Exploring Nature - Cvr+pages - Arvind Gupta

127 Pages·2005·2.43 MB·English

EXPLORING NATURE
A guidebook on activity based nature study
Nikhil Mohan Pattnaik
Puspashree Pattnaik
Manuscript prepared under a project catalysed & supported by
Narional Council for Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC)
Department of Science & Technology,
Government of India,
New Delhi 110 016
Vigyan Prasar
Published by
Vigyan Prasar
(An autonomous organisation under the Department of Science & Technology,
Government of India)
C-24, Qutab Institutional Area
New Delhi 110016
(Regd. office: Technology Bhawan, New Delhi 110016)
Phones : 26864157,26864022 Fax: [phone]
E-mail : [email protected]
Internet : http://www.vigyanprasar.com
Copyrights : © 2004 by Vigyan Prasar
All rights reserved
Exploring Nature: A guidebook on activity based nature study
Author: Nikhil Mohan Pattnaik,
Puspashree Pattnaik
Developed at: Srujanika, Bhubaneswar 751 030,
under a project catalysed & supported by:
National Council of Science & Technology Communication (NCSTC),
Department of Science & Technology, Technology Bhawan, New Delhi 110016
Email: [email protected]
Artwork : Braja Kishore Jena
Photographs: Srujanika
Typesetting, layout and design: Srujanika, Bhubaneswar 751 030
Project Coordinator : B.K. Tyagi, NCSTC, DST
Production Supervision : Dr. Subodh Mahanti & Ms. Sumita Sen, Ms. Sonu Bhatia
ISBN: 81-7480-112-X
Price: Rs. 65.00
Printed in India at Nagri Printers, Naveen Shahdara, Delhi-110032.
Contents
Publisher’s Note ix
Foreword xi
Preface xiii
1. Introduction 1
2. Ways with nature 3
A feel for nature: nature watch 3
Watching animals in the wild 5
Exploring nature: nature walk 7
Preparing for the walk 7
During the walk 8
Analysing and preserving the samples 8
Worksheet guide for nature walk 10
Nature, hands-on: nature work 11
3. Fun with plants: Studying the whole 12
Drawing up a plant profile 13
Canopy - the first impression 13
Measuring tree heights 14
Moving up close 14
Closer still - at a touching distance 15
The tree as a habitat 15
Worksheet guide for a tree profile 16
Some special plant types 17
The tiniest plants 17
Plants that grow in water 19
An activity with aquatic plants 20
Plants that need little water 20
Growing cacti and succulents 21
4. Fun with plants: Looking at parts 22
Bark - a tree’s clothing 22
Taking a bark print 22
Leaves - makers of a tree 23
Leaf prints with crayon 23
Leaf outlines 23
Preserving leaves 24
Leaf zoo 25
Leaf skeleton 25
Collecting other plant parts 26
Roots 26
vi
Plant parts that are not universal 27
Thorns 27
Tendrils 28
Flowers 28
Fruits & seeds 28
5. Fun with plants: Presenting a living collection 30
Terrarium - a ‘house of soil’ 30
Setting up a terrarium 30
Nature in a box 31
Garden in a jar 32
Building a greenhouse 33
Keeping water plants 36
Setting up a water garden (ecopond) 36
Plants on a hill 37
6. Fun with plants: Looking at some life processes 38
From seeds to plants 38
Sprouting seeds 39
A garden of sprouts 39
Sprout signature of a place 40
A close look at the sprouting seeds 40
Garden without soil 41
Which way to grow? 42
A very special seed - ever ready for germination 43
Growing plants without seeds 43
Propagation through stems 43
Plants from special forms of the stem 44
Sprouting a tuber 44
Plants from bulbs 45
Plants from rhizomes 45
New plants from leaves 46
Plants growing from other parts 46
A growing carrot top 46
Growing a pineapple plant 47
Plants and water 47
Plants take up water 47
Where does the water go? 48
7. The world of animals: More visible species 49
Getting to know larger animals 50
Learning with a cat family 50
Other animals around the home 51
Birds around the home and yard 52
Making birds our guests 53
Making a feeding table 53
Building a bird house 53
Taking a closer look at the nest 55
vii
Hatching out of eggs - the last minutes 55
Egg that hatch by themselves 57
Keeping small animals 58
Growing tadpoles and frogs 59
8. The world of animals: Tiny animals that creep, crawl, hop, fly 60
Where to find them 60
Our own housemates 60
Looking in the garden 61
Catching insects and tiny animals 62
Beating tray 62
Halter jar 62
Pooter 63
Sweep net 63
Butterfly net 64
Banana trap for buterflies 64
Pitfall trap 65
Candle trap 65
Electric light trap 66
Light sheet 66
Tiny animals on and under the ground 66
Shifting and sieving 67
Warming out 67
Tiny animals in water 68
Underwater viewer 68
Pond dipping 69
Aquatic light trap 70
Studying insects and friends 71
Insect homes 71
From caterpillars to moths and butterflies 72
Honeybee - a social insect 73
Termites and their mound 73
Growing an ant colony 74
Insect kins - spider 76
Wormery - a house for the earthworm 76
Observing aquatic organisms 78
Aquatic viewing chamber 78
