11 Rainforest Facts for Kids to Learn About

There are many rainforest facts for kids to learn about. When we try to imagine what a rainforest looks like, we are likely to imagine large green trees from which moisture is dripping. Also sitting on the branches will be exotic birds like macaws or toucans. But swinging through the branches will be troops of monkeys that fill the air with their cries as they move the tree’s canopy.

Of course, we mustn’t forget the deadly but beautiful predators who’ve chosen to make such a place their home, from a stealthy jaguar to those magnificent birds of prey as they glide between the trees.

Yet there are plenty of exciting rainforest facts for kids to learn about. We hope that you and your children will find the following of interest.

What Is a Rainforest?

The term “rainforest” was first coined in 1898 by a biologist from Germany named Andreas Schimer, who had spent much time studying the forests of Asia and South America.

As the name would suggest, forests are classified as rainforests because they grow in places where lots of rain falls.

To be classified as a rainforest, around 200 to 450 cm (79 to 117 inches) of rain must fall each year. 

The Types of Rainforest 

There are two categories of rainforests: tropical and temperate.

As well as being wet, tropical ones are hot. You can find it close to the earth’s equator around the globe.

As well as being wet, you will discover that tropical ones are hot. 

You can find temperate ones in cooler areas of the world that still have a lot of rainfall.

Interesting Rainforest Facts for Kids

1. How Much of the Earth Is Covered by Rainforests?

Rainforests cover 6% of the earth’s surface. That provides a good source of oxygen as it helps convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.

But through many factors, the amount of square miles left is growing smaller, and we need to do everything we can to look after what remains.

In recent years, we have lost many rainforests due to the demand for wood and land. We have less than half of what we need now.

2. It Can Take Up to 10 Minutes for a Raindrop to Reach the Forests Ground 

Trees make up these forests, and their branches create a canopy layer high up that acts like an umbrella does.

As a result, it could take 10 minutes for a single raindrop to hit the rainforest floor from the canopy layer.

3. They Are Full of Rain

As mentioned above, rainforests get their name because they get lots of rainfall throughout the year.

As a result, rainforests always tend to be very warm and wet. 

You can expect between 80 and 430 inches of rain to fall onto the rainforest floor each year.

4. About 2% of Sunlight Can Reach the Rainforest Floor 

You will find that the rainforest floor is very dark, as the canopy above tends to block out most, if not all, of the sunlight from being able to hit it.

Walking through such forests, you will notice the floor is covered in many dead leaves and plant species.

5. Rainforest Facts for Kids – It Helps to Make Medicine

You will find many different items in a rainforest that are used to make medicines.

Around 25% of the medicines we use these days come from the rainforest.

One such medicine these days is quinine, which is effective in treating malaria. The cinchona tree secretes this particular medicine from its bark.

6. One Has a Lake Whose Water Reaches 190° Fahrenheit 

On the island of Dominica, in the Caribbean, you will find a temperate rainforest with a lake where the water temperature can reach 190° Fahrenheit.

The name of this amazing lake is, well, Boiling Lake! 

7. Some of Our Favorite Foods Come From Rainforests 

As well as medicine and materials, we can get certain foods from rainforests. 

Along with chocolate, pineapple, and cinnamon, other foods include vanilla, sugar, and many others. 

Also important to note is that without rainforests, we wouldn´t have such items as bamboo or rubber. 

8. The Amazon Rainforest Is Full of Different Animal Species

As well as several different types of birds and mammals living in the Amazon rainforest in Central America, it is also home to many other insects, including various species of butterflies. 

2.5 million insects live in this rainforest, along with 1,300 different species of birds, 3,000 other fish species, and 430 wild animals, including larger mammals such as jaguars. 

9. Which Is the Largest Rainforest?

Of all the tropical rainforests, the largest one of them all is the Amazon.

You can find the largest rainforest in South America in Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Guyana, French Guiana, Suriname, and Venezuela.

But most of the Amazon rainforest is in Brazil.

10. Rainforest Facts for Kids – The Second Largest Rainforest

The second largest rainforest in the world is the Congo in Africa. You can also find it in other Central African countries, including Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

11. The Rainforest Is Home to Much More Than Trees! 

Many species of plants and some of the tallest trees choose to make places like the Amazon rainforest their home. One of these rainforest plants is the Liana, a thick woody vine that grows up rainforest trees.

Once these vines reach the top, they spread from branch to branch of the different species of trees, which helps them form a network throughout the forest below.

Along with this, other plants that grow in such tropical forests include bromeliads and orchids. 

Rainforest Facts For Kids 

In this article, we have shown you some fascinating facts about rainforests. Your kids will learn more about what they are, where they can find them, and the kinds of plants and animals that choose to make them their home.

Such rainforest facts for kids will prove helpful in helping them understand better why they need protection against the threat of things such as deforestation.

Check out these fun facts for kids here and browse all the other topics at the bottom of the post.