Plants: Their Mission to Survive and Thrive! (Stage 3)

All living things have basic needs for their survival. Animals and plants need water, oxygen, food and shelter to live their different lives on Planet Earth. If the basic needs balance and conditions are right, then living things can thrive.
Things get tricky when plants live in harsh environments, where their basic needs are limited or unbalanced.
These plants survive through their ‘superpowers’! 

Plants have different adaptations to match the environment they live in. If plants need to survive in harsh environments, like a hot, dry desert or a wet, dark rainforest, their adaptations are like ‘superpowers’ that help them survive in that difficult environment.

Student self-guided activities include:

• What are the abiotic and biotic features of an environment?
• What is an adaptation? What do plants need to survive and thrive?
• From artic tundra to salty mangrove, discover the harsh environments around the world.
• Go on a virtual adventure through the Cactus Garden and Rainforest Garden! Discover what challenges each plant faces and what adaptations they have to help them survive!
• Undertake a student-led exploration of the local environment near you, make note of the biotic and abiotic features and look for different plant adaptations.
• Run simple experiments to test adaptations using household materials.