Nature Builders for Kids: How Animals Change Their Homes (Kindergarten and Grade 1 Science)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. People build houses, but animals are builders too! Many animals change the place where they live so they can stay safe, raise babies and find food.

Beavers are amazing builders. They chew down trees with their strong teeth and stack branches and mud across a stream. This dam makes a pond where the beaver builds its lodge.

Birds build nests to hold their eggs and keep their chicks safe. They use twigs, grass, mud and even feathers. Some nests are high in trees, and some are on the ground.

Honeybees build a hive filled with wax cells shaped like hexagons. They store honey and raise young bees in the cells. Spiders spin silk webs to catch insects to eat.

Some animals dig. Rabbits, prairie dogs and moles dig tunnels under the ground called burrows. Burrows keep them safe from danger and out of the hot sun or cold wind.

Plants can change places too. Tree roots can grow so strong that they crack a sidewalk or split a rock. Over time, plants and animals can change the land around them.

Now it's your turn. Which animal builds a dam that turns a stream into a pond? Is it a bird, a beaver or a bee? Pause and try. It is a beaver!

Great job! Remember, animals and plants change the places they live to meet their needs, like dams, nests, hives and burrows. Practice nature builders in the Science Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!