{"id":7618,"date":"2020-05-19T05:17:59","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T05:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/?p=7618"},"modified":"2020-05-15T18:12:01","modified_gmt":"2020-05-15T18:12:01","slug":"rc-biodiversity-in-action-learning-about-life-on-earth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/en\/rc-biodiversity-in-action-learning-about-life-on-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Biodiversity in Action: Learning About Life on Earth"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>The diversity of life on Earth is staggering, but much of it remains a mystery to us.<\/h2>\n<p>More than one million species have been identified on our planet to date, yet scientists estimate there may be upwards of eight million!<\/p>\n<p>Join us in celebrating International Day for Biological Diversity (May 22) by learning more about the amazing variety of bacteria, fungi, plants, animals and insects on Earth, and how we are all part of an interconnected life support system.<\/p>\n<p>Check out the family-friendly videos, lessons, and projects below to see biodiversity in action!<a name=\"watch\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Watch<\/h3>\n<p>With help from Hinterland Who\u2019s Who, families can introduce kids to the concept of biodiversity through this educational webisode, and help them understand how animals, plants and ecosystems are all interconnected.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Discover Biodiversity\" width=\"1170\" height=\"658\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0qup0VOlTF8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><a name=\"learn\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Learn<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-standard wp-image-5560\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/swallowtail-caterpillars-at-CWF-blue-1100x640.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"640\" \/>Biodiversity is important because it creates a life support system for Earth. Some species create oxygen; others clean air and water, pollinate plants, manage waste, and\/or provide other ecosystem services. With the educational resources below, kids can learn more about these services and how our activities impact our environment.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/resources\/for-educators\/resource-sheets\/bio-what.html?src=blog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bio what?<\/a> \u2013 Kickstart your lesson by looking at biodiversity through three different lenses: genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/resources\/for-educators\/resource-sheets\/give-biodiversity-a-boost.html?src=blog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Give Biodiversity a Boost<\/a> \u2013 Nearly everyone admires birds, bears and bobcats, but what about algae, fungi or tiny invertebrates? This activity invites you to explore diversity on a small scale by conducting a biodiversity experiment in your own backyard.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/resources\/for-educators\/resource-sheets\/sustainable-development-the.html?src=blog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sustainable Development<\/a> \u2013 Imagine yourself on a spaceship travelling through space. How would you generate all the food, water and air you would need for the journey? By looking at \u201cspaceship Earth,\u201d this activity introduces the idea of sustainable development and why we need to balance our needs with the capacity of our environment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a name=\"do\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Do<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-standard wp-image-4983\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/protect-wetlands-blanding-turtle-inaturalist-phone-mobile-2-1100x640.jpg\" alt=\"turtle mobile\" width=\"1100\" height=\"640\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Earth\u2019s biodiversity is so rich that many species have yet to be discovered. Join these citizen science projects from across Canada to document biodiversity in your area and share your findings with researchers!<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/inaturalist.ca\/\">iNaturalist <\/a>\u2013 Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. When you upload your findings to <a href=\"https:\/\/inaturalist.ca\/\">iNaturalist<\/a>, they are automatically shared with scientific data repositories, such as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.natureserve.org\/natureserve-network\/canada\">NatureServe Canada<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.canadensys.net\/\">Canadensys <\/a>and the\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/gbif.org\/\">Global Biodiversity Information Facility<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.e-butterfly.org\/\">eButterfly<\/a> \u2013 Join thousands of butterfly watchers by recording your observations. eButterfly data is archived at the University of Ottawa and shared with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ebird.org\/canada\/home\">eBird<\/a> \u2013 Whether you are an avid or amateur birder, eBird Canada allows you to share your sightings and help inform bird research worldwide. eBird Canada is managed by Birds Canada and is a collaborative project between The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Regroupement Qu\u00e9becOiseaux.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a name=\"outside\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Get Outside<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-standard wp-image-5113\" src=\"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/boy-outside-twine-explore-1100x640.jpg\" alt=\"boy twine outside\" width=\"1100\" height=\"640\" \/>Whether you&#8217;re out on a trail or closer to home, citizen science offers a great opportunity to get outside and explore with your family! These simple activities will help inspire curiosity and build observation skills for kids of all ages.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Find a spot<\/strong> to sit and choose one thing to observe. Write down everything you see!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Collect<\/strong> various items and compare their size. Measure them with a ruler and sort them from longest to shortest.<\/li>\n<li>While outside, <strong>listen<\/strong> for sounds and practice copying what you hear. The more realistic you can sound the better!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Don\u2019t miss a Weekly Wild update! <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cwf-fcf.org\/en\/explore\/reconnecting-canadians\/weekly-wild-update.html?src=blog#weeklysignup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sign up for free<\/a><\/span> at the Canadian Wildlife Federation\u2019s Reconnecting Canadians.<\/h4>\n<p><strong>How did\u00a0these\u00a0activities go?\u00a0Do you have your own activities to share? Connect with\u00a0us in the comments\u00a0below\u00a0or\u00a0on social media using #<\/strong><strong>WeeklyWILD<\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"post-excerpt\">The diversity of life on Earth is staggering, but much of it remains a mystery to us. More than one million species have been identified on our planet to date,&hellip;<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":3394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[631,642,6],"tags":[959,961,8333,8331],"class_list":["post-7618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-connect-with-nature","category-education","category-endangered-species","tag-biodiversity","tag-biodiversity-day","tag-reconnecting-canadians","tag-weekly-wild-update"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7618"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7618\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7639,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7618\/revisions\/7639"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cwf-fcf.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}