Hands-On: Wildlife Tag
Materials Needed
large play area
3 sets of colored name tags
pennies or other tokens
Process
Identify a home base on the playing field. Pass out name tags to each student. Use one color for plants, one color for herbivores and one color for predators. Place the "plants" on the playing field first. Plants should be scattered over the playing field. Each plant should have five tokens. Once the plants are in place, release the herbivores.
Herbivores must collect three tokens from three different plants and return home to survive. Once a plant has given away all its tokens, it should sit down. Give the herbivores a ten-second start and release the carnivores. The carnivores must tag a herbivore to survive. Once a herbivore is tagged, it should sit down. Give the students a chance to play each role.
Discuss with the students what skills helped them survive. What factors caused them to die.
Note: You can alter the outcome of the game by changing the number of plants, herbivores and carnivores.
Additional Resources
Web Sites
The North American Wolf Association
Non-profit organization dedicated to the reintroduction of the wolf.
Boomer Wolf
Interactive and fun site for children featuring lots of wolf facts as well as information about other large predators.
The International Wolf Center
Organization dedicated to supporting the survival of the wolf around the world. The site features a wolf quiz, species information, wolf biology and lots more.
Bat Conservation International
Lots of bat information and news. Learn how to make a bat house or find out what is being done to conserve bat habitats.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Introduction to Bats
Bat fact sheets, biology, myths and misconceptions, hibernation information and lots more.
Animal Diversity Web
This site from the University of Michigan Musuem of Zoology includes profiles of hundreds of animals.
Image Credits: Clipart.com