Learning about food webs helps young children learn about the dependent relationships within their world. Food webs help explain how energy is transferred between species in an ecosystem.
1. Step On It! Walking Food Web
There are a few ways to use this web, one way would be for each child to be a unit of energy and walk their way through the food web, writing about how the energy is transferred.
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2. Forest Food Pyramid Project
After studying plants and animals, have students write about the connection forest animals have in the food chain. Print out the pyramid template and label the food chain up the pyramid. Labels include producer, primary consumer, secondary consumer, and ultimate consumer with a corresponding picture. Students will then cut out the template and form it into a pyramid.
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3. Have a Digital Food Fight
In this online game, students or groups of students decide the best path of energy two animals take for survival. This game can be played several times with many different combinations of animals to compete against.
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4. Food Chain Toy Path
Start with gathering a variety of toy animals and plants. Create a few arrows and have students set up the toy models to show the path using the arrows to show the transfer of energy. This is great for visual students.
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5. Assemble Food Chain Paper Links
This complete activity is perfect for elementary students to learn about a variety of food chains. See teaching tips before starting this activity to ensure students are ready for this teaching tool.
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6. Make Food Chain Nesting Dolls
This is a fun activity for young students to learn about marine food chains. Inspired by Russian Dolls, simply print out the template, cut out each part of the food web template and make it into rings. Each ring fits inside the other to create a food chain of nesting dolls.
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7. Stack Food Chain Cups
This video gives a quick overview for students of food chains. This science video is a great way to introduce learning about food webs.
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9. DIY Food Web Geoboard Science for Kids
Print the free animal picture cards. Gather a large corkboard, a few rubber bands, and push pins. Have students sort the animal cards before beginning. Once sorted, have students attach animal cards using push pins and show the path of energy flow using rubber bands. You may also want to have a few blank cards for students to add their own pictures of plants or animals.
Learn more: Inspired Mama
10. Food Webs Marble Mazes
This activity is more appropriate for ages 5th grade and up and should be done either in a group or at-home project with the help of an adult. To start, students choose a biome or type of ecosystem they wish to use in making their maze. The food webs must include a producer, a primary consumer, a secondary consumer, and a tertiary consumer which must be labeled in the maze.
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11. Food Chain and Food Webs
This is a great website to begin discussions about food chains and food webs. It would also serve as a great reference page for older students to use since it covers a variety of biomes and ecosystems.
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12. Food Web Analysis
This YouTube video provides a great way for students to look at different food webs and take a deeper look at their parts.
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13. Desert Ecosystem Food Web
After students research their desert animals and determine how the energy moves through their ecosystem, they will use the following materials to create a desert food web: 8½” x 11” square piece of white cardstock paper, colored pencils, pen, ruler, scissors, transparent tape, books about the plants and animals of a desert, string, masking tape, push pins and corrugated cardboard.
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14. Food Web Tag
Students are divided into groups: producers, consumers, and decomposers. This food web game should be played outdoors or in a large area where students can run around.
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15. Diets in Food Webs
Download this template and have students research what each of the animals eats. This activity can be extended by having students create the food web.
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16. Introduction to Food Webs
This website provides food web definitions as well as food web examples. This is a great way to either provide food web instruction or review.
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17. Food Web Projects
If you are looking for variety in helping 5th grade learn about food web lessons, this Pinterest site has several pins. There are also many great pins to anchor charts that can be printed or created.
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18. Ocean Food Chain Printables
This website had a comprehensive collection of ocean animals including animals from the Antarctic food chain as well as the arctic food chain. These cards can be used in several ways besides creating food chains such as matching the name of the animals to the picture card.
Learn more: Living Life and Learning
19. Energy Flow Domino Trail
Set up dominos to show how energy through living systems is completed. Discuss how energy moves through food webs. There are many examples provided. Have students use the pyramid template or create their own to show the energy flow in the food chain.
Learn more: Accelerate Learning
20. Animal Diets Cut and Paste Activity
This cut and paste activity is a good start to learning about food webs. Students will learn what kind of diets many animals have and therefore will understand their play on a food web.
Learn more: Twinkl
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