Vanishing Habitats -- The Earth Speaks

Look and listen very carefully, for the earth is always speaking to us. Sometimes the earth's voice is very quiet, like the imperceptible wearing away of a river valley. Sometimes it is very loud, like an earthquake or volcanic eruption. Sometimes it is very predictable like the seasonal changes. The earth's many voices change and shape our planet, creating habitats. Some plants and animals adapt to these voices or changes and some go the way of the dinosaur. In this program, girls and boys will learn about some of the earth's many voices, how habitats are created, and how animals and plants must adapt to their environment.

Habitats, Natural Selection and Adaptations
We describe a plant or animal's home as its habitat - a place where they live and grow. Habitats vary in size from a small tidal pool along the shoreline, to the hot sands of the Mojave Desert, to the tropical rainforest of South America. Habitats, once created, begin to change. This natural process of how animals and plants change and adjust to their habitat is known as adaptation.
 

How did the giraffe get a long neck? Why does the zebra have stripes? Why do some animals have webbed feet and some, sharp claws? A fast paced dialogue between Jack and the audience will help children discover the answer to these questions!

Habitats Visited
The creation of The Earth Speaks has been an on going process for the last 29 years. Children will travel with Jack to many interesting habitats through a spectacular slide presentation from scenes around the world. Jack's many journeys took him:

• hiking through Denali National Park in Alaska
• paddling in the Okefeenokee Swamp of Florida
• white water rafting the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon
• camping in the Mojave and Colorado Deserts
• walking the salt flats of Death Valley in California
• swimming with sea lions and marine iguanas, and photographing the giant tortoises of the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador
• living with natives along the Amazon River in the tropical rainforest of South America

Your students will learn how unique each habitat is, and just how fragile they are. 

This program may be 100% funded by the Clean Communities Program of New Jersey.