Lichen Facts for Kids Coloring Sheet

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Learning about Lichen Facts for Kids is made possible by: the Rocky Mountain Homeschool Conference, and The Family Adventure Days at the Creation Museum.

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Lichen Facts for Kids

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel in space? Floating around inside—or even outside—a spaceship would be pretty amazing! You might have heard about humans and monkeys traveling into space, but did you know there’s another living thing that has also explored outer space? Today, we’re diving into some incredible lichen facts for kids, including how this colorful living organism survived harsh space conditions.

What Is Lichen?

Have you ever heard of lichen? Even if the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve probably seen it! I like to think of lichen as the “paint” of the forest, splashing bright colors onto rocks and tree trunks. Lichen comes in lots of shades—like bright orange, lime green, yellow, and even black.

But unlike actual paint, lichen is alive! It’s made up of two different living things: algae and fungus. Let’s quickly understand these two creatures first:

• Algae: These are slimy, plant-like organisms (but not actual plants) that live in water and make their own energy from sunlight (this process is called photosynthesis). If you’ve ever seen green slime floating in a pond or seaweed at the beach, that’s algae!
• Fungus: These aren’t plants or animals—they are in their own special category. Fungus includes mushrooms, mold, yeast, and—you guessed it—lichen!

Lichen is a great example of what’s called a symbiotic relationship. That’s a fancy way of saying two different living things that work together and help each other survive. The algae creates energy from sunlight, while the fungus provides shelter and nutrients. It’s like algae saying, “I’ll bring the energy!” and fungus replying, “Great, I’ll bring the snacks and shelter!”

When we see teamwork like this in nature, it reminds us of our amazing Creator, who values relationships and helping one another.

How Is Lichen a Weather Reporter?

Lichen does more than just decorate forests—it can also help us understand our environment. Lichen acts like nature’s own weather reporter because it is very sensitive to air quality.

When the air around lichen is polluted or dirty, it changes color, shape, or loses its ability to create energy. This special sensitivity makes lichen a bioindicator, which means it shows scientists how healthy or unhealthy the area is around it. In this case, lichen specifically indicates how clean or dirty air is. Lichen might not send notifications to our phones, but it definitely tells us how clean or polluted an environment is!

How Did Lichen Survive Space Travel?

Now, here’s one of my favorite lichen facts: it has traveled to outer space! In 2005, scientists placed lichen on a satellite orbiting Earth. They wanted to see if lichen could survive harsh conditions—and it did! It spent 16 days in space and returned healthy. Later, between 2014 and 2016, lichen survived on a special platform outside the International Space Station for a year and a half. Talk about tough!

How did this sensitive creature endure such harsh space conditions? Did it put on a tiny spacesuit? Nope! Lichen has a unique and incredible strategy—it survived by resting deeply.

How Did God Design Lichen to Thrive Through Rest?

When faced with extreme conditions, lichen doesn’t panic. Instead, it goes dormant. Dormancy means it’s not active or growing, almost like it’s taking a very long nap. Lichen can stay dormant for months or even years until conditions become safe again. When things improve, it “wakes up,” ready to grow again.

This amazing strategy of deep rest helps lichen survive both harsh environments on Earth and the extreme conditions of outer space.

How Can We Rest During Hard Times?

You and I probably won’t face outer space travel anytime soon, but we do face challenging times in life. Just like lichen, we sometimes need deep rest during difficult situations.

I remember a very hard time when I was pregnant, and doctors were worried about my baby’s heart. During those scary days, rest seemed impossible. But God showed me how to rest deeply—accepting help from friends, turning my focus to prayer, reading the Bible, and trusting God’s promises.

The Bible says in Isaiah 30:15,

“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.”

Rest isn’t weak—it’s powerful. Like lichen going dormant, we can find strength by calmly trusting God.

Another time, when my husband became very sick and had to stay in the hospital, I was frightened. But instead of panicking, I prayed and trusted God. In that moment, I felt God’s peace wash over me, like we read in in Philippians 4:7:

“And God’s peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

After my husband returned home, our family had to slow down and rest, trusting God for healing and renewal. Just like lichen, sometimes the best response to tough times is resting deeply. We can do that in God’s presence.

The next time you see brightly colored lichen decorating a rock or tree, remember these incredible lichen facts for kids, and how resting in God’s promises can help you thrive, even in life’s toughest times!