Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Draw a large, colorful chart showing all six of the Kingdom of Life categories as well as the auxiliary sub-organisms detailed on the master list in the Tips section of this article. Ask the children to pick a color for each Kingdom and make sure you use that color every time you teach one of the six Kingdoms of Life units. Post the chart on a wall to reinforce learning.
Divide the class into six teams. Assign each team a color that matches one Kingdom of Life category. Pick a color that comes naturally (green fungi) or let the children draw the name of their team colors from a bowl so assignments are random.
Give each team a stack of cards made by cutting each sheet of card stock into four quarters. Challenge the teams to draw pictures of organisms in their Kingdom of Life category on each card. Stress the fact that realism is fine but imagination is better. Encourage out-of-the-box thinking and team collaboration.
Encourage information sharing by asking each team member to hold up and describe each of their Kingdom of Life designs. This builds confidence and will encourage kids to take risks. Collect all of the critter cards.
Construct the game board by tacking several sheets of poster board to a wall to create a long, horizontal surface (use at least four sheets). Use a black marker to draw a long centipede, worm or other creature the length of the poster boards. With a marker, divide the creature into six sections. Have teams fill in their section using their signature Kingdom color.
Collect the critter cards. Explain the game's rules, which are similar to Pin the Tail on the Donkey, but without the blindfold. Children must find all (or as many as possible) of the Kingdom cards hidden in the classroom, then match them to the correct section of the centipede.
While the children are out of the room at recess or lunch (or at the end of the day), hide the cards. Place rolls of masking tape on the floor below the centipede boards. When students return to the classroom, give each team a supply of peel-and-apply stickers in their team color to get the game started.
Turn loose the herd! Each time a child finds a card and tapes it to the centipede board, she must apply a team color sticker to it so the team that found and hung the card are given credit. Call "time" when a majority of the cards are hung.
List the names of each team (e.g. Green Fungi) on the blackboard. Allow students to examine the hanging cards. They may remove cards that have been hung in the wrong Kingdom block on the centipede to avoid losing points.
Once everyone is satisfied with the placement of the remaining critter cards, count each team's color stickers and tally them on the blackboard. Deduct one point for each card remaining in the wrong section. Award a small prize to members of the winning team.
Remove the team stickers from the critter cards. Store the game board, cards and stickers for future use. Over time, have students create more critter cards for future rounds of the Kingdoms of Life board game. Switch students around to different teams to give them an opportunity to master all six Kingdoms.