hcho15.html

	The folks in my neighborhood cleaned up an area for a new park. They put a small pond in the middle of it.	My Dad thought it would be nice to add koi...those fancy goldfish. The pet store people said the koi would be more comfortable if we made the pond like their natural ecosystem.
	An ecosystem is like a neighborhood in nature. It's how a community of plants and animals and their surroundings interact. So we lined the bottom of the pond with rocks and plants that grow in water.
	We also added freshwater snails. They feed on decaying matter at the bottom of the pond and help keep it clean.	When we were all done...voila! We had made our own watery ecosystem!

Hey Home Crew, make your own miniature ecosystem!


	An empty 2 liter bottle (or a really big jar with a cover)
	Pebbles
	Soil (potting soil or soil from your yard)
	Water
	Any kind of plants or grass (roots and all)

	Make your own ecosystem by building a terrarium in a bottle. Collect small rocks and plants (roots and all) from your backyard, a park, or a field. You may also find some tiny insects that live on the plants and rocks.
	Then, make sure you have a good container. If you use a 2 liter plastic bottle, have an adult cut it in half length-wise (the long way).
	Cover the bottom of the terrarium with pebbles for drainage. Cover the pebbles with about 2 inches of soil. Pat the soil just a little bit.
	Now, landscape! Water the soil until it's damp. Then, make holes in the soil for the plants to go in. Put the plants in, and pat the soil around them. Add other natural items. Water everything lightly.
	Cover your terrarium with a lid or plastic wrap. Poke one or two holes in the top. Put the terrarium in a bright spot, but not in the direct sunlight. You should be able to see water droplets on the inside of the lid after the first day or so. If there are no water droplets, water some more.
*What happens to the plants in your terrarium?* *Is your terrarium like a real forest or field?*

Ecosystems are communities of plants and animals and their immediate surroundings (the air, rocks, soil, altitude, etc.). An ecosystem can be in a desert, a tropical jungle, an ocean or a pond. Sometimes an ecosystem can even be a tiny area like your very own terrarium.

When animals and plants can live together in balance for huge amounts of time, we say that the ecosystem is 'stable.' On the other hand, if there's a disturbance like a new strip mall coming through or some kind of chemical spill, then plants and animals can die and the balance can be thrown out of whack. Then we say that the ecosystem is 'unstable.'

What about where you live Home Crew? Do you live in a stable or unstable ecosystem? To find out, do some research to learn what kinds of plants and animals are indigenous (natural) to your area. Have any animals and plants disappeared that were once common? If so, learn what you can do to help your local ecosystem stay balanced!