Ecology

Did you know that most of the molecules in your body came out of the ground through a volcano at one time or another? Amazing facts like this – and many other intriguing tidbits about our world – are featured in Ecology. For kids who are curious about our relationship to nature and the environment, this issue is a must-read. Start off with a graphic that explains the six levels of study in ecology: from the individual organism to the biome (an area of the world with a particular climate and specific types of plants and animals). A handy graphic shows the 10 different biomes found on Earth – from icy tundra to tropical rain forest – and examines the flora and fauna that populate each one.

Get kids interested in ecology with charts showing how food chains and food webs operate, and with a sidebar on “nature’s clean-up squad”: the parasites and organisms that keep the cycle of life in motion. The balance of nature and how humans are impacting it is a recurring theme, and the work of ecologists to reduce that impact is explained with cool examples. Ecology for kids also gets interactive with “amateur ecologist” experiments that make kids aware of just how vital it is to protect our living Earth.