The “eighth continent” of rain forest canopy that encircles Earth at the Equator is in terrible danger. Half of it has fallen to loggers, been burned in fires, or been cleared for farming. Conservationists are working at fever pitch to raise awareness of the ecological riches represented by rain forests. “Ecological tourism,” also known as “eco-tourism,” is one method to teach people to value these precious places.

Grades K-4

For the Forest
Smokey Bear helped people learn about protecting forests from fire. World Wildlife Fund’s giant panda symbol makes people think about saving animals. Which creature could be a “spokesanimal” for preserving the rain forest canopy? Pick one and make posters.

Grades 4-8

Eco-Tourist
In the final scenes of “Exploring the High Frontier” you watched children exploring the rain forest canopy on walkways suspended high in the trees. Using guidebooks and the Internet, find out about eco-tours of rain forest countries. Plan your itinerary for an eco-trip. Where will you go? What will you see? How long will the trip take? How much will it cost? Once you have your plan in place, draw and write some imaginary postcards about what you saw there.

Song for the Rain Forest
Many important political events, from the labor movement to the civil rights movement, have had theme songs to rally people to the cause. Write a ballad or a rap song about the rain forest canopy. Set the song to a familiar tune, or make up the melody yourself. Get a few people together to perform the song for your class.

Grades 9-12

The Economics of Conservation
Many people believe the rain forest canopy should be preserved simply because it is there. But sometimes governments and developers need convincing scientific arguments for conserving natural areas. When you watched “Exploring the High Frontier” you learned that rain forest plants and insects wage a biological warfare with natural chemicals some of which we have never seen and do not yet understand. Find out more about the rain forest’s potential to deliver new kinds of medical treatments. Then write a speech for a political candidate whose platform includes saving the rain forest. Will your candidate win over the developers? That’s up to you!