Despite the fact that its very name "desert" comes from words such as "empty", "emptiness", this amazing natural object filled with varied life. The desert is very diverse: in addition to the sand dunes that our eyes habitually draw, there are saline, stony, clay, and also snowy deserts of Antarctica and the Arctic. Taking into account the snowy deserts, this natural zone belongs to one fifth of the entire surface of the Earth!
Geographic feature. The meaning of deserts
The main distinguishing feature of the desert is drought. The reliefs of the deserts are very diverse: insular mountains and complex highlands, small hills and layered plains, lake depressions and dried up centuries-old river valleys. The formation of the relief of deserts is greatly influenced by the wind.
Man uses deserts as pastures for livestock and areas for growing some cultivated plants. Plants for feeding livestock develop in the desert thanks to the horizon of condensed moisture in the soil, and desert oases, flooded with sun and water, are exceptionally good places for growing cotton, melons, grapes, peach and apricot trees. Of course, only small areas of deserts are suitable for human activity.
Characteristics of deserts
Deserts are located either next to the mountains, or almost on the border with them. High mountains prevent the movement of cyclones, and most of the precipitation they bring falls in the mountains or foothill valleys on the one hand, and on the other side - where the deserts lie - only a small remnant of rain reaches. That water, which manages to reach the soil of the desert, flows down the surface and underground watercourses, gathering in springs and forming oases.
Deserts are characterized by various amazing phenomena that are not found in any other natural area. For example, when there is no wind in the desert, the smallest grains of dust rise into the air, forming the so-called "dry fog". Sandy deserts can "sing": the movement of large layers of sand generates a high and loud slightly metallic sound ("singing sands"). Deserts are also known for their mirages and terrible sandstorms.
Natural areas and types of deserts
Depending on the natural zones and the type of surface, there are such types of deserts:
- Sandy and sandy-gravel. Differ great variety: from chains of dunes devoid of any vegetation to areas covered with shrubs and grass. Moving through the sandy desert is extremely difficult. Sands do not occupy the largest part of the deserts. For example: the sands of the Sahara make up 10% of its territory.
- Stony (hamadas), gypsum, gravel and gravel-pebble. Combined into one group characteristic feature- rough, hard surface. This type of desert is most common in globe(hamadas of the Sahara occupy 70% of its territory). Succulents and lichens grow in tropical rocky deserts.
- saline. In them, the concentration of salts prevails over other elements. Salt deserts can be covered with a hard cracked salt crust or salt bog that can "suck in" a completely large animal and even a person.
- clayey. They are covered with a clayey smooth layer stretching for many kilometers. They are characterized by low mobility and low water properties (the surface layers absorb moisture, preventing it from going deep, and dry quickly during the heat).
Desert climate
Deserts occupy the following climatic zones:
- temperate (Northern Hemisphere)
- subtropical (both hemispheres of the Earth);
- tropical (both hemispheres);
- polar (ice deserts).
The deserts are dominated by a continental climate (very hot summers and cold winters). Precipitation is extremely rare: from once a month to once every few years and only in the form of showers, because. small precipitation does not reach the ground, evaporating in the air.
The daily temperature in this climatic zone varies greatly: from +50 ° C during the day to 0 ° C at night (tropics and subtropics) and up to -40 ° C (northern deserts). Desert air is especially dry: from 5 to 20% during the day and from 20 to 60% at night.
The largest deserts in the world
Sahara or Queen of the Desert- the largest desert in the world (among hot deserts), the territory of which occupies over 9,000,000 km 2. Located in North Africa, it is famous for its mirages, which happen here on average 150,000 a year.
Arabian desert(2,330,000 km 2). It is located on the territory of the Arabian Peninsula, also capturing part of the land of Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Jordan. One of the most capricious deserts in the world, known for especially sharp fluctuations in daily temperature, strong winds and dust storms. From Botswana and Namibia to South Africa extends over 600,000 km2 Kalahari, constantly increasing its territory due to alluvium.
Gobi(more than 1,200,000 km2). It is located in the territories of Mongolia and China and is the largest desert in Asia. Almost the entire territory of the desert is occupied by clay and stony soils. On South Central Asia lie Karakum("Black Sands"), occupying an area of 350,000 km 2.
