For Kids and Teachers

'Neighborhood habitat restoration' is a fun conservation project for kids of all ages. Would you like to restore native habitats in your own neighborhood? Would you like to attract more wildlife? Would you like to protect the world's ecosystems? This page describes one simple and effective way to do these things and more. If you accept this mission, you will be joining a special fellowship of protectors.

As kids, you have special powers to make positive things happen. Know your power and you will be pleasantly surprised with what you can accomplish using just a little effort and creativity. You can do this project by yourself, with a parent, with a friend, or with your class. This project is a game. The objective of the game is to convince your parents and your neighbors to replace the plants on their yard with native plant species.

A species is a type of animal or plant that can reproduce with individuals of the same type. A native species is one that existed in your area before colonists introduced species from other continents or regions. We will begin the game by giving your neighbors some seeds of trees that are native to your area and asking these neighbors to plant those seeds in their yard. You will need to find out which species of trees are native to your local area, and whether those species still exist there.

There are several ways to get this information: (1) you can ask your librarian how to find this information; (2) you can contact a native plant society in your region; (3) you can contact the botany department of a nearby university; (4) you can get a field guide to the plants of your region that distinguishes native from invasive species; (5) you can search the web for native plant guides. Once you have identified the tree species that you want to use for your project, you will need to determine the time of year that the plant produces and drops its seeds (usually during late summer).

Find a tree of this species and collect enough seeds for 20 families in your neighborhood. Collect 40 seeds if you wish to give each family two seeds. You can collect the seeds from the tree or from the ground, but try to find seeds that look healthy. The seeds should be planted during the same time of year in which they were collected.

Make 20 copies of the following form, complete the form, and use scotch tape to attach the seeds to each form. Then go with one of your parents to 20 of your neighbors' homes, knock on the front door and present the seeds as a gift. Explain that you would like their help to restore this native tree species in the neighborhood. If possible, give them the location of the tree from which you collected the seeds so that they can see the type of tree that the seeds will become.

Hello, I am the seed of a ___________ tree. My scientific name is _____________ ____________. My species is native to this area, and I used to be much more common than I am today. Please plant me in your yard as soon as possible and protect me until I am big and strong. I would also appreciate it if you would surround me with other plants that are native to this local area rather than non-native ornamental shrubbery and grass. I will attract interesting native wildlife and together we can help restore native ecosystems for future generations. Here are some special instructions for my care. If you have any questions, please contact ________________ at _______________, or Conservation Science Institute at www.conservationinstitute.org.