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.
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.
Get ready to journey into some of the most extreme places on Earth — the deserts! From the towering dunes of the Namib and the sunbaked Kalahari to the rugged Australian Outback and the icy sands of the Gobi, these ecosystems are full of surprising life. After watching our videos, challenge your students to become ecosystem experts by creating their own colorful report filled with fascinating facts. (They’ll need to dig deeper with extra research, too!) Inside the brochure, students will uncover and share:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live in the ecosystem
- Three plants that grow in the ecosystem
- The climate of the ecosystem
- What makes the ecosystem important
- Their favorite fun facts
Your students will summarize the most important details in their own words while keeping it clear and easy to understand. As they choose what to include, they’ll sharpen their ability to evaluate and combine information from different sources. Best of all, they’ll show off their creativity and communication skills by designing a brochure that’s as fun to read as it is informative!
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?
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.
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.
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.
Get ready to journey into some of the most extreme places on Earth — the deserts! From the towering dunes of the Namib and the sunbaked Kalahari to the rugged Australian Outback and the icy sands of the Gobi, these ecosystems are full of surprising life. After watching our videos, challenge your students to become ecosystem experts by creating their own colorful report filled with fascinating facts. (They’ll need to dig deeper with extra research, too!) Inside the brochure, students will uncover and share:
- Location of the ecosystem on a world map
- Adjectives that describe the ecosystem
- Three animals that live in the ecosystem
- Three plants that grow in the ecosystem
- The climate of the ecosystem
- What makes the ecosystem important
- Their favorite fun facts
Your students will summarize the most important details in their own words while keeping it clear and easy to understand. As they choose what to include, they’ll sharpen their ability to evaluate and combine information from different sources. Best of all, they’ll show off their creativity and communication skills by designing a brochure that’s as fun to read as it is informative!
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?
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.