Desert Victoria- occupies almost half of the territory of the Australian continent (over 640,000 km 2). It is famous for its red sand dunes, as well as a combination of sandy and rocky areas. Also located in Australia Great Sandy Desert(400,000 km 2).
Two South American deserts are very notable: Atacama(140,000 km 2), which is considered the driest place on the planet, and Salar de Uyuni(more than 10,000 km 2) - the largest salt desert in the world, the salt reserves of which are more than 10 billion tons.
Finally, the absolute champion in terms of occupied territory among all world deserts is ice desert Antarctica(about 14,000,000 km 2).
Report "Deserts" for children on the subject the world help prepare for the lesson.
Message on the topic "Desert"
Desert - a natural area characterized by a flat surface, sparseness or lack of flora and specific fauna.
Most often, in deserts, the annual amount of precipitation is less than 200 mm, in extraardinary regions - less than 50 mm, and in some deserts there has been no precipitation for decades.
Deserts can be found on every continent except Europe. They extend through the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere and through the subtropics and tropics of both hemispheres.
The largest deserts- this is the Sahara, Victoria, Karakum, Atacama, Nazca, and the Gobi Desert.
Deserts are usually of five types:
- sandy(vegetation is very rare, mostly thorny shrubs, with roots going deep into the ground, this is necessary for water supply)
- clay,
- saline,
- rocky,
- snowy deserts(located beyond the polar circles and inhabited by animals resistant to cold).
The climate type in deserts is usually hot and arid. In this natural area, the daytime temperature can rise to +50°C, while at night it can drop to 0°C. In the northern regions, the thermometer can drop to minus 40 °C. For these reasons, the desert climate is considered continental.
Life in deserts is concentrated mainly near oases - places with dense vegetation and reservoirs, as well as in river valleys.
The flora of the desert
The peculiarity of desert plants is that they should evaporate moisture as little as possible and extract water at great depths or have their own supply of water. Plants have small hard leaves or thorns instead of leaves. Roots penetrate deep into the ground. Plants in the desert do not form a continuous cover. They are solitary, often growing in small groups among sands or cracked clay.
Tree trunks are most often strongly curved. Most common desert plant saxaul bushes. They grow in groups, forming small groves. Instead of foliage, their branches are covered with small scales.
How does this shrub survive in such arid soils? Nature has provided them with mighty roots that go into the ground to a depth of 15 meters.
And another desert plant - camel-thorn its roots can get moisture from a depth of up to 30 meters. The thorns or very small leaves of desert plants allow them to expend moisture very economically when evaporating.
Among the various cacti growing in the desert, there is Echinocactus Gruzoni. The juice of this one and a half meter plant perfectly quenches thirst.
A very amazing flower is found in the South African desert - fenestraria. Only a few of its leaves are visible on the surface of the earth, but its roots are like a tiny laboratory. It is in it that the development of nutrients occurs, thanks to which this plant even blooms underground.
One can only wonder at the adaptability of plants to the extreme conditions of the desert.
In the heat of the day, the desert seems uninhabited. Only occasionally there is a lizard or some kind of bug. But as night falls, the desert comes to life. Animals crawl out of their hiding places to replenish their food supplies.
How do animals escape the heat? Some burrow into the sand. Already at a depth of 30 cm the temperature is 40°C lower than on the ground. kangaroo jumper, may not crawl out of its underground shelter for several days. In its minks there are reserves of grains that absorb moisture from the air. They also satisfy his hunger and thirst.
Jackals and coyotes quick breathing and protruding tongue saves from the heat.
African foxes, hares, hedgehogs excess heat is radiated by large ears.
Long legs of ostriches and camels help to escape from the hot sand.
A camel is more than others adapted to life in the desert. Thanks to his wide, callused feet, he can walk on hot sand. Its thick and dense coat prevents moisture from evaporating. Fat accumulated in the humps, if necessary, is processed into water. Although without water, he may well live for more than two weeks.
