EXPERIENCE > YOUTH ACTIVITIES
Nature is the ultimate recycler. Whether it’s blades of grass breaking up asphalt to reach sunshine, or the numerous tiny insects devouring the wood of an old farmhouse, nothing goes to waste. It’s the same with marine life. For example, the sunken ship which becomes, in just a few years, an artificial reef teeming with fish and invertebrates. Sometimes abandoned structures like building, bridges or ships actually become ecosystems in miniature.
Nature is the ultimate recycler. Whether it’s blades of grass breaking up asphalt to reach sunshine, or the numerous tiny insects devouring the wood of an old farmhouse, nothing goes to waste. It’s the same with marine life. For example, the sunken ship which becomes, in just a few years, an artificial reef teeming with fish and invertebrates. Sometimes abandoned structures like building, bridges or ships actually become ecosystems in miniature.
Choose a Feature to Explore:
Ready to Find Your Own Life in Ruins?
If you’re looking for an interesting school project or activity on observing nature, you might consider looking at life in an abandoned place.
But first, a word of warning. Abandoned places are often dangerous, so you need to make sure you’re not putting yourself in harm’s way. Take a parent or another responsible adult with you and do not go climbing in or around any abandoned structure unless you know it’s safe. Remember that the purpose of this exercise is to observe and catalogue different species of plants and animals, not to endanger yourself or others. Before you head out, review our Outdoor Etiquette and Outdoor Safety guidelines.
To help you with your exploration, download and print out the guides and worksheets shown at the bottom of this page. After this is completed and you have taken all the necessary precautions and have parental assistance, follow these steps:
But first, a word of warning. Abandoned places are often dangerous, so you need to make sure you’re not putting yourself in harm’s way. Take a parent or another responsible adult with you and do not go climbing in or around any abandoned structure unless you know it’s safe. Remember that the purpose of this exercise is to observe and catalogue different species of plants and animals, not to endanger yourself or others. Before you head out, review our Outdoor Etiquette and Outdoor Safety guidelines.
To help you with your exploration, download and print out the guides and worksheets shown at the bottom of this page. After this is completed and you have taken all the necessary precautions and have parental assistance, follow these steps:
Locate an abandoned human structure. For an aquatic environment, this doesn’t have to be a sunken ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, of course. It could be something as simple as an old shipwreck on a public beach, a deserted pier at the edge of a duck pond, or a forgotten fishing shack at the local lake. |
Spend as long as you can at the site. Record how each animal and plant species appears to be using the abandoned structure, (for example: “birds sit on the gutters” or “ferns are growing on the wooden roof.”) Keep in mind that some species of plants and animals may be very small (like ants and lichens) and will require you to look more carefully. |
Formulate conclusions about how the species you saw interacted. For example, did the presence of crabs attract birds which might feed on them? Were tall structures more or less likely to appeal to birds of prey? Did the structure provide the observed animals with food, shelter or both? How were plants using the structure to grow? Did you find any evidence of animals using the area to nest and rear young? |
Downloadable Exploration Items:
Other Features Related to Abandoned Places:
Secrets of Shipwrecks: This feature will let you expand your discovery of shipwrecks from the Oregon Coast and around the world.
Buried Treasure on Neahkahnie Mountain: Three young Oceanscape Network volunteers take to the beaches and mountains of the Oregon Coast in search of an ancient pirate legend involving murder, ghosts and undiscovered treasure.
Buried Treasure on Neahkahnie Mountain: Three young Oceanscape Network volunteers take to the beaches and mountains of the Oregon Coast in search of an ancient pirate legend involving murder, ghosts and undiscovered treasure.