Primary
In a lively classroom exploring the wonders of the Sonoran Desert, students weren’t just learning about animals — they became them. One student embodied a Mexican wolf, prowling on all fours, while their friend fluttered around as a delicate hummingbird. When it was announced that an unexpected rainstorm started, the wolf didn’t hesitate; they called their hummingbird friend to take cover under a desk, instinctively creating shelter amidst the powerful storm.
This act of care and protection revealed that through play, these children were embodying interdependent relationships, understanding how living creatures rely on one another to survive in their ecosystems. During this winter quarter, I had the opportunity to visit Primary Classrooms 9, 10, and 11, and work closely with CONNECT Researcher Dr. Christine Lee and Demonstration Teachers Anna Terrazas, Cristina Paul, Nancy Villalta, and Olivia Lozano as we investigated the power of play as a tool to learn critical ecoliteracy concepts.
A pack of “wolves” searching for their prey the “desert tortoise”
In the three primary classrooms, students explored the incredible diversity of Sonoran Desert animals. In Rooms 9 and 10, students looked through picture books in Spanish, immersing themselves in the language as their teacher brought the story to life with growls and hisses. The excitement was contagious—children eagerly mimicked the noises. One student raised his hand with enthusiasm, “Do you know you can eat cactus leaves?” The teacher smiled and responded, “¡Sí! Muy delicioso,” seamlessly reinforcing language learning through conversation. Through these playful interactions, students began to understand how animals and plants are connected, like how desert creatures rely on cacti for food.
In Room 11, students were learning about adaptations, and exploring the physical traits, life cycles, and behaviors that help desert animals survive. After learning how these creatures endure changes to their environment, the teacher encouraged the class to reflect on their own experiences with adaptation. Hands shot up as students shared personal connections—moving to a new home, adjusting to a different school, or simply changing their clothes with the seasons. Through these discussions, they not only learned about resilience in nature but also recognized the ways they, too, adapt and grow.
After discussing adaptations, Room 11 transformed into a living desert ecosystem. Ms. Terrazas asked the students to become a desert animal and to think about how to move, how they would communicate and interact with other desert creatures, where they lived, what they ate, and what they were afraid of.
With these questions in mind, students became prickly cacti, burrowing owls, coyotes, and desert tortoises. As the scene unfolded, a coyote was panting from the extreme heat of the Sonoran Desert, and prowled around the room in search of their next meal. It spotted the desert tortoise in the middle of their desert and began to prey on them, waiting for the right moment to attack. The desert tortoise tucked itself away into its shell, the student illustrating their natural defense mechanism. With the sounds of growls and their claws poking at the tortoise, they started to feast. Through play, the students weren’t just pretending to be animals—they were actively exploring how living beings rely on one another for food, navigating the ecosystem and illustrating the importance of interdependence in the Sonoran Desert.
Room 11 acting out their desert scene
Moreover, Room 11 also began to showcase what they learned about all the different animals in the Sonoran Desert and to draw them on a big sheet of white poster paper. In this group’s drawing, the children beautifully illustrate their growing understanding of interdependence within the Sonoran Desert ecosystem. By depicting both living and non-living elements — like the sun, clouds, and mountains alongside plants and animals — the children illustrated an awareness that all these components work together to sustain life in the desert.
Drawing of the Sonoran Desert Ecosystem from Room 11
One detail that stands out is the beehive labeled as “non-living” and the bees labeled as “living.” These annotations illustrated children’s recognition of the connection between animals and the structures they depend on for survival. The children illustrate that the beehive provides shelter and a space for the bees to thrive and that non-living elements play a crucial role in supporting life. Similarly, when the children drew the bird’s nest inside the cave, it demonstrates an understanding that the mountains offer protection — shielding animals from predators and the extreme heat in the Sonoran Desert. These artistic choices reveal that the children grasp how desert creatures rely not only on each other but also on their environment to adapt and survive.
A classmate helping her group illustrate a fox by reading from the book
By placing all these elements together in one landscape, the children visually represent the interdependency of relationships that make up the desert ecosystem — where every organism, from the smallest bee to the Mexican wolf, relies on both living beings and the environment to thrive. Their artwork demonstrates that they’re beginning to grasp how life in the desert is interconnected, and survival depends on these intricate, supportive relationships.
Art and play are crucial to learning because it allows children to grow their creativity, express themselves, and showcase their individual understanding of the science they are learning inside the classroom. These experiences are joyful and meaningful, allowing the children to experiment and think outside of the box to enact these theatrical scenes which fosters their critical thinking and problem solving skills.
I was most surprised and moved by how deeply the children identified with their respective animals and their environments. Through the “extreme weather” the teacher declared throughout the scenes and with the knowledge that food was scarce, they instinctively helped one another, guiding their peers to safety, finding food, and protection. It’s an illustration of unwavering compassion for themselves, the animals, and the environment. With every scene and artistic drawings, I was able to see that they had a genuine understanding of interdependence, collective care, and mutual support.
Parmis Sanaei, currently in her fourth year at UCLA, is pursuing a degree in Education and Social Transformation. With a passion for supporting first-generation and immigrant-origin students, she aspires to become an educator and practitioner at community colleges. Throughout this school year, Parmis has assisted Dr. Christine Lee as a CONNECT Research Intern.
Questions about this blog post can be directed to Dr. Christine Lee (clee@labschool.ucla.edu).