Create a Food Chain, K-2 Educators know that young children better visualize a concept after experiencing it with all their senses. When trying to teach them about the simple food chain, just eating a variety of foods and discussing their origin is not enough. Milk carton blocks are easy to assemble and your child can manipulate them to experiment with the pyramid that is created in an actual food chain.
- Take ten clean, empty milk cartons (quart or half-gallon size is best) and measure one edge (from point to point) of the bottom of a carton. Measure that same distance again up the side of the carton from the side of the bottom and mark that. Measure the same distance again from the mark and mark that. Cut a carton all the way around at each mark, until you have two square-shaped boxes (one will be open at both ends).
Take the box that is opened at both ends, turn it sideways and stuff it into the other box to make a cube. Tape both ends closed.
- Repeat with the other cartons until you have ten cubes or "blocks". If desired, and for easier decorating, wrap each box with scrap drawing paper (like a gift).
Take four of the blocks and decorate with pictures of the sun on all sides.
- Take three blocks and decorate with pictures of grass, plants and seeds cut from magazines or drawn with markers.
- Take two blocks and decorate with pictures of plant-eating animals, such as people, rabbits, mice, cows, squirrels, chickens, etc.
- Take the last block and decorate with pictures of meat-eating animals, such as people, owls, hawks, foxes, etc.
- After completing the set of blocks, let your children build a food chain pyramid: the four sun blocks act as the base, three plant blocks on top of those, two plant-eater blocks next, and finally the meat-eater block on top. Explain to your class why the blocks are arranged this way.
- Manipulate the pyramid by asking these questions:
What happens if you take away a plant block from the pyramid? (The pyramid, or at least part of it, will collapse.)What happens when you take a sun-block away?
Does the pyramid collapse if you take away the meat eaters? (Blocks do not fall, but it is no longer a pyramid.)
Why are meat-eaters important to the food chain? (To keep the plant-eaters from overpopulating an area and eating all the plants.)
Explain to your children that this pyramid of many plants, fewer plant-eaters and even fewer meat-eaters is how nature maintains population in any given area, such as Glacier Park.
