Guess the habitat

Do you know what a habitat is? Could you name all of the different habitats in your outdoor space?

This activity introduces the concept of habitats and how there can be many different types of living things within your outdoor space. Learners will be encouraged to look carefully at the differences in spaces and relate this to their learning site. They will begin to understand and explore the different living things found within each habitat, and why they might be found there, by matching image cards to the correct habitat name.

If you have carried out mapping activities such as X Marks the Spot or Garden Detectives, older learners can use this knowledge to create a map of their site, adding what habitats they think they have onto the map.

Getting to know your space

< 30 minutes

EYFS

KS1

Preparation

What you need

Habitat cards, one set per group
Optional, for extension: Wildlife cards, one set per group

Location

Inside or outside

Useful guidance

Resources

Guess the Habitat Activity Guide.pdf 755.23 KB

Guess the Habitat Card Pack.pdf 5.02 MB

Guess the Habitat - Wildlife Extension Cards.pdf 6.89 MB

Step by step

To begin the activity, introduce the cards to the group by displaying each habitat image, asking learners to tell you what each image is.
Split learners into small groups of around 4 – each group will need a facilitator to show the cards and guide the activity.
In each group, show each image card to the learners, and ask them to match it to the correct name. You can also ask learners if you have this habitat in your site – why not explore outside to see if you can identify any of the habitats on the card in your outdoor space?
You can also ask what wildlife/creatures would be supported by this habitat - why not use the additional wildlife cards and prompts to extend this activity?

Reflection

Invite learners to reflect on the activity by asking:

How many habitats do you have in your site?
Could we create more?

Curriculum links

This activity can be used to support curriculum knowledge and skill development in science and communication and language, alongside enhancing nature education, with age appropriate adaptations.

What to try next