Desert insects “thought of it” to reflect scorching Sun rays the surface of your body.
Some animals ( turtles, jerboas, toads, frogs) can hibernate throughout the hot summer.
In summer, in order not to get burned, desert snakes crawl sideways on the sand, and lizards run so fast that their paws do not have time to warm up.
To find food in the desert, animals must move quickly, have good hearing and eyesight, and be able to disguise themselves.
Desert snakes lie in wait for their prey, completely buried in the sand, only their head with closely spaced ears and eyes looks out.
You can write a report on deserts using this information.
Nature is the only book
each page of which is full of deep content.
I.V. Goethe
Program content: deepen children's understanding of the animal and flora desert, to acquaint with the inhabitant of the desert - a camel. Develop imagination, coherent speech, fantasy, activate mental activity, create conditions for the free expression of thoughts. Bring up ecological culture, the ability to listen to the answers of peers without interrupting them, the culture of communication and behavior during the experiments.
Material: map of the world, picture "Camel", disposable cups, cocktail tubes, sand, wooden sticks, corks, transparent patches, a mirror for each child, a pointer, cling film, a glass of water.
Event progress:
Guys, look what's on our carpet. Maybe this is a hint: what are we going to talk about today? Let's see what it is. What should be done with them? (Collect the picture). Well done, you made it. Yes, there is also an inscription, but come on, read what is written. (Children read).
Desert - from the word "empty". I wonder what she is? Why is she in the picture yellow color? Who lives there? What grows there? Is it cold or warm there? Where can you find out about all this? (Children express their versions of where and how you can learn about the desert).
Find out these plants and animals in riddles:
- Stone above, stone below
- Four legs and one head. (Turtle)
- The rope is twisted. Head at the end.
- That rope hisses, does not order to approach. (Snake)
- Amazing in appearance - all in thorns,
- But it doesn't hiss. (Cactus)
- She, like a snake, flickers in the sand.
- Tail wags. If the tail comes off -
- The other will profit. (Lizard)
Desert talk.(I show a desert on a world map. Children talk about the climate of the desert).
You think that when a strong wind blows and raises the sand. True or not, we will check.
Experience "The rise of a storm »:
Divide into pairs: boy - girl. (They approach the tables.) First, one will blow into the tube, and the second will observe what is happening in the glass, then you will change.
What did you learn? What did you do for this? What did you see? What can be the conclusion? (children's answers)
Conclusion: A strong wind lifts the sand, and this creates sandstorms.
I suggest checking what happens to the water in the desert. (Go to tables)
Experience "What happens to the water in the desert":
- Take each glass of water and pour it into the glass of sand.
- What did you see? What can be the conclusion? (Answers of children).
Conclusion: water seeps through the grains of sand and goes down.
Well, since you all know, I'll give you a riddle. What animal do you think is being referred to here?
- I carry bags on my back, I will never unload them.
- And in those bags there is food, and in those bags there is water,
- That saves me from the heat and thirst. (Camel)
This is a pet. The camel has served man for many years. It is well adapted to life in the desert. It is also called the ship of the desert. The long, thick coat helps the camel to endure the heat of the day and the cold of the night. There is little food in the desert, and the camel makes do with thorny bushes and herbs.
The most remarkable thing about a camel is its humps. The humps accumulate fat and water, which he will spend in the transitions through the desert. The higher the humps, the longer a camel can go without food and water. At the end of the journey, when the fat reserves are used up, the camel's humps will sag and dangle.
What do you think, is it easy for a camel to walk in the desert? Let's check? Boys, hand out sandboxes. (They approach the tables.)
Experience"Is it easy for a camel to walk in the desert?":
Take a stick and walk on the sand with its sharp end. What's happening?
Now turn it over with the other end and walk on the sand. Does the shelf sink into the sand? Why not? What can be the conclusion?
Conclusion: the camel has a wide webbed foot that does not sink into the sand and helps it to walk in the desert.
I wonder how camels manage to do without water for so long? And this will help another experience.
Experience "Determining the possibility of a camel living in the desert, doing without water for weeks":
Invite the children to breathe on the mirror. (Mirror blurred.)
