Nature All Around Us: What Environmental Scientists Study
Have you ever wondered why some days the sky looks hazy and smoky? Or where a butterfly goes when it rains? Scientists called environmental scientists study the air, water, soil, plants, and animals all around us—and how they all fit together. Everything in nature is connected, like the pieces of a giant puzzle!
What You'll Learn
1. Name the four main parts of the environment: air, water, soil, and living things. 2. Give examples of animals, plants, and places that environmental scientists study. 3. Explain what a scientist does when they observe nature. 4. Understand why keeping the environment healthy matters for all living things.
What Is the Environment?
The environment is everything around you—the ground under your feet, the air you breathe, the rain falling from clouds, the trees in the yard, the bugs under a log, and the water in a puddle. Every one of these things matters and belongs. People who study the environment are called ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTISTS. They ask questions like: Is this river clean enough for fish to live in? Why are bees disappearing from gardens? How does litter in the park affect birds and squirrels? Then they go outside and look very, very carefully to find real answers.
The Four Parts of the Environment
Scientists think about the environment in four big parts: AIR: The mix of gases all around us. We breathe it. Birds fly through it. Trees need it to make food from sunlight. Clean air keeps everyone healthy. WATER: Oceans, rivers, lakes, rain puddles, and ice. About 71 out of every 100 patches of Earth's surface are covered with water—most of it ocean. SOIL: The dirt and ground under our feet. Healthy soil is full of life—billions of tiny bacteria and helpful worms and insects in every handful. LIVING THINGS: Plants, animals, fungi (like mushrooms), and tiny organisms too small to see. Scientists call all living things organisms.
Scientists observe—they look very carefully and write down or draw what they see. Right now, look out a window and find three living things and three non-living things. Write them down. That is real environmental observation!
How the Four Parts Help Each Other
The four parts of the environment take care of each other. Trees need air, water, and soil to grow. Birds eat seeds from trees. Worms loosen the soil so plants can grow better. Rain fills rivers so fish have a home. If one part gets hurt, the others feel it too. Dirty air makes it harder for animals and people to breathe. Trash thrown into a river makes fish sick. Covering all the soil with concrete means plants cannot grow and birds have nowhere to find food. Environmental scientists find out what is hurting the environment—and help us fix it before it is too late.
A scientist notices that frogs near a pond are getting sick. What would an environmental scientist MOST LIKELY do first?
Which of these is BEST described as part of the environment?
My Neighborhood Nature Map
Go outside or look out a window and be an environmental scientist for 10 minutes. 1. Draw a simple map of what you can see — your yard, a street, a park, or just the view from your window. 2. On your map, mark where you notice AIR clues: a leaf blowing, smoke from a chimney, birds gliding. 3. Mark where you see WATER: puddles, a hose, rain on glass, a pond or fountain. 4. Mark where you see SOIL or ground: bare dirt, grass, a garden bed, a flower pot. 5. Draw or write the names of at least 3 living things you see — a tree, a bug, a bird, a squirrel. 6. Share your map with a family member. Tell them one thing about nature near your home that surprised you.
Match each environment word to its real-life example.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
Flashcards — click each card to reveal the answer
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