Learning about biomes at a young age is an invaluable experience that fosters curiosity, environmental awareness, and a deep appreciation for the diversity of our planet. Biomes, or distinct ecological communities with their unique climates, plants and animals, offer a fascinating window into the interconnectedness of life on Earth. By understanding biomes, children can grasp the delicate balance of nature and develop a sense of responsibility towards environmental stewardship.
In this tutorial, we will explore an engaging and interactive way to introduce biomes to young learners: educational biome cards. These cards are versatile tools that can be at home, in classrooms, or even while traveling! They will provide an immersive learning experience that sparks the imagination and cultivates a lifelong love for the natural world. So let’s dive in and discover how these biome cards can become an invaluable resource in the hands of both educators and children alike!
Materials Needed
– Portable Cutter or Scissors
– Rubber Cement
– 12 pieces of White Cardstock (to print the biome cards on)
– 12 pieces of Colored Cardstock (choose a color that matches the biome you are working with!)
-Laminator
-Laminating Sheets
-Biome Card Set (Our ready to print sets are linked below, though you are always welcome to make your own!)
Montessori Grasshopper Biome Card Sets
Tropical Rainforest
Temperate Forest
Desert
Tundra
Taiga
Grasslands
Savanna
Freshwater
Marine
Ice
Step by Step Directions
This tutorial will work for any of our biome card sets
-Purchase and download the set of biome cards you are working with. Once downloaded, open and print the “Ready-To-Print Biome Cards” file and send to a color printer! In order to establish control of error, we will be backing our cards with a colored cardstock that matches our biome map.
-Once printed, we are going to cut the cards to be a little smaller. Before cutting in half, I took an inch off every side of the 8.5×11″ paper. This means you will make 4 cuts and take one inch off the left, top, right, and bottom sides of the paper.
-After trimming each of the edges, you can cut the paper in half to make individual cards. You should be able to align the cut at 4.5 inches. Do this with all of your printed pieces of paper, both the images and descriptions.
-Once all of your biome cards are cut, it is time to cut your backing paper. We want this to be slightly larger than your biome cards. I chose to cut it to 5.5″x7.5″. If you plan to follow our tutorial for making the biome card pouches, be sure not to go bigger than this size!
IMPORTANT: As a reminder, we want to design our materials with control of error in mind whenever possible. This means as we work through creating a set of biome cards and biome maps, we should try to use the same colors across all materials. For example, I plan to use a tealish blue to represent the tundra. That means I want to back my cards in this blue color, use a matching color for my biome card pouch, and be sure I choose the same color in fabric or paper when creating my maps. This allows the children to easily recognize which cards belong in which biome, without the help of an adult.
-Next, use rubber cement to glue the image on one side of your backing paper, and your description on the other side.
-After gluing all of your biome cards together, I like to let them sit for a bit with some heavy books on top of them to make sure everything is really stuck.
-Next, you will warm up your laminator and start putting your cards in laminating sheets. Try to ensure there is space between the cards so they are fully protected once cut out!
-After they are laminated, trim the cards so there is a bit of an edge around the paper to protect from spills and eager children.
-Once trimmed your biome cards are complete! This whole process should take 45-60 minutes.
-If you plan to make a set of cards for each biome, one beautiful way to store them is by creating a matching pouch for your cards to live in. Keep your eyes peeled for my next tutorial on how to use fabric and your Cricut machine to make this pouch in only 30 minutes!
Thanks for reading and happy creating!