Scramble for your Life

Materials

• tokens in four colors: yellow for the sun, blue for water, red for air, and brown or orange for nutrients/food (1 of each color for each child with a few extras)

*The presumption is that the children are learning that living things have basic life needs. All animals need air, water, and food. All plants need air, water, nutrients, and light.

The game can be played in a circle with the tokens scattered into the center or the tokens can be spread out with the children standing shoulder to shoulder behind a line.
Hold up each color and explain what it stands for.

For a plant’s needs, first hold up just yellow for the sun. Explain that when you say “go”, the children will grab one sun token. Repeat for the other life requirements.
Play a second round in which water has been shorted.

Ask the children what they think will happen to the plants that didn’t get enough water. Accept their answers. Hopefully they’ll get close to a correct conclusion.
Explain that in nature if there is not enough water, plants either die or become dormant. Animals including people might need to move.

(The game is played the same way for animals. Just use the different tokens.)

Activity provided by:

Fontenelle Forest
1111 N. Bellevue Blvd.
Bellevue, NE 68005
www.fontenelleforest.org