Food Chain/Web

From plants and single cell organisms to humans, every organism on this planet needs a fuel source or energy to live. Plants use the sun and nutrients from the soil. Insects eat plants. Rodents eat insects. Reptiles eat rodents. You get the picture. The bigger animals eat the smaller animals. This is the essence of the food chain.

The food chain is an important concept for a young child to learn. It helps them see the world as a much larger and more unified place. Everything is linked and dependent on each other to survive. There are actually six levels or positions in the food chain. They include primary producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, tertiary consumers, and quaternary consumers. The food chain ends with the animals that have little or no natural enemies.

Teaching Your Young Students About the Food Chain

Teacher Planet offers lesson plans for teaching about the food chain and the food web. Resources include hands on activity plans, worksheets, clip art, printables and additional teaching resources to help you plan and organize your food chain unit.

Helping children understand their role in the food chain may make them more responsible citizens and increase their understanding of the environment and ecology.