A flower that’s three feet across, weighs 20 pounds, and smells like rotting meat? Sounds like something out of science fiction, right?
Wrong: You can find the giant rafflesia plant – and many other oddities and curious creatures – hiding in our planet’s many rain forests. For kids fascinated by statistics and weird facts, this issue is a wonder: They’ll find out about the incredible biodiversity of rain forests, which are home to strangler figs, 100-pound rodents, and glowing click beetles, and take a closer look at their valuable products, such as rubber, manioc, natural medicines, and more.
The rain forest is also home to hardy humans – like the Pygmies of Zaire, the Yanomami of the Amazon, and the Asmat of New Guinea – all of whom have found ways to live in harmony with their environment. But what will happen if that environment is destroyed? Follow the efforts of eco-tourists, the rock star Sting, and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company to raise awareness about the alarming rate of rain forest destruction due to mining and logging. Kids concerned about rain forests will also learn about “sustainable harvesting” and political efforts to protect them. Rain forests, for kids, are made vital and fascinating in this issue – providing them with an important introduction to conservation awareness.
12 Topics in this unit
-
-
What Is a Rain Forest?
What covers less than 10 percent of the Earth’s land yet contains about 50 percent o ...
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L
-
-
The Layers of a Rainforest
A tropical rain forest is really three different worlds, all stacked one on top of another ...
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L
-
Free
-
Food from Rain Forest Plants
Tropical rain forests are home to the majority of the world’s plants, with some 80,0 ...
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L
-
-
Plants of the Rain Forest
If you visit a rain forest and want to see and smell most of the flowers, you’re goi ...
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L
-
-
Animals of the Rain Forest
More than half the animal species in the world live in rain forests. One of the main reaso ...
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L
-
-
Unusual Plants and Animals of the Rain Forest
Tropical jungles are home to some of Earth’s strangest creatures.
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L
-
-
Insects of the Rain Forest
Visitors to a rain forest quickly notice its tremendous biodiversity. The number of differ ...
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L
-
-
Peoples of the Rain Forest
The rain forest dwellers of Central and South America, Asia, and Africa have very differen ...
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L
-
Free
-
Living in the Rain Forest
There’s no electricity, hot water, plumbing, phones, refrigeration, or grocery store ...
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L
-
Free
-
The Amazon
What region of the world is named for female warriors in Greek mythology? Is as large as t ...
- 900L-1040L
-
-
Ecotourism
What is an ecotourist? One definition is a person who is sensitive to the environment of t ...
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L
-
-
Who Will Save the Rain Forest?
The rain forests are rapidly disappearing. According to researchers, an acre and a half of ...
- 560L-740L
- 750L-890L
- 900L-1040L