Preserving dead specimens 79
Preserving insects 79
Preserving soft bodied animals 81
Worksheet guide to studying insects and tiny animals 82
9. The micro-world: Life forms that we cannot see 83
Where to find microorganisms 83
Diversity of micro-life 84
Bacteria the smallest free-living organisms 84
Protozoa - the ‘first animals’ 85
Euglena and paramecium 85
Effect of light on euglena 86
viii
Growing paramecium 86
Fungi - bridging the micro and macro 86
Moulds - the simpler fungi 87
Growing moulds 88
Mushrooms - the more visible fungal forms 88
Taking a spore print 89
Bracket fungi and puffballs 90
Microbes at work - decomposition 90
10. Soil: The nonliving basis for life 92
The living soil 92
Soil at different depths 93
Determining a soil profile 94
Inside a pit 94
With a soil corer 94
Collecting a soil sample 95
Soil composition 96
Mineral components of soils 97
Soil texture 98
Determining soil texture 99
Finding soil textural class by its ‘feel’ 99
Characteristics of different soil types 100
Soil structure and porosity 100
How much air is there in the soil 101
Soil contains water 101
The dynamic soil water 101
Permeability and water holding capacity 102
Soil fertility 103
Worksheet guide to studying soils 104
11. Living together - Ecology - the science of nature 105
Ecosystems - building blocks of nature 105
Components of an ecosystem 106
The evolving ecosystem 107
Ecology - hands on 108
The living world in a dung pat 109
Rotting log - life on a roll 111
And we move on... 113
x
Publisher’s Note
The Publication Programme of Vigyan Prasar has taken shape in the last
few years. Vigyan Prasar has brought out publications on a variety of
topics of Science and Technology. Popular Science Classics, India’s
Scientific Heritage, Natural History, Health and Do-It-Yourself are some of
the series that have evolved over the years. Our emphasis has been on
bringing out quality publications on various aspects of Science and
Technology at affordable prices. Further, Vigyan Prasar is putting in
efforts to bring out publications in major Indian languages for various
target groups.
The present book, Exploring Nature: A guidebook on activity based nature
study, by Shri Nikhil Mohan Pattnaik and Smt. Pushpashree Pattnaik
attempts to present simple activities to enthuse people in thinking afresh
about the environment around them. The experiments/activities described
in this book do not require expensive equipment and anyone with
inquisitive and sensitive mind can carry out these experiments. These are
an outcome of years of practical studies and experiments by the authors
and their dedicated group. This book would prove useful to children,
teachers and also those engaged in science dissemination.
November 09, 2004
New Delhi V.B. Kamble
Director
Vigyan Prasar
Foreword
There is a wide diversity of living organisms which is the hallmark of life.
Fruits, vegetables, fish, grains, etc., available in the local market, flowers
in the parks and gardens, the large variety of birds in the neighbourhood,
etc., are easy to observe and distinguish by size, shape, colour, smell and
sound. If one has access to a simple microscope, several other forms of life
can be seen in drops of water from different sources. Indeed, there is a
large variation in size and complexity in the living world.
There are several similarity amongst organisms. It is educational to
compare and contrast, categorize and segregate different life forms
including several variety of grasses, cereal crops, flowers, butterflies,
spiders, beetles, etc., which are easy to collect, study and release back
from where these are collected. Several scientific systems of classification
have emerged from observation of morphological and taxonomic
characteristics - structure of roots, leaves, fruits and flowers, plants,
number of legs in insects, mouth parts, wings, etc. Correlating local and
scientific names of these large variety of life forms is interesting research.
Coupled with the process of modernization of agriculture is that of
rapid urbanization - twin prongs of a pincer which threaten traditional
habitats and life forms. On the one hand extinction of local species of
plants, fish, mammals, etc., is being reported due to developmental
pressures and on the other hand exotic weeds and insects are being
introduced deliberately and some times inadvertently. Long periods of
drought or heavy rainfall sets up a response system amongst plants and
animals upsetting the food chain and habitats in the region. Rivers are
often the receptacle for industrial or sanitary effluents which are poor in
oxygen and threaten aquatic life. A forest fire can change the composition
and balance of vegetation and animals, birds and insects in the region
dramatically.