The air exhaled by a person contains water vapour. Some of this water comes out, and some is retained in the nose. The human nasal passage is short and straight. In a camel, this canal is long and winding. Due to this, a significant part of the water vapor lingers in the camel's nose, and does not go outside. This helps him go longer without drinking, as he loses less water through his breath.
Guys, what new and interesting things have you learned for yourself? (Answers of children).
Conversation "The desert and its inhabitants"
Target: To form a holistic view of the children about the desert.
Tasks:
Continue to form children's ecological ideas about the diversity of nature, about the desert and its inhabitants;
Summarize children's ideas about the relationship natural conditions with plant and animal life;
Learn to answer questions using complex sentences in speech;
Exercise in the ability to distinguish and name representatives of the animal and plant world of the desert;
To develop cognitive activity, communication skills, the ability to reason, make simple conclusions, establish cause-and-effect relationships, the ability to classify;
To form the ability to listen to each other when discussing problematic issues;
To promote the upbringing of independence and activity;
To cultivate a caring attitude towards nature through the formation in children of an understanding of the relationship and interdependence of all objects and phenomena in nature.
Preliminary work:acquaintance with the diversity of nature, flora and fauna of the desert, conversations with children about the desert, looking at lustrations about the animal and plant world of the desert.
Material: layout of the desert, illustrations of animals and plants of the desert, Lesovichok, game "Lotto" Animals ", letter.
The course of the conversation.
Children, someone is knocking on our door, who could it be?
This is our old friend Lesovichok. He brought us a letter that he recently received. Will we read? “Hello, my friend Lesovichok! The guardian of the great desert Sandstone writes to you. I invite you to visit me in the desert. Come quickly." Lesovichok invites us to go on a journey with him. Do you want to go to the desert? Then close your eyes and listen to me:
Garden path They go to the camp
Covered with sand. To the music of calls.
But it's bad if there are a lot of lying trees
The sand is all around. Growing in the sands.
Here is the yellow page - Leafless boughs
Desert country. Bent down to dry ground
The sand is spinning on it, tenacious and prickly
Rushing like a wave. Saxaul shrub.
No one knows where, And the wind carries the clouds
No one knows where Hot sand.
Camels run along it, Flying sand goes
Steppe trains. On the attack, like troops ...
Here we are in the desert. We open our eyes.
We approach the desert layout with the children.
What do you think the word "desert" comes from? - I think that the word "desert" is formed from the word "empty".
Do you know why the natural area was named that way? - Deserts - areas earth's surface, where, due to the too dry and hot climate, only a very meager flora and fauna can exist.
What are the deserts? - Sandy, clayey, rocky.
The hottest desert is in Africa. Her name is sweet, but not sugar - the Sahara Desert.
Where is the world's largest desert, the Sahara? The world's largest desert, the Sahara, is in Africa.
The desert is in the hottest place on earth. The sky here does not know what clouds are, there is yellow sand all around. The earth is heated by the sun like a furnace.
What do you guys think the desert looks like? The desert is like a sandy sea.
That's right, guys, the desert is like a huge sandy sea. It seemed to be frozen. When the wind blows, dunes “run” along it instead of waves, therefore, outwardly, the desert looks like a frozen sea. When this sea calms down, its surface becomes even and smooth, because the waves settle. When the wind subsides in the desert, its surface remains uneven, "agitated", because the sand retains the shape of waves for some time.
What is the climate like in the desert? - The climate is hot, it rarely rains, the sun shines brightly, sometimes strong winds blow.
Do you know what a sandstorm is? - A sandstorm is when a strong wind blows and raises the sand.
True, but whether this is true or not, we will check.
Conducting experiments.
Experience 1. "The emergence of a storm"
Divide into pairs for the experiment. (They approach the tables) First, one of you will blow into the tube, and the second will observe what is happening in the glass, then you will change.
What did you learn? What did you do for this? What did you see? What can be the conclusion? (children's answers)
Conclusion: a strong wind raises the sand, and so there are sandstorms.
