EK Vol 38 Nature & YOU!

Nature provides food and water Much of our food comes from plants and trees that are pollinated by insects, small animals or the wind. We also fish our planet’s oceans and freshwater lakes, and use grasslands to grow crops and to graze livestock for meat. Nature provides our fresh water through

Let’s celebrate the many ways nature is essential to our lives, and to our happiness too! NATURE IN OUR LIVES

Earth’s thin life-giving biosphere

© Carmen Bouwer*

the water cycle – and we all know that every living organism needs water to survive.

Nature gives us life

Thank you to the armies of bees, wasps, butterflies, moths and beetles as well as birds and bats that pollinate flowers of the plants we (and other creatures) love to eat!

Earth is the only planet in our solar system with a biosphere that keeps the environment suitable for living organisms. The biosphere includes the land, oceans and air covering the planet’s surface. It extends from the ocean depths to about 30 kilometres above our heads, where the air becomes too thin and cold for life to survive. This protective layer provides the right temperature, air, water and climate conditions for all life on our planet.

© NASA

Nature gives us stuff We use trees for fuel, paper, furniture, houses, boats and other products. We also thatch roofs with grasses and make bricks from clay and clothing from animal skins and cotton. Some plants and sea creatures are harvested for medicines, and even the glass containers are made from nature’s sand!

STUDY TIP: Studying for a test? Take a break in nature and return re-energised!

Nature improves our health Exploring and interacting with nature, and even just looking out of a window at natural scenery, calms us and reduces the effects of high blood pressure, and breathing and heart illnesses. Being in nature with its huge diversity of life improves our energy and mood, lowers anxiety, and helps us to think more clearly. Nature promotes health and a sense of happiness and wellbeing. Nature enriches our lives It inspires creative art and music, and is important in cultural ceremonies worldwide. For example, water is used in many religious ceremonies for its cleansing and purifying properties. and to enjoy activities like picnicking, swimming and hiking. Nature is also the best classroom (we think) and our learning is never done! Nature’s different ecosystems also offer us places to relax

Nature enables energy We use the power of the wind and of the water in rivers, dams and oceans to produce electricity. Nature has also produced coal, oil and gas from ancient underground animal and plant remains, and we use them to fuel our cars and power stations.

How do YOU feel about nature?

Two thirds of South Africans today live in towns and cities. This number is increasing as people move away from the countryside. As city dwellers, we live busy lives and can forget that we too are a part of nature – and that nature is all around us. Some of us feel disconnected from nature if we aren’t able to visit the game parks and nature reserves that attract so many tourists to our country.

© Anke van Wyk/Depositphotos

Nature is beautifully interconnected All living things are connected to one another and their environments. Earth’s ecosystems remain healthy because nature tries to keep a balance in how they work. For example: • Ocean and air currents influence climate and rainfall patterns, and these in turn affect ecosystems and the plants and animals that live there. • The ocean’s tiny floating plants (called phytoplankton) produce about two thirds of the life-giving oxygen that we breathe! The oceans also absorb lots of carbon dioxide, helping to reduce global warming. • Rivers and wetlands store and clean our water, while river floodplains slow and store floodwater, releasing it later.

© Arina Habich/Depositphotos

Foundation & Intermediate (Life Skills), Intermediate (Natural Sciences & Technology)

CAPS FOR TEACHERS

© Igor Yaruta/Depositphotos

Nature does so much for us. Let’s give back and together protect our environment.

Words Roberta Griffiths

4 EnviroKids Vol. 38(2), Winter 2017

EnviroKids Vol. 38(2), Winter 2017 5

Words Roberta Griffiths