Guide your students on a journey through the desert ecosystem! From the sweeping sands of the Namib and Kalahari in southern Africa, to the dry heart of Australia’s Outback, and the rocky cold of the Gobi, deserts come in many forms.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the desert. (Don't miss the lions and lizards!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Wilderness With Simon Reeve, Africa, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Desert Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
In How Plants Travel and Grow, narrator Sir David Attenborough discovers how plants spread their seeds, even though they can’t move! Deep in the Borneo forests, plants use wind to give their seeds wings — like the Alsomitra vine’s gliding seeds that soar hundreds of meters on a gentle breeze. In Arizona, the saguaro cactus relies on bats to pollinate its flowers, which bloom for just one cool night before fading. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
Deserts aren't empty — they're some of the most extreme, most surprising ecosystems on Earth. From the towering dunes of the Namib and the sunbaked Kalahari to the rugged Australian Outback and the icy sands of the Gobi, life finds a way.
After watching desert video clips, have students dig deeper with their own research and build a brochure covering:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live there
- Three plants that grow there
- The climate
- Why the ecosystem matters
- Their favorite fun facts
Students summarize in their own words, which means they're practicing a real skill: pulling information from multiple sources and deciding what's worth keeping. The brochure format gives them room to make it their own
In Cacti, Hawks, and the Butcherbird, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows how animals in the American deserts use cacti as a vital resource for survival. Learn how the butcherbird stores its prey on cactus spikes and how hawks and other creatures adapt to the harsh desert environment. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Hey, kiddos! Doctor Bingo's office is full of patients in a pickle. She needs your help to fix 'em up. Start by filling out a patient form for Honey... or anyone else. Doctor Bingo will see you know! Next, help the rest of the patients:
- Snickers has cuddled a cactus! Ouch! Color band-aids on him
- Indy's arms fell off when she hung out the washing! Draw some new ones for her
- Lucky has a croc on his head! What will help?
- Rusty is burping hippos! How many are there?
Guide your students on a journey through the desert ecosystem! From the sweeping sands of the Namib and Kalahari in southern Africa, to the dry heart of Australia’s Outback, and the rocky cold of the Gobi, deserts come in many forms.
✨ Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:
- Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the desert. (Don't miss the lions and lizards!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Wilderness With Simon Reeve, Africa, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
- Free Printable: Use the Desert Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).
It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.
In How Plants Travel and Grow, narrator Sir David Attenborough discovers how plants spread their seeds, even though they can’t move! Deep in the Borneo forests, plants use wind to give their seeds wings — like the Alsomitra vine’s gliding seeds that soar hundreds of meters on a gentle breeze. In Arizona, the saguaro cactus relies on bats to pollinate its flowers, which bloom for just one cool night before fading. This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
Deserts aren't empty — they're some of the most extreme, most surprising ecosystems on Earth. From the towering dunes of the Namib and the sunbaked Kalahari to the rugged Australian Outback and the icy sands of the Gobi, life finds a way.
After watching desert video clips, have students dig deeper with their own research and build a brochure covering:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live there
- Three plants that grow there
- The climate
- Why the ecosystem matters
- Their favorite fun facts
Students summarize in their own words, which means they're practicing a real skill: pulling information from multiple sources and deciding what's worth keeping. The brochure format gives them room to make it their own
In Cacti, Hawks, and the Butcherbird, narrator Sir David Attenborough shows how animals in the American deserts use cacti as a vital resource for survival. Learn how the butcherbird stores its prey on cactus spikes and how hawks and other creatures adapt to the harsh desert environment. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Hey, kiddos! Doctor Bingo's office is full of patients in a pickle. She needs your help to fix 'em up. Start by filling out a patient form for Honey... or anyone else. Doctor Bingo will see you know! Next, help the rest of the patients:
- Snickers has cuddled a cactus! Ouch! Color band-aids on him
- Indy's arms fell off when she hung out the washing! Draw some new ones for her
- Lucky has a croc on his head! What will help?
- Rusty is burping hippos! How many are there?