CHANGEMAKER BADGE

System Mapper

Lesson 13.5 — Shape, Process, System

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Kitimu says: "Everything in nature is connected — water flows, food chains link, and waste becomes food for something else! Today you're going to map how one of nature's systems actually works in YOUR garden. Think like a scientist. Let's go, Cub!"

🎒 What You Need

Your garden or local green space

Large paper or cardboard

Coloured pencils or markers

Notebook for observations

📋 How To Do It

Choose your system: Pick ONE natural system to map in your garden or local area. Options: The Water System — Where does rain go when it falls? The Food System — Who eats what? The Waste System — What decomposes and where? Pick the one you find most interesting.
Observe and investigate: Go outside and spend 10-15 minutes really studying your chosen system. If you chose WATER: look for where rain collects, where puddles form, which soil absorbs water, where drains lead. If you chose FOOD: look for plants, insects eating plants, birds eating insects, decomposers in the soil. If you chose WASTE: look for fallen leaves, rotting wood, compost, fungi, worms.
Draw your flow diagram: On your large paper, draw a map of how your system works. Use arrows to show the flow — where things come FROM and where they go TO. Use different colours for different parts. Label everything clearly.
Find the connections: Look for places where your system connects to OTHER systems. Does the water system feed the food system? Does the waste system create soil for new plants? Draw these connections with dotted lines. Nature is never just one system — everything links together!
Answer the big question: Write this at the bottom of your map: "What would happen if ONE part of this system was removed?" Think about it. If you remove the decomposers, what happens to the waste? If you remove the insects, what happens to the birds? This is why every part of nature matters.

Ranger Tip: Nature has ZERO waste. Everything that "dies" becomes food or material for something else. A fallen leaf becomes soil, which feeds a new plant, which feeds an insect, which feeds a bird. Humans are the only species that creates waste that nothing else can use.

Challenge: Can you find at least 3 living things in your garden that are part of your system? Write their names on your map and draw arrows showing how they connect to each other.