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Forest Ecosystem Games

According to the University of Minnesota and the Natural Resources Research Institute, an ecosystem is a group of living and nonliving components interacting together on a given physical landscape. A forested ecosystem involves all forest organisms -- trees, fungi, animals, etc. -- together with the environment they are in -- air, soil, water, rocks, etc. -- interacting within the boundaries of a forest. Games can help children and adults interact and learn about how a forest ecosystem works.

Trees
- Each tree carries its own importance to our ecosystem.
  
  The goal of this game is to learn more about the similarities and differences between trees and how they affect the environment. With the use of a worksheet, prepared ahead of time, teach children about the parts of trees and their functionality. Show pictures or go on a visit to your local park or forest area to help solidify their knowledge. Then quiz them. The one with the most correct answers wins.
Scavenger Hunt
- They each found a leaf on the list.
  
  What is in a forest? A field trip is the only way to play this game. Hand each scavenger a list, prepared ahead of time, of plants, trees, etc., that you can find in the forest or park that you are going to. Exploring to find what is on the list is what makes this game a hands-on experience. Find them all first and win. This brings people and nature together in a way a book cannot.
Living or Nonliving
- This is an example of a sign of a living thing.
  
  Play an ecosystem game that starts people thinking what is living and what is not. Have a list ready that has living things in the forest, nonliving things and anything that can be considered a sign of a living thing. Gather your group and pick a leader who will name off the list. People will have to guess what category each item belongs in. The one with the most correct answers wins and in the process everyone will learn more about what is in our forest ecosystem.
Worms
- Worms affect what lives and grows in each forest ecosystem.
  
  Worms are an example of how nutrient molecules transfer through the forest ecosystem. A game alternative for schools rather than using worms is to use candy to show how nutrients accumulate in certain areas. Start with different colored candies representing nutrient packets at each station and have children move one each day to another station. This will show how, without worms, all the nutrients stay in one place. You need worms to move nutrients throughout soil and plants.

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