Water Cycle

• Water is one of the earth’s natural resources that makes it possible for this planet to sustain life. Children might not understand that no new water is ever created and water is merely recycled over and over again as it passes through its various forms. Demonstrate the cycles of this natural resource to first-graders through a lesson in which you place a cup of water on a desk and demonstrate over several days how it evaporates. Explain that evaporated water returns to the earth’s surface in the form of condensation or rain. Expand this lesson to include a message of sustainability by explaining to children that each time the water returns to the earth’s surface, it must be processed again so it is clean and safe for drinking and bathing. Therefore, even though no water can be lost from the earth, wasting water still wastes energy.
  
  

Energy

• Humans capture natural resources as energy sources for homes, cars and other machines. Teach children about natural energy sources, such as wind and solar power, through lessons that demonstrate how these resources are captured and used. For example, conduct a lesson on wind and sun energy by giving each first-grader a plastic windmill toy and bringing the class outside while a breeze is blowing. Children will witness how the wind spins their windmills in a manifestation of a natural energy resource. Explain that commercial windmills harvest this energy for use by humans. Similarly, children will feel the warmth of the sun on their skin. Explain that this is a manifestation of a natural resource in the form of solar energy, which is captured by solar panels.
  
  

Plant Growth

• Once children understand elements of the ecosystem, such as wind, water and sun, they are ready to learn about life cycles and the transfer of energy, which can help them to better understand natural resources. Emphasize these concepts with lessons in which children can view the gradual effects of natural resources. For example, help each first-grader plant a seed in a small outdoor garden or a paper cup. Explain that the plants need access to sunlight so they can conduct photosynthesis and turn the sun’s rays into the energy they need to grow. Children will witness a physical manifestation of natural resources at work when their seeds begin to sprout.
  
  

Natural Resources and the Food Chain

• As students learn about natural resources, they can begin to understand the ways in which they are linked and how they work together to sustain life on earth. Help first-graders make these connections by demonstrating the way herbivorous animals consume plants that draw energy from the sun, while omnivores and carnivores gain energy by consuming other animals in a natural cycle of resource exchange. For example, conduct a lesson on the food cycle by taking children on a field trip to observe grazing cattle. You also can show videos of herds on African savannahs being hunted by carnivorous predators. Viewing an example of the transfer of energy derived from natural resources from one life form to another enables students to better understand the role of these resources in the ecosystem.