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DIY Food Chain & Food Web Game: Stringing Together Life!
Explore the complex connections of who eats whom—and what happens when one link breaks.
In every ecosystem, energy flows from the sun to producers (plants) and then through various consumersherbivores, carnivores, and decomposers. While food chains show a single pathway of energy flow, food webs show the interconnected network of multiple chains. This hands-on classroom game lets students build and experience a food web physically and visually!
What You’ll Need:
Sticky notes in 4 colors (e.g., Green = Producers, Yellow = Primary Consumers, Orange = Secondary Consumers, Blue = Decomposers)
Marker pens (to write organism names like Grass, Deer, Tiger, Fungi, etc.)
Long ball of string or yarn (at least 10–15 meters depending on class size)
Space to form a standing circle.
How to Play:
Assign Roles: Give each student a sticky note representing a role in the ecosystem. Write organism names related to a particular habitat (e.g., forest or grassland).
Form a Circle: Students stand in a wide circle, wearing their sticky notes visibly on their chest.
Start the Chain: The “sun” (you, the facilitator) passes the ball of string to a producer (like grass), who holds part of the string and passes it to a primary consumer (like deer) that eats it.
Build the Web: Keep passing the string to organisms that are part of that food web. Encourage cross-linking—many animals eat multiple things! Soon a complex web of string forms across the circle.
Simulate Disturbance: Now say: “All producers are removed due to drought,” or “All secondary consumers disappear.” Those students drop the string. Observe what happens to the web—it collapses! This shows the interdependence in ecosystems.
Pyramid shaped food web
Care & Observation:
Use organism cards from different habitats for variation.
Let students discuss real-world examples of disturbances (deforestation, extinction, etc.).
Try reversing the process: can the web rebuild itself?
What You’ll Learn:
This dynamic game models food chains, food webs, trophic levels, and the interdependence of species.
It reinforces concepts like:
Energy flow in ecosystems
Role of producers, consumers, decomposers
Impact of biodiversity loss
Stability and fragility of ecosystems
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