Food comes from NATURE.

We humans hunt it, fish for it, ranch it/raise it and farm it. But where did it come from BEFORE all those human activities?

If you study nature…plants, animals, insects, birds, fish, seeds, sunlight, soil and how it all works together, it is really quite amazing. A miracle. Almost impossible, yet it happens and works!

For the kids to understand how to use the planet’s resources for food to be healthy and thrive, I want them to start at the beginning, which is understanding these 3 things:

1. Biodiversity (One big happy family!)
2. Photosynthesis & Reproduction (How do plants and animals keep on keeping on!)
3. Food Chains & The Circle of Life (Who eats who!)

Let’s begin with:

BIODIVERSITY

Biodiversity is a big science word, but it’s just all about the VARIETY of life on Earth. While all the other known planets in our galaxy are either balls of gas or balls of rock, the Earth is overflowing with life forms. While other planets do not seem to be able to support living things at all, there are not just a few here on Earth, there are millions of different types of living things! It’s so exciting and fun and mind-boggling and it seems impossible. But it’s REAL!

1. Lots of different animals and plants: Imagine going to a zoo or a rainforest or diving under the sea. You see so many different kinds of animals like lions, elephants, birds, reptiles, fish, insects and things you may not even be able to easily classify like sea urchins or manatees! You also see lots of different plants, like trees, flowers and bushes. The amazing variety of different things is called BIODIVERSITY.
2. Different shapes, sizes, and colors: Just like how people come in different shapes, sizes, and colors, plants and animals do too! Some animals are big like elephants, while others are tiny, like ants. Some plants have big leaves like palm trees, while others have small ones like pine needles. All these differences make our world colorful, exciting and place of endless wonder to explore!
3. Important for nature: Biodiversity is super important for nature. It helps keep ecosystems healthy and balanced. And ecosystem means all the different parts of nature working together perfectly to sustain the life forms whether it is plants, animals, or a mix of everything. Each plant and animal has its own job to do, like bees pollinating flowers or trees giving us oxygen. If one kind of plant or animal disappears or is damaged, it can affect everything else around it.
4. Exploring and learning: Biodiversity is also fun because it means there’s always something new to explore and learn about. Whether you’re studying bugs in your backyard, learning about animals in far-off places, or trekking through the forest on a hike, there’s endless excitement in discovering the diversity of life on our planet!

So, biodiversity is like a big family of plants and animals, all living together, working together and making our world an awesome place!

Goldilocks Planet-Biodiversity Made Possible

Alright, kiddos, imagine you’re looking for a perfect place to live. You don’t want it to be too hot, where you’d feel like you’re baking, and you don’t want it to be too cold, where you’d feel like an ice cube. You’d want it just right, like Goldilocks did with her porridge in the story, not too hot, not too cold, juuuust right!

Well, our Earth is just like that. It’s called a Goldilocks planet because it’s not too hot and not too cold for life to exist. It’s just right!

See, our planet is at just the right distance from the sun. If we were too close, like Mercury, it would be way too hot for us to live. And if we were too far away, like Neptune, it would be way too cold. But Earth is in the perfect spot, where it’s not too hot and not too cold.

That’s why we have water, air, and all the things that make life possible. It’s like we found the perfect home in the whole universe! So, when we say Earth is a Goldilocks planet, we mean it’s just right for us to live on.

3 Types of Biodiversity

1. Genetic diversity: This is like the different traits in a family. Just like how your sister might have curly hair and you have straight hair, genetic diversity means that animals and plants have different traits that help them survive.
2. Species diversity: This is like having lots of different types of people, animals and plants in a house. In your family you have YOU, maybe a dog, cat or fish and some flowers in the yard. The more kinds of plants and animals there are, the healthier the environment is.
3. Ecosystem diversity: This is like having different rooms in a house. Each room is unique and serves a different purpose like we sleep in one room and shower in another. We watch TV in the living room and cook in the kitchen. Ecosystem diversity means having different types of habitats, like forests, oceans, and deserts, all working together to support life.

So, these three types of biodiversity—genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity—all help make our planet a great place to live!

Watch here to learn more about BIODIVERSITY!

Now that we understand BIODIVERSITY….next let’s look at how all these things stay alive….FOOD CHAINS!!