Our 5-7 Years lessons, or Quests, are intended to enhance learning about issues concerning the world’s rainforests and climate change .The Quests are interactive and designed to provoke further questioning and investigation by children.

To see which subject areas the lessons cover and how they link to the UK national curriculum, please see our curriculum matrix. But you don’t have to be in the UK or following the UK national curriculum to use them!

These lesson ideas will help you achieve Eco-Schools awards in the UK. All lessons indicate that environmental issues have been covered in curriculum areas. Lessons 3 – 9 all count as a minor Eco-Schools project. Lesson 10 counts as a major Eco-School project. Learn more...

5-7 Years Rainforest Quests:

1. A Model Rainforest   [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: To gain an understanding of the canopy, the understorey and the forest floor.
Time: Half a term
Group size: Pairs, groups or whole class

2. Creatures of the Rainforest  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: To discover which creatures can be found at different levels of the rainforest.
Time: Half a term
Group size: Pairs, groups or whole class

3. Rainforest Night and Day Dance  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: To choreograph a dance depicting life in the rainforest during the day and during the night.
Time: 2 x 45 mins
Group size: Individuals, pairs or groups

4. Mini-beast Traps  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: To design and build a trap to capture mini-beasts in a particular location.
Time: 2 sessions + time to monitor activities
Group size: 3 - 5

5. Rainforest Book  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: To create a Big Rainforest Book that will tell children in the Foundation Stage about the creatures found in the rainforest.
Time: 3 x 45 mins
Group size: Small groups

6. Night and Day Diarama  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: To produce a Diarama showing what can be seen in the rainforest at different times and locations
Time: 3 x 45 mins minimum
Group Size: Small groups

7. Musical Composition  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: To produce a soundscape of music depicting life and activity in the rainforest over a 24 hour period.
Time: Max 2 sessions
Group Size: Small groups

8. Little Footprints - A Dos and Don'ts Poster  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: To produce a poster showing what can be done to stop the cutting down of the rainforest .
Time: 2 x 45 mins
Group Size: Individuals, pairs or groups

9. Rainforest Masterchef  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: As a rainforest Masterchef, produce a Rainforest Fruit Salad recipe.
Time: one 45 min session (additional time for extension activities)
Group Size: Small groups

10. Growing Project: Visiting a Forest or Woodland Site  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: To study woodlands and forests and do a tree planting project in our local environment.
Time: Longer term (1/2 term minimum)
Group Size: Whole class

Eden Project: Fruit Tasting  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: A great way to talk about different foods, cultures and climates and the lives of farmers all over the world.

Eden Project: Rainforest Warm Up  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: A drama session based on the idea that you are an explorer, trekking through the rainforest.

Eden Project: Rainforest Soundscape  [view online] / [download as pdf]
Task: Imagine you’re in the rainforest and it's night time, feel the hammock rocking,  your mosquito net around you.  What can you hear?

ActionAid: Climate Hero - Solomon's Story  [view online] / [download as pdf]
When Hurricane Noel hit Solomon's Haitian community in October 2007, his family lost everything. Use these lesson ideas to learn about deforestation and how some people are working to plant and protect trees.