What Kids Can Do To Help
Protect Endangered Species And Their Habitats
Here Are Eight Ways That Kids
Can Get Involved Too!
Draw Pictures - You can find out which species on the
endangered species list live in your area and why
they are endangered. Then draw a picture of the animal and the biggest threats
to its survival. If you need a picture of the species, you can probably find
one at your public library. Send the picture, along with a short letter
explaining why you drew it, to your Senator or Representative. Be sure and tell them how you feel about endangered species.
Write
A Letter - You can
write a short letter to your U.S. Senators and Representative, the people who
are in charge of the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. law that protects
endangered species. Write in your own words how you feel about endangered
species and when you think it is important to protect them. You can use
information on our endangered species web pages for ideas. In your letter, you
might select a species that is of particular interest to you and discuss why
you feel so strongly about that species. Letters like yours help senators and
representatives know how people in the districts they represent feel about
endangered species protections.
Addresses:
|
To a Representative:
|
To a Senator:
|
|
The Honorable (name)
|
The Honorable (name)
|
|
U.S. House of Representatives
|
U.S. Senate
|
|
Washington, DC 20515
|
Washington, DC 20510
|
If your parents do not know the name of your U.S. Senators or
Representative, you can call your local library to find out.
Make Masks And Costumes -
Based on a picture of an endangered species, make a mask or a costume using
paper mache, paper bags, construction paper, or whatever you can find around
the house or in the art room at school. You can even make it a group project
or a game at a party. When you finish, maybe you and your friends can wear
your costumes and march in a parade. Be sure to take photographs.
Make Puppets - Find
photographs from magazines or books of endangered species. From these images,
create a puppet that looks like your favorite endangered animal. You can use
socks, buttons, glitter, felt, orange juice cans, small bowls, plastic and aluminum
wrap, glue, thread and needle, magic markers, pipe cleaners, and other
odds and ends to make your puppets. Once you have made your puppet, you can
create a story explaining why the species has become endangered. Use your
local library and the internet to research why the species is endangered.
Using your puppet, tell your story to an audience.
Make A Storybook - Select
a single, or many, endangered species that interest you. Do research in your
local library and on the internet to learn more about the species. Determine
where they live and why, what they eat, what eats them, who shares their home,
and why they are endangered. Draw pictures to illustrate your story. Share
your storybook with others.
Personal Reading - Read
and learn as much about endangered species as you can. Your local library is
probably the best place to begin. You could look in encyclopedias, reference
books, picture books, storybooks, magazines, and even cd-roms using a
computer.
Local Species Research -
Research to determine if there are any endangered species in your hometown.
Try to find out what other people in your community are doing for these
species. Perhaps you can interview them and ask why they are interested, and
what they are doing.
Tell Others! - Share your
new knowledge with others. Tell them about endangered species and explain why
they are endangered. Encourage others to learn more about endangered species.
Let them know that together, we can all make a difference.