Fizkultminutka.The game "We are grains of sand, we are lumps of clay"
Game progress. A strong wind blew and grains of sand flew in the air (children run freely around the group room). The wind died down and the grains of sand fell to the ground. (Children squat). The wind blew on the clay and it gathered into lumps (the children get up and gather in small groups, closely clinging to each other). We repeat 2 - 3 times.
Yes, guys, the desert is dry, hot, it rarely rains, and the sun bakes strongly and mercilessly. Do you think plants can survive in such conditions?
What plants can survive? Name them. - Cacti, camel thorn, saxaul. - We arrange the silhouette images of plants on the desert layout.
Why do they survive in the desert? - They survive in the desert because they can store water in their stems and leaves, and they have a very long root.
I suggest checking what happens to the water in the desert. (Go to tables)
2. Experience "What happens to the water in the desert"
Take a glass of water and pour it into a glass of sand. What did you see? What can be the conclusion? (children's answers)
Conclusion: water seeps through the grains of sand and goes down.
If there are few plants in the deserts, then what do the animals that live in the desert eat? - they feed on small rodents, insects, and whatever plants they find. And they still try to settle closer to the oasis.
What is an oasis? - An oasis is a place near a reservoir, an island of vegetation in the desert.
What animals can we meet on the banks of the Nile in an oasis? Desert? (children name animals and put toys on the surface of the layout.)
Now guess the riddles:
No ears, no legs
A ball in thorns is ... (Hedgehog)
stone on legs
Crawling along the path
Shell-shirt
It is all ... (turtle).
A thorn is tastier than a lot of dishes
She is adored by a humpbacked ... (Camel).
What do you know about camels? - This animal large sizes adapted to living in deserts and steppes. There are two types of camels: two-humped, or Bactrian, and one-humped, or dromedary. It has long been known that the camel is a very hardy animal and can live up to 40 years. A camel can go without water for almost two weeks and about a month without food, but when it gets to the water, it can drink almost 100 liters. Camel hair is considered a good medicine for various diseases. In the old days, camels were intended for cargo transportation, and during wars they were used to intimidate the enemy. There are 2 types of camels: one-humped and two-humped. The hump of a camel protects its back from the scorching hot sun.
The camel caravan goes through the desert, and we return home.
We're going on a long trip
Kuban, Pereyaslovskaya, the kindergarten is waiting for us.
It's hot in Africa, but warm at home.
Had a good time with friends.
Chorus: Africa, Africa, goodbye, Africa, Africa.
Here we are at home.
And now I invite you to play the game. There are pictures of different animals on the table. And you need to choose only the inhabitants of the desert. Start choosing.
Well done, you have correctly chosen all the animals of the desert.
Outcome:
What new, interesting things did you learn today about the desert, animals and plants of the desert?
The script was written for an educational children's holiday.
There were three children (two girls and a boy) aged 5.5-6 years.
Room decoration
- Cardboard pyramid. Needed not so much for the script, but for the right mood
- Sphinx made of cardboard
- Figurines of Egyptians (carved from photographs of ancient papyri)
- Desert - a basin with sand or semolina
- African animals (toys)
- Treats: dried fruits (dates, figs), fruits, vegetables (cucumbers, peppers), nuts, pita bread, cheese, cookies, oriental sweets.
Introductory part
Find Egypt on the map, ask what the children know about it. It is better to talk about the past by showing events on the time line. First, indicate our time, then look how long ago Ancient Egypt appeared, when the Great Pyramids were built. Tell us about Nefertiti (about beauty, the details of her life are not a children's topic). Ask if the children would like to meet her.
Come up with a time travel ritual. Our children remember the magic words from different fairy tales, join hands, conjure: “Abracadabra, we want to be transported to Ancient Egypt, during the time of Queen Nefertiti.” A magical wind blows, and we find ourselves where we need to be.
IN Ancient Egypt children dress up in golden brocade collars and put on beads and bracelets (both men and women loved jewelry). After that, ask how to get to the queen, what needs to be done so that the guards let visitors into the palace. Perhaps someone will offer to bring gifts or get through a secret passage, or the children will be confused. Tell them about oracles and how they were used in ancient times to answer an important question. The oracle at the feast (a plastic canister with a hole pasted over with papier-mâché) contains the answer on how to get to the palace.
