Grades 1–2 Daily Reading Activities: Natural Wonders

Welcome to Natural Wonders. In honor of Earth Week, we'll provide five days of reading lessons designed to engage your child in an exploration of Earth's ecosystems.

Day 1 Activity

Let’s Watch: Creature Comforts Watch the video Creature Comforts to learn more about animal habitats.

Day 2 Activity

Let’s Reread: How Living Things Help Each Other Plants, animals, and people all help each other. How can you help? Download How Living Things Help Each Other

Take It Further

Choose an activity to extend the fun.

Project: Plan a Recycling Collection

• Look for items that can be recycled into something new.
• Draw a plan for how to collect recycled objects to be used for projects.
• Present your ideas. Encourage your family to collect recyclables, such as cans, boxes, bottles, and CDs.

Response Writing: Make an Accordion Book

• Use a sheet of recycled paper to make an accordion book.
• Fold a paper strip back and forth. You should have about five sections.
• Trim the end of the last section so that all the strips are the same size.
• Draw a plant or animal on each page of your book. You can use only the front, or use the front and back of the strips.
• Write how each plant or animal helps living things.
• Share your book.

Family Support Use this learning guide to walk your child through the lesson. Explore additional Review & Extend activities together.

Day 3 Activity

Let’s Read: Rain Forest Encyclopedia Read about the rain forest and the animals that live there. Which animal is the biggest snake in the world? Download Rain Forest Encyclopedia

Quiz How much do you know about Rain Forest Encyclopedia? Take the quiz. Then, check your answers to the quiz. How did you do?

Family Support Use this learning guide to walk your child through the lesson. Explore additional Review & Extend activities together.

Day 4 Activity

Let’s Reread: Rain Forest Encyclopedia Read about the rain forest and the animals that live there. Which animal is the biggest snake in the world? Download Rain Forest Encyclopedia

Take It Further

Choose an activity to extend the fun.

Project: Make a Diagram

• Make a rain forest diagram. Use a long, tall piece of paper to draw the trees. Use the diagram on page 5 to help you.
• Draw one or more animals at each part of the rain forest. Check the encyclopedia pages to find which animal lives where. Find more animals by looking online.
• Add labels to your diagram. Share your diagram with the group.

Research Connection: Learn About Rain Forest Products

• Look at the chart on page 4 about what the rain forest gives us. Research one product online or in nonfiction books to find out how much we use each year.
• Write and draw a rain forest encyclopedia entry about what you learned.
• Share your encyclopedia entry with the group.

Family Support Use this learning guide to walk your child through the lesson. Explore additional Review & Extend activities together.

Day 5 Activity

Let's Review

This week you've learned about Earth’s ecosystems. Today you’ll learn about some animals that have learned to survive in some of the world’s most extreme environments.

Let’s Read: Life On Earth From the heat of the desert to the snow and ice of the Arctic, Earth has many extreme environments. Read to find out how different animals adapt to their unique homes. Download Life On Earth

Take It Further

Extend the fun with an activity.

Response Writing: Make a Postcard

• Choose a natural place that you read about. Imagine what it would be like to visit this place. Make a postcard to show and tell about your visit.

Family Support Play 20 questions. Ask children to think about a natural place that they read about this week, such as the desert, the Arctic, or the rain forest. Ask yes or no questions about the natural place. Try to guess the ecosystem your child is thinking of in fewer than 20 questions. Then switch roles.