Exercise 2: 9 Draw one dicotyledonous and one monocotyledonous seed. Dicotyledonous Seed Monocotyledonous Seed Exercise 3: Answer the questions! Are all seeds the same? ________________________________________________________________ ______________ __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ______________ __________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ How do you think seeds are spread? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ____________________ 10 How do you think seeds are spread by wind, animals, water and explosion? ________________________________________________________________ ____________ ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Seed Dispersal Methods: Dispersal by wind: Small & light seeds are carried and transported by winds. They often have light fluffy hairs or paper-like wings that increase their surface area. Examples: cotton-tree/elephant grass Dispersal by animals: This happens when seeds are carried inside the animal or on the outside. If carried on the outside, the seeds often have small hairs that can attach to animal fur or to peoples‟ clothes. Example: the black jack. Some seeds are carried inside. This is when an animal eats a fruit including seeds. If the seed has a hard coat that the animal is unable to digest, then the seed will pass through the animal‟s system with the other waste products. The animal will then pass the seed in its dung, spreading it to a new area. Example: when chimpanzees eat locust, the seed is not digested, but is spread by the animal when it defecates. Dispersal by water: Seeds spread by water have large air spaces inside which helps them float in water. 11 Exercise 4: Answer the questions! Can you think of other fruits that animals