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Making an aquarium ecosystem is such a great project. I think making an ecosystem, aquarium or not would be a great project to do during distant learning. I did a very similar project in high school and it was one of the most fun and memorable way for me to learn about ecosystems. I think this would work well for many different grade levels.
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I think making an aquarium ecosystem is such a creative idea to incorporate in your classroom. Students might even be able to use recycled materials for this project! That way if this project is used for distance learning most students could find material to use!
I think this would be very interactive and students would take pride in their projects!
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Hi Emma,
I think making and aquarium ecosystem is such a great idea! I remember getting so excited to make any project during grade school. It gives the students a fun way to learn about ecosystems. I also agree that it will be a great project for any grade level.
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Hi Emma! I also believe making an ecosystem is definitely one of the best ways to teach students about them! I remember doing one in elementary although the only live items we were allowed to have were plants while the 'animals' in the ecosystem were toys. I believe it was a good way for us to learn as kids are not very good with handling animals/insects on their own but it is defintely something many grade levels can work on!
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Emma,
I've never thought to do this. We have an aquarium set up for our class but making an aquarium ecosystem would be a great learning experience. Thanks for the idea!
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Hi Emma - I love the idea of making an aquarium ecosystem!
Does anyone have any thoughts on how to set it up and activities for learners?
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I've seen some great tutorials for enclosed ecosystems on youtube!
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From reading the interactive book, Flow of Matter and Energy in Ecosystems (attached for you to view), I relearned so much about ecosystems, matter, and energy. It had several interesting experiements, some involving studying and creating an ecosystem. It mentioned EcoSpheres, which can be purchased online. EcoSpheres are contained and sealed ecosystems that can survive without any outside help, other than sunlight, for a few years. I had never heard about EcoSpheres and found them to be really interesting.
The interactive book also mentioned that students could create their own sealed ecosystems. It did mention that it could take a few attempts to make sure that it has everything it needs to survive on its own, but I found this to be a really fun experiment idea. I think students would find this experiment really exciting. Prior to this, students could go into nature and study an ecosystem before creating their own. Here's a link to an article I read about a sealed ecosystem that has been around for 53 years!
I love the idea of using an aquarium as an example of an ecosystem in the classroom as well. Students could refer to the aquarium for so many topics like the food chain, matter, energy, life, death, decomposition, etc. Students could also take on the responsiblity of caretakers for the aquarium, each taking turns to feed fish. An aquarium would be an excellent resource for students in the classroom!
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Hi! I love this idea!
What a great way to incorporate a hands on learning experience during a time like this!
I love the idea of offering experiences for studnets to be creative, it is fun to compare and contrast all of the different projects.
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Making an aquarium sounds like the most creative idea I have heard so far! I would not have thought of the idea myself. This would give the students an idea of how they would make their own aquarium. I love the idea because of the fact that students can also discover other fish species they may not have heard about. Overall, this is a great and creative idea that would keep the students engaged.
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Hi! I love this idea as it can be used in or out of the classroom and individually or in groups! It's definitely a fun way to introduce ecosystems to students in an engaging way. Also can be very helpful and educational for those who don't live near bodies of water or the ocean and are unfamiliar with aquatic ecosystems. Great idea!
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I think this idea is awesome because it is an activity that can be done inside the classroom or out. Learning ecosystems is very important becuase it helps us learn the way of life of many different animals and how they thrive in their community. I founda a great link regarding aquatic ecosystems! nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/aquatic-ecosystems
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I think that this is a great activity to incorporate into the classroom. There are many ways in which you can incorporate cross-curricular lessons into this STEAM activity. For example, you could learn about fish populations in different waters and create graphs (math) and even create a collage of their aquariums using a variety of modes (art). I truly find that when students are able to engage in hands-on and relatable activities they are more likely to retain the information.
An even greater STEAM tie in would be creating an aquaponics system for students to invest in all year. Ioponics based out of Iowa, has created a video demonstrating how to create 'personal' 3 gallon systems for students. These systems created by college students and perfected by pre-service education students are a great educational tool to incorporate STEAM into the classroom. Students are able to practice observation skills, scientific reasoning skills, and engage in a fun hands-on minds-on STEAM activity. Here is a link to their website, wartburg.edu/ioponics, they even have free resources available for teachers!
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