Author of this and other photosAnastasia Lipatova
Of course, the answer is written in hieroglyphs. We had the key to them in this book. But you can set the correspondence between Russian letters and hieroglyphs yourself, by analogy with the English version.
Main part
The oracle's message reads "Collect the beads." The facilitator can explain to the children that now they need to complete the tasks of different characters who will meet on the journey and receive beads. Homemade beads, molded from clay, decorated with beads.
Bazaar. A merchant meets the children at the bazaar (hereinafter, all the characters are cardboard figures, printed out from here). He promises a bead if the children help him make silver medallions. One of the ways of making jewelry in Egypt is chasing. On a thick foil with chopsticks, you need to squeeze out the pattern.
desert I. The merchant says that several beads are far away in the desert. Since you can’t go there on foot, we are looking for a camel. He must be politely asked to take the children and feed them with imaginary thorns. The camel is made of a toy camel, a blanket and pillows. Children sit on horseback and move, pushing off the floor with their feet. At the signal "sandstorm!" they should all hide under the covers together and freeze.
Arriving at the place, the children see a bowl of semolina. It contains figurines of the inhabitants of the desert and three beads are hidden. An additional difficulty is the sandworms that need to be driven away (I used the idea of this game).
Great Nile. Before you go to the river, tell us a little about what role it played in the Ancient Egyptian civilization, and that now it is one of the two longest rivers in the world. In the Nile (a bathroom with tinted water) a jar of beads floats. It is guarded by crocodiles (cut out of cardboard). Children throw coins at crocodiles until the predators go to the bottom (cardboard gets wet and sinks quickly, so do not throw crocodiles into the water in advance). After that, they take out a jar of beads.
Oasis. The host tells the children what an oasis is and promises to give a bead if they tell which tree the Egyptians considered the sacred tree of life growing here. As a hint, the facilitator asks questions, and the children add up the name of the tree from the first letters of the answers to them. Questions:
- Mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man (Sphinx)
- Designations of words or letters among the ancient Egyptians (Hieroglyphs)
- The sacred animal that the Egyptians called "miu" (Cat)
- A place in the desert where there is a source of water and many plants (Oasis)
- "Inhabitant" of the pyramid (Mummy)
- An animal that carries people and goods. But not a camel. (Donkey)
- Egyptian sun god (Ra)
If the children do not know the answer to any of the questions, the leader prompts them (at our holiday, only the last question caused difficulties). He can also comment on other answers, adding some details. And you need to tell about the sycamore, show his photo.
Library. Children come to the scribe and he promises a bead in exchange for new scrolls of papyrus. Papyrus is easy to make out of paper (roll up, fasten and cut into a third to make leaves) and spread around the room so that the children collect it first. Then you need to cut off the root (tell that the roots are edible) and leaves, and cut the stem lengthwise. Get a few stripes. They are folded, as for real papyrus, with one layer along and the second layer across. The presenter says that papyrus has sticky juice and under pressure the parts are firmly connected. And at the holiday they can be lubricated with PVA. At the end of the holiday, children can write something on the resulting papyri.
fields. Children come to the peasants and they ask for help in making irrigation canals. There are two banks of clay in the tray, in the center there is a longitudinal depression with water, from which you need to dig channels with chopsticks.
Pyramid. The last few beads are in the pyramid. But the road to them is guarded by a sphinx that asks riddles. Riddle: “Why did the ancient Egyptians call their country Kemet (black earth)”. The children received all the necessary information (about how important the Nile was, how well everything ripened on the fields fertilized with its black silt) when they were digging channels. But they may need leading questions to answer the sphinx.
On the side of the pyramid there are recesses, some of which contain beads. In others, it was supposed to put something unpleasant to the touch. But we chose gummy worms, which the children were only delighted with.
The beads are collected. Now the children divide them among themselves, put them on a cord in turn and carry them to the palace. At the entrance they are met by a guard. He gives some task (for example, write his name in hieroglyphs) or is content with explaining to the children who they are and where they are going.
