Forests

The classroom creating a model of a forest habitat first needs to know what makes up a forest. Teachers can take this opportunity to teach the students about trees and how they create oxygen, shade and key human resources, like wood and paper. The teacher can incorporate every student by asking each one to create his own tree to add to the forest habitat. The students can go outside and collect dirt, rocks, leaves and small twigs to create a forest floor. The teacher can also explain what animals call the forest home and how they adapt to winter conditions.

Grasslands

There's not much difference between the grasslands of the midwest United States and Africa -- barring the wildlife. This habitat is dominated by large patches of grass and few trees, and this can be demonstrated in a model by asking students to create a patch of grass using paper, yarn or even confetti. Teachers can take the time to explain the type of animals that live on savannas in the United States, like buffalo or rodents, and the animals that live in grasslands of Africa, like cheetahs and elephants. Have students come up with a hypothesis of why the animals chose to live in grasslands.

Desert

Deserts are dry areas with little vegetation of any kind. To create a model of a desert students can use sand, fake or real cacti and rocks. Teachers can explain which animals live in desert habitats, including vultures, camels, snakes and rabbits. Ask the students how they think animals can survive in the habitat with little vegetation and water. Also, make sure to highlight the temperature difference between night and day in the desert. Explain that because of little cloud cover in deserts, the heat from the day escapes quickly at night.

Wetlands

The wetlands habitat is diverse and most commonly characterized by swamps or lakes. To build a model of a wetland students can use construction paper to create a lake surrounded by grass and trees. The animals most commonly found in this habitat are birds, including pelicans or herons, turtles and crabs. Teachers can explain the importance of water to these animals. They can also note that many wetland animals eat fish, and living in a wetland gives animals an abundance of food.

Arctic Tundra

The arctic tundra model will consist of a lot of snow and ice, since it is the defining characteristic of the tundra. Not only is the tundra cold, which significantly reduces plant and animal life, it is also often in the dark, only receiving sunlight for part of the year. Animals adapted to this life -- such as wolves and several species of bears -- can be used as a lesson to students. Ask the students how they think these animals cope with the harsh conditions year round.