Food web tag

What you'll need

• Pinnies or jerseys (5 red, 10 green, 15 blue or any three different colours available)
• Whistle
• Access to a space to run around – gym or outdoor field
• "Food web tag instructions" handout

Producers, herbivores and carnivores

1. Students think of a living thing in nature and what it eats. They share their example with a partner and then hear some ideas as a class. As they share their examples, review or explain the terms producer, herbivore and carnivore.
   • Producers are plants. They make, or produce, their own energy from the sun and water. Ask for examples of producers (e.g., grasses, flowers, trees, bushes).
   • Herbivores are living things that eat plants for their energy. Ask students for examples of herbivores (e.g., deer, rabbit, cows).
   • Carnivores are living things that eat other animals for their energy. Ask for examples of carnivores (e.g., cougars, eagles, orcas).
   • Omnivores are living things that eat both plants and animals. Ask for examples of omnivores (e.g., bears, humans). To keep things simple, there won’t be omnivores in our game of tag.
2. Explain food web tag to students using the “Food web tag instructions” handout.

Playing the game

1. Hand out the pinnies. Approximately half the students will assume the role of producers (e.g., 12), a third herbivores (e.g., eight) and a sixth carnivores (e.g., four). 
2. Have students play the first round. 
3. When most students have been tagged and attached to a food chain, blow the whistle and discuss the game:
   • Using a group of three students (producer – herbivore – carnivore), explain that a food chain shows where living things get their energy from and how they are connected. 
4. Play a new round of food web tag. When most students are connected in a food chain, blow the whistle and have students stop where they are.
   • Explain that carnivores usually eat more than one herbivore. Re-arrange two food chains so a carnivore is connected to more than one herbivore.
   • Explain that when food chains are connected, they’re called a food web. A food web shows us how all living things are connected in the environment. 
   • Ask students what they think happens to other living things when one thing in a food web is affected (e.g., if all the salmon are harvested from a river, there will be none left for the bears to eat and they will go hungry. If a forest is cut down, there are no trees for habitat for animals such as birds and squirrels).  

After the game

1. Gather students in a circle to talk about how food webs show us the importance of connections and caring for the environment. 
   • First Peoples have long understood and believed that everything is connected and depends on each other. They consider caring for the water, land and living things as our responsibility. The idea of taking care of something is known as stewardship.
   • Have students think about ways they care for things that are important to them. 
   • Now ask them to think of things they can do to care for the environment and how that can help living things. 
   • For example, I can walk or bike to school so the car doesn’t pollute the air. I can plant trees to give birds and squirrels a place to live. I can turn off the tap when brushing my teeth to help save water for fish.
   • Have students take turns sharing their ideas around the circle.