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Games on Ecosystems for Kids

Children's fascination with nature is, well, natural. Even babies become quiet and attentive when they are taken outdoors. Their curiosity about nature can be molded into care for ecosystems by spending significant time in natural surroundings. You can use games to reinforce their understanding of the relations that define biomes and ecosystems.

Eco-Kids
- The Canadian site, Ecokids, has archived dozens of ecologically conscious games for children. Some, like the games catalogued as "The North" and "First Nations &Inuit," are Canada-specific, but most are universally applicable. The other games include the categories "Wildlife," "Climate Change," "Energy," "Water," "Waste" and "Land Use." Each of these is further subdivided between "primary" games for the pre-literate children, and "junior" games for the older kids who have some reading skills. These games are available free online.
Neo K-12 Menus
- Neo K-12 is an educational site that features the game "Identify &Label the Ecosystem, Food Chain." This game allows the young player to pick a label from a menu with the name of an ecosystem based on a terrain or species -- for example, desert or carnivore -- and move the label to the appropriate picture below. Every correct answer accrues points on a scoreboard. The game requires a child who can read and it reinforces the grasp of relations between biomes and species.
Geography World
- Geography World Online carries a menu of 35 puzzles and games catalogued as "Ecosystems/Biomes." The puzzles are jigsaw puzzles and are appropriate for all ages, especially when the family or group works on them together. Linked among the games are the National Wildlife Federation Kid's Page with more than two dozen games and activities, Quia's four Java games on Ecosystems/Biomes, and top-ten matching games for "most forested countries" and "largest deserts," as well as 24 animal quizzes from the World Wildlife Fund.
Fishy Game
- For very young children who have the ability to use the arrow keys on the keyboard, Learn4Good's "Fishy Game" is an easy introduction to the idea of an aquatic food chain. The player's little fish simply moves around on the screen, controlled by the arrow keys, to avoid being eaten by the bigger fish. A soothing, repetitious music accompanies the player, until her fish is eaten with a loud slurp that stops the music dramatically and clears the screen except for one gray, upside-down fish and the bold letters spelling "GULP!"

Animals & Science