Materials Required:
Paper or cardstock for making the dolls
Scissors
Glue sticks or liquid glue
Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
Optional: Stickers or decorative materials
Steps Involved:
Introduction: Explain the concept of a food chain, highlighting how energy is transferred from one organism to another and how predators and prey are related.
Designing the Dolls: Provide students with paper or cardstock. Instruct them to draw and cut out a series of nesting dolls, each representing a different level of the food chain. Start with a small animal (e.g., plankton) and gradually move to larger animals, culminating with the largest predator (e.g., shark).
Decorating: Have students decorate each doll to represent the different animals in the food chain. Encourage them to include details like colors, patterns, and distinguishing features of each animal.
Assembling the Dolls: Students will glue the dolls together in a nesting arrangement, from the smallest at the center to the largest predator on the outside. Ensure that the dolls are stacked properly to illustrate the food chain hierarchy.
Labeling: Students can label each doll with the name of the animal and its role in the food chain (e.g., “producer,” “primary consumer,” “secondary consumer,” “top predator”).
Presentation: Ask students to present their food chain nesting dolls to the class, explaining how each animal fits into the food chain and the flow of energy.
Review: Review the completed nesting dolls with the class, discussing the connections between the different levels of the food chain and addressing any questions about the food chain and predator-prey relationships.