Food Chain Tag

Grasshoppers, frogs, and snakes share one field: grasshoppers gather food, frogs tag grasshoppers, and snakes tag frogs. At the end of each round, the class counts the survivors. Students practice dodging, strategy, and how energy moves through a food chain.

How to play

1. Mark a 100 x 65 ft field with cones and scatter 40 beanbags on the ground as grass. Mark a 12 x 12 ft pond in one corner (3 min).
2. Assign roles with pinnies: 13 grasshoppers (green), 8 frogs (blue), and 4 snakes (red). Frogs start in the pond and snakes start outside the field.
3. On the whistle, grasshoppers pick up grass one beanbag at a time and hold it. Frogs enter after 10 seconds and snakes after 20.
4. A frog that tags a grasshopper takes its grass; the grasshopper goes to the sideline, does 10 jumping jacks, and returns as a new grasshopper. A snake that tags a frog takes the frog's food in the same way.
5. Each round lasts 3 minutes. A grasshopper survives with 3 beanbags, a frog with 2 grasshopper catches, and a snake with 2 frog catches. Count and discuss the results (4 min per round).
6. Play 3 rounds, switching roles and changing the numbers, such as adding snakes, and discuss what happens to the chain when there are too many predators (3 min).

Rules

• Tag with an open hand on the shoulder or back.
• Each animal may only tag the link right below it.
• The pond is a safe zone for frogs for only 5 seconds at a time.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with limited mobility: play a snake who tags with a pool noodle, or the sun who adds new grass in a zone.
• Students with autism: explain roles with picture cards and let them pick their animal in the first round.
• Fitness level: adjust the ratio of animals and the size of the field so nobody stands around for long.

Learning goals

• Understand how energy passes from producers to consumers in a food chain.
• Dodge and chase using strategies that fit their assigned role.
• Follow the rules for each role and accept the results of the round.

Equipment for a class of 25

• colored pinnies: 25
• beanbags: 40
• cones: 12

Teacher tip

Keep a whiteboard handy to record survivors each round; comparing the numbers is what turns the game into a science lesson.

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