What is a habitat? Students find out firsthand by exploring a “habitat in a bucket” that includes outdoor habitat items (e.g., leaves, branches, snails, etc.) that have been collected and brought into the classroom. Students use the exploration as an inquiry starting point. They make observations, generate questions of interest and design and conduct their own investigations. Typical investigations might focus on plant and animal interactions, food chains, physical and behavioral adaptations of living things and biodiversity.