Canopy Animals

• The jaguar is one animal that lives in the canopy of the rainforest.Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  The canopy of the rainforest is home to many different types of animals. Jaguars lounge on the wide branches of trees, birds such as the toucan nest in the canopy and primates live most of their lives in the canopy. Millions of insects and frogs live in the canopy, too. Preschoolers may enjoy making a colorful toucan beak to wear. Make a toucan beak by taping or gluing yellow, green, red and blue strips of construction paper together. Fold the strips in half and cut out toucan beak shape. Glue the bottom section together and attach a rubber band or string to the beak to hold it in place.
  
  

Orchids

• Orchids thrive in the tropical rainforests.Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Orchids and similar flowering plants grow high up in the canopy on the branches and trunks of the trees. Some orchids get their food and moisture from the air and others absorb nutrients from the tree on which they grow. There are probably more 20,000 different species of orchids in the tropical rainforests of the world. Preschoolers can create their own special orchid to give to a parent or grandparent. Use colorful construction paper to cut orchid-shaped petals. Tape the petals together using florist tape and attach to a green pipe cleaner.
  
  

Fruit Salad

• Bananas and many other fruits grow in the rainforest.Zedcor Wholly Owned/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
  
  The rainforest canopy trees provide an abundance of food for the animals that live there, as well as for the people. Use fruits, nuts and other foods from the rainforest to make a delicious fruit salad or a mixed nut snack. Some foods that were originally harvested from the rainforest, but are now grown on plantations around the world include bananas, oranges, lemons, coconuts, cashew nuts, cinnamon, cocoa and kola nuts. Show preschoolers pictures of the trees that grow in the rainforest and produce fruit and nuts in the canopy.
  
  

Vines

• A large variety of vines grow in the rainforest.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  The rainforest has more than 2,500 species of vines that can grow very tall and wide. The strangler fig is a vine that starts out as a seed dropped in the canopy by birds. It grows roots down toward the ground and wraps around the host tree. The fruit of the strangler fig feeds birds, insects, reptiles and primates. Make a rainforest vine by twisting brown paper bags and taping or stapling them together to form a long vine. Have preschoolers work in groups to make a long vine that you can tape to the wall toward the ceiling.