Nature will bear the closest inspection. She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain. — Henry David Thoreau, 19th-century Transcendentalist

This session studies the interdependent web through the lens of "habitat," an environment that supports the life needs of all the plants and creatures living in it. Children think about the many needs a habitat supplies. Through the story "Habitat at Home," children discover ways they can act in their own environment to help animal co-dwellers meet their basic life needs.

Goals

This session will:

• Demonstrate the elements of support that people and other organisms need to live
• Evoke empathy for all members of the interdependent web of life
• Foster awe and appreciation for how an ecosystem works
• Reinforce the seventh Unitarian Universalist Principle, "respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part."

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

• Talk about human life needs
• Learn the function of habitats
• Discover ways they can support animal habitats, and become inspired to take action.