Imagine a world that fits inside of your pocket. What kinds of things would you expect to find? Would your process of observation change? How would zooming in on such a small scale impact your interactions with the world around you? 

At this month’s Schoolyard Network call, teachers and educators from around the country explored just that – the pocket worlds, or microhabitats, that exist all around us. In this open-ended exercise, students (of all ages!) explore a habitat and its diversity, then document it in a format that makes sense to them. For this round of Pocket Worlds teachers chose either mapping, writing a story, or using a comic strip as a format to share their observations. But those aren’t the only ways to share! You can always feel free to branch out to include other ‘products’ such as letter writing, drawing a web, making a table or a graph – the possibilities are endless!

After watching the Pocket Worlds episode of Weekly Wonder and exploring a pocket world of their own, teachers came together and shared their work. See a couple of examples below and picture the microhabitats they were exploring along the way!

Ode to a Violet by Bonnie Ervin
Brave little plant!
7 heart-shaped leaves for you, 4 for one of your neighbors.
Head held high, a purple flower waves in the breeze,
With a throat of yellow and white stripes.
The garden space is carpeted in green and purple –
Cheeky little violets bringing joy to the spring.

A Succulent Surprise by Dianne Forry
I am a young succulent living in a pot with two other succulents. It’s a little crowded in here, lady! My caregiver has been gone, and do I have a surprise for her! Winter is over and the sun has been shining on me, and lo and behold,  I’m growing! I have a blossom! It’s not the prettiest one in the world of succulents, but very unique. It’s a tendril with a 2-inch stem with little flowers hanging off in a rather graceful curve, if I do say so myself! The color isn’t exciting, yet the light green is a nice contrast to my mottled olive green with a shiny reddish underside on my leaves. I’m wondering if this is my lone bloom or if there will be more. I’m going to stick around and wait and see. 

Trying Pocket Worlds out in your schoolyard? Use the Weekly Wonder video and this lesson plan as a guide! Have ideas for how to use this activity? Pictures or videos of your students engaging with these microhabitats? Send them our way – we’d love to hear from you!

Interested in more educator content like this? Tap into a network of teachers and local resource providers during friendly, informal monthly professional development and sharing sessions. The Schoolyard Network will provide ideas and encouragement for you to take back to your classroom, focusing on better teaching and learning using the environment as an integrating concept. There is no cost to participate. 

Want more Weekly Wonder? Weekly Wonder is a virtual program designed to be accessible for learners of all ages—whether from the park, the parking lot, or the schoolyard. No expensive gear, no need to travel to distant wild places, and no specialized skills or experience necessary! These videos are free to access and many are accompanied by lesson plans and additional resources.

Cover image by Michelle Jenkins