Have you ever spent time in a wetland? The wetland biome is full of fascinating plants and animals that are adapted to living in and near water, like cattails, water lilies, salamanders, frogs, turtles, and herons. The wetland also plays an important role in helping keep our water clean – more about this below.
In this post, we’ve collected resources for a unit study on wetlands. Many of these resources will also apply to a unit study on ponds and pond life. Check out the ideas below!

Table of Contents
Wetland Biome: Activities and Resources
Books and Materials about the Wetland Biome
- About Habitats: Wetlands book by Cathryn Sill
- Ponds book by Usborne Young Beginners
- Over and Under the Pond book by Kate Messner
- Pond Ecosystem Puzzle from Mirus Toys
- Montessori Resources for Learning About Frogs and Amphibians on the Trillium Montessori blog
- Animals in the Freshwater Ecosystem blog post by The Pinay Homeschooler
Wetland Biome Printables
- Wetland Animals Three-Part Cards Only $2 for this beautiful addition to a wetland unit study!
- Ponds Phonological Awareness this pack includes literacy resources for a range of ages and ability levels, with activities like identifying middle and ending sounds, solving rhyming riddles, and blending, segmenting, and substituting phonemes.
- Ponds Preschool Pack This pack is an ideal complement to a wetlands unit, with printable sensorial, fine motor, early math, and early literacy activities
- Frogs and Amphibians Preschool Pack Another great variety pack of activities – I especially love “the Question Game” where children practice making inferences (determining an item based on clues).
- Amphibians Printable Pack from Every Star is Different
- Pond Activities Bundle from I Believe in Montessori
- Alligators Pack free printable from Welcome to Mommyhood
- Free Snail Printables and Activities from Living Montessori Now
- TpT: You can find a variety of curriculum printables about the wetlands and biomes in general on Teachers pay Teachers.
The Wetland Biome: Crafts
- Make a Bathyscope (underwater viewer) with Raising Global Kidizens
- Two fun and simple paper plate turtle craft ideas from Miss Coley’s Art Blog and Glued to my Crafts – try setting one of these up as an individual activity on your art shelf
- Paper Water Lily Experiment from Playtivities
About the Wetland Biome
What is a Biome? A biome is a large geographical region that is characterized by its unique climate, plants, and animals. Deserts, grasslands, and temperate forests are all examples of biomes. Learning about different biomes can help us better understand the natural world and how it works. Biomes also provide an opportunity to learn about the different species that inhabit our planet and how they interact with one another.
A wetland is an area of land that is saturated with water for at least part of the year. Wetlands often exist near ponds, all over the world, from the Arctic tundra to the tropics. Wetlands are classified into different types depending on the amount of water and type of plants found there. Wetland types include marshes, swamps, and bogs.
Wetlands are home to a variety of plants and animals that have adapted to living in wet conditions. Some common wetland plants include cattails, bulrushes, and lotus flowers. Well-known wetland species include salamanders, alligators, beavers, otters, herons, and ducks. Besides providing a habitat for wildlife, wetlands also help protect against flooding, help prevent coastlines from eroding, and help to keep our water clean.
How do Wetlands Help Keep Our Water Clean?
Imagine a wetland is like a big sponge in the ground. When rain falls, the wetland soaks up the water. That water gets cleaned as it goes through the wetland and deeper into the ground. When the water eventually flows back out into rivers, ponds, and lakes, it’s much cleaner and safer for animals and people to use. In fact, wetlands are like nature’s water filters! However, if polluted water ends up in the wetland ecosystem, the pollution can “clog” the wetland’s natural systems, building up over time and causing big problems for the plants and animals who call the wetland home.
The Wetland Biome: Fun Facts for Kids
- Some wetlands are so large that they can be seen from space! For example, the Pantanal in South America is the world’s largest wetland, covering an area larger than the state of Florida.
- Some wetland plants, like cattails, can grow taller than a grown-up person!
- One of the biggest rodents in the world, the capybara, lives in the wetlands of South America.
- Wetlands are home to some of the most venomous snakes in the world, including the cottonmouth and copperhead.
- The iconic pink flamingo gets its beautiful color from the small crustaceans and algae it eats in wetlands.
- The carnivorous plant, Venus Flytrap, is native to wetlands in the southeastern United States.
- The world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia, grows in the wetlands of Sumatra and Borneo, and can grow up to 3 feet in diameter!
- Many wetland birds have adapted to living in water by having waterproof feathers, such as ducks and geese.
- Some wetland animals, like the beaver, use mud and sticks to build their homes, called lodges, in the water.
- Wetlands play an important role in preventing floods, as they act as natural sponges, soaking up excess water and releasing it slowly over time.
Holly Earnest is a content writer on the Trillium team. After eight years in the classroom and another 2.5 as a center director, Holly transitioned from full-time campus life to focus on supporting Montessori educators and caring for family. She is AMS-credentialed at the primary level, and enjoys coaching Montessori guides, creating Montessori training materials, and presenting at Montessori conferences.