Partners in Nature

Science/Drama

Children will role-play how animals and plants help each other in nature.

What You Need

• Chart paper
• Markers
• Drawing paper
• Crayons

What To Do

1. Point out that in nature, different kinds of animals—or animals and plants—help one another.
2. Discuss some examples with children, listing them on chart paper. For instance:
   • Egyptian plovers clean the teeth of Nile crocodiles and get a free meal.
   • Tick birds eat insects from the skin of cattle, elephants, zebras, rhinos, and hippos.
   • Many kinds of plant seeds hitchhike rides on the fur of passing animals so they can make plants in new places.
   • Honeyguide birds lead honey badgers to bee hives. The badger rips the hive open and both eat the honey.
   • Clown fish can safely hide among stinging sea anemones, which keep the fish safe from predators.
   • Ants protect insects called aphids because aphids produce a food that ants drink called honeydew.
3. Invite children to get together in pairs and role-play an animal partnership in which an animal or plant helps another animal. They may choose from the list or use their own example. Children may wish to make a charade out of their role-playing, and have classmates guess which “special friends” they are portraying.
4. Children may choose to draw a picture of an animal partnership instead.