Marcia L. Gerencser
Ecology will be another unit. It will be conveyed that ecology is the study of the relationship between plants, animals and their environment. Related to our ecology is our ecosystem, that being a combination of all living things and things in a community and its nonliving or physical environment. Everything is interdependent on all living thngs as to what they need—that being water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, sun and food. It is relevant that one understands that there are producers: chestnut trees, vegetable plants, flowers, grass, berry bushes; consumers: lions, tigers, birds and whales; and decomposers: earthworms, bacteria and molds. Observing, recording, and evaluating can be employed so that children could arrive at a conclusion about a particular concept.
Do you remember making mud pies when you were small? You mixed soil and water together and shaped it with your hands. It took some practice to get the mud the proper consistency. If you used too much water it wouldn’t hold together. Likewise, if you used too much soil it would be to dry. It was important to get the right proportions of soil and water to achieve the proper balance necessary to make a mud pie.
