Making a Rainforest Display

Many fruits, spices, plants etc can be bought in your local supermarket or greengrocer. Many are in your home - can you make your own rainforest display?

Plants

Begonia, mother-in-law's tongue, coleus, peace plant,'  tradescantia, Joseph's multi-coloured coat, sweetheart vine, weeping fig, swiss cheese plant, prayer plant, African violet, urn plant, rubber plant Christmas cactus.

Products

Rubber, rattan, cane, chewing gum, cloves, cinnamon, chilli, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, pepper, peanuts, cashew nuts, brazil nuts, dyes - henna, annatto E 1 60 b, mascara, lipstick, glue for postage stamps, sugar, coffee, tea, maize, soya, mung bean, rice.

Fruit and vegetables (some may be out of season)

Oranges, lemons, limes, bananas, mango, pineapples, cassava, chilli peppers, root ginger, grapefruit, yams, tomatoes, sago, aubergines, avocado pear, guava, pumkin, sweet potato.

Wood

Most of the wood coming from rainforests are hardwoods with a small grain which is ideal for furniture making. Make a survey in your home and school of the uses of hardwoods. Common tropical hardwoods are mahogany, teak, balsa, meranti, keruing, obeche, utile, sapele, ramin and iroho.

Metals

Tin, zinc, iron, aluminium, lead, gold and copper are mined from rainforests. Can you find examples of the uses of some of these? Iron is used to make steel. Can you collect items made of aluminium, iron, steel and copper?

Animals

Draw, paint colourful animals to decorate your classroom.

People of the Forest

Many of them use face decoration and colourful headdresses made from birds of paradise feathers. Use face paints and make headdresses using flattened cut straws sewn onto headbands.

Jungle Feast

Now you have collected many of the fruits and spices have you tried them? Have you ever tasted a mango or a water melon? Can you invent some rainforest recipes using rainforest products e.g. rainforest cake?

Poster

Can you design a poster to encourage people to save rainforests?