Field and Meadow Habitat

At first glance, the field or meadow might appear to be a simple place. However, it is actually a complex system of grasses, wild flowers, insects and birds, as well as many small snakes and mammals. It is a place of delicate beauty and frenzied activity. It literally buzzes. The most obvious group of field animals are the insects: caterpillars, butterflies, grasshoppers, lady bugs, bees, beetles, and ants. Next are the birds: finches, swallows, sparrows, blue birds, and kestrels. The dominant plant groups are grasses and wild flowers: daisies, Queen Anne's Lace, milkweed, thistle, etc. Other field-related topics are seeds, wind, and clouds.
Fields are usually easily accessible for short walks, and there are many teacher guides to maintaining insects for study in the classroom. Look for a children's field guide (such as Peterson's First Field Guides) to both insects and wild flowers. Go to the meadow on your own first and try to identify a few of the things you find. Look under leaves for butterfly eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalises. Monarchs love milkweed, and swallowtails love Queen Anne's Lace.
There are literally hundreds of resources for studying the plants and animals of the field. You can visit the meadow at different seasons to see how it changes through the year: buds and shoots in the spring, flowers and insects during the summer and fall, seeds and tracks in the winter.

For more information, see my book, Science for the Whole Classroom. A good book for beginners with little science background, it includes habitat charts, resources, and activity ideas, including setting up miniature habitats in the classroom and going on short field walks.