The Great BIOSPHERE

CHALLENGE
A Month of Playing About with Nature’s Systems
Day 1

CHALLENGE: Create whatever you think needs to happen so that

multiple generations of crickets can live inside a sealed
container!

Materials (per group of 2) Parameters

● Glass terrarium with airtight cover ● You and your partner have 1 class
● Trowel period to fill and seal your
● Water biosphere with any materials you
● Up to 10 crickets find outside.
● Nature! ● KEEP TRACK of what you put in!
Day 1

INTERPRETATION: What is the reasoning behind your creation?

1. Draw a diagram of
your biosphere and
include labels and
numbers when you can. Be
specific! (You can
choose to write a
2. Explain WHY you
paragraph with at least
assembled your biosphere
5 sentences instead)
the way that you did.
What was your reasoning
behind your decisions
for what (and what not)
to include? Write at
least three sentences of
explanation.
Day 2

Greenhouse Gasses at Work

in your Biosphere

CHALLENGE: Maintain a carbon dioxide level inside your biosphere

that is within 400ppm of your classroom’s CO2 level.

Materials (per group of 2) Parameters

● Biosphere with airtight lid
● CO2 monitor
● Observation chart
● You and your partner will have 2 weeks to
observe and record CO2 levels inside your
biosphere. After that point, use what you
learned to make adjustments in your
biosphere to meet the challenge!
Day 2

Hint 1: Hint 2:
Consider that plants make food with carbon Consider that living organisms (including
dioxide, water and energy from the sun, and microscopic ones that live in SOIL) breathe in
they produce oxygen. oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide

Carbon Carbon
Dioxide Dioxide
Oxygen

Oxygen
Day 2

Observation Chart: Get to know your Biosphere a little better!

With your partner, record observations of your biosphere
on this table everyday for two weeks
INSIDE BIOSPHERE CLASSROOM
Date Time
CO2 Level Temperat- Relative Moisture Sunlight? CO2 Level Temperat- Relative Sunlight?
ure (ºF) Humidity on Glass? ure (ºF) Humidity