Target group: Children ages 7+

Topic: Scientists Ecology

Time required: Minimum of one double lesson; the project can also be extended over a whole week and is suitable for a children’s birthday party, project days before the holidays, …

Description:

Robin Wall Kimmerer is a professor in the Department of Biology and Ecology at SUNY ESF. Kimmerer is known for researching and Western science and indigenous environmental knowledge, as well as their intersection. As an activist, she is committed to the preservation of ecosystems, to a reflective, allied coexistence of humans and nature, and to ecological (traditional) economic practices. She is a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, the original inhabitants of Indiana, USA, who were later displaced to Kansas, and then later to Oklahoma. The Potawatomi pass on their knowledge over the generations through actions like practical observation and imitation, but also through legends. Wall Kimmerer states: “Indigenous knowledge is based on the principle that you only understand something when you have grasped it with all four aspects of your existence: Mind, body, feeling and spirit” (source introduction, xxx)

In Robin Wall Kimmerer, children can find a female researcher who does not conform to the usual (stereotypical) ideas due to her gender and origin, among other things. There are still fewer women in the natural sciences, technology, engineering, and computer sciences than there are men. Non-stereotypical role models encourage children to curiously explore their abilities and possibilities.

Mosses are one of Robin Wall Kimmerer’s specialties. Find below a detailed excursion activity for young learners:

Moss Excursion Activity

The children go on a short excursion around the school or to a nearby forest.

Preparation:

Prepare the following for the class or let the children know well in advance that they should bring the following with them on the excursion:

• a large jar (pickle jar, preserving jar, etc.)
• a magnifying glass, if possible
• a clipboard
• a writing utensil. Note: older children can use a smartphone for documentation.

Option: If you want to do the project all in one day, collect a hand-sized amount of moss a few days beforehand and let it dry for use in experiments.

Moss Collection and Exhibition:
In this part, you will be exploring the area around the school with the children and setting up a moss collection.

Start by explaining to the children that mosses are a very complex little world and that they should collect them very carefully.

Have each child or small group palm-sized pieces of moss; bigger sizes are not necessary. The moss should be carefully removed from its attached surface. It’s recommended that teachers demonstrate moss removal for the children before beginning. For each piece of moss, the children should note down the following:

• Where the moss was found (on tree bark, on walls, under trees, in the meadow, etc.)
• How it feels
• What it looks like

Note: Older children can also document their finds with their smartphone without removing the mosses. It may be possible to find out what the mosses are called using an image search (e.g. Google Lens).

Run Experiments:

Once back in the classroom, there are different experiments that can then be run on the moss collection. Allow a few days for the moss to dry out before conducting these experiments. Moss can withstand being completely dried out without presenting any problems.

Show the mosses’ ability to regenerate (10 min.)
Material: completely dried out moss, a small container, water

Process: Soak the moss completely in water. Over the course of just a few minutes, it should transform from being grey and stiff into a fluffy green cushion of moss again.

Takeaway: Despite being dried out and otherwise “dead”, moss has the unique ability to completely regenerate just by soaking in water!

Show water storage capacity of mosses (15 min.)
Material: dry moss, container, a scale; optional: other natural materials (e.g. grass, leaves, stones)

Process: Fill a small cup half full with water and weigh it on the scale. Then add the moss, allow it to soak up the water, and remove it again. Weigh the cup again to determine the amount of water that the moss has absorbed.

For comparison, you can also do the same with other dried materials from nature (grass, fresh leaves, stones, foliage, wood) and then compare the results.

Takeaway: Mosses are very important as water reservoirs in forests. They can store six to seven times their weight in water when it rains. They then slowly release the water back into the soil. Mosses fulfill an important function for the forest by retaining water and making it available for a long time. This also reduces the risk of flooding.

Optional Classroom Additions:

• The advantage of being small (for young children):
  Robin Wall Kimmerer writes about the miniature worlds of mosses and being small:
  “But being small does not mean being unsuccessful. From a biological point of view, mosses are successful: they inhabit almost every ecosystem on Earth and there are 22,000 different species. Just as my little niece finds small places to hide, mosses can live in the most diverse micro-communities where being large would be a disadvantage. Whether in the cracks of the pavement, on the branches of an oak tree, on the back of a beetle, or on the edge of a cliff – mosses can fill all the small empty spaces between larger plants. Because they are marvelously adapted to life in miniature, mosses derive the greatest advantages from their small size and only outgrow themselves at their own peril. ” (In: Das Sammeln von Moos. Matthes & Seiz, Berlin 2023, p. 29)
  Discussion: Have the children consider when it is helpful to be small.
• What are your favorite plants? (for children and young persons): Have the class ask their family or other adults close to them about plants they love, why they love them, where they can be found, how they are cared for, and what they are used for. Have them research this at home and share one of their findings with the class.
• What does moss do? (group activity for young persons): Have the learners try to find out, or research, what mosses are important for. Have them consider uses for humans, for animals, and for ecosystems. Some possible uses may include: wound treatment, insulation/padding, collecting menstrual blood, and as water reservoires.

For more inspiration, check out these resources for other projects with springs, foresst, and moss:

Robin Wall Kimmerer: Das Sammeln von Moos; Matthes & Seitz Verlag 2023 and Geflochtenes Süßgras ; Aufbau Verlag 2021 (Location CID Library: UM KIM)

Liz Lee Heinecke: Ecology for kids. Science Experiments and Activities by Awesome Ecologists – past and present. (The Kitchen Pantry Scientist, Quarto 2023);; CID Library location: MS 16 HEI ; chapter on Robin Wall Kimmerer pages 89-94)

She Can STEM by Liz Lee Heinecke will be published in spring 2024 Book (hardcover) 20,49 €

Further experiments and sources:

https://www.c-and-a.com/ch/de/shop/experimente-im-wald-fuer-kinder

https://baden-wuerttemberg.nabu.de/imperia/md/content/badenwuerttemberg/jugendbegleiter/ohnemoos.pdf