Web of Life

Life is dependent on life. Without sunlight there would be no plants, without plants there would be no animals. Learn how plants and animals are connected to each other with Project Learning Tree’s “Web of Life”. Then head out to your schoolyard, backyard or local park and study the ecosystem and food webs right outside your door.

Young Child Extension
Ask children if they have eaten any sunshine today. Share with children various food items, such as apples, whole-grain bagels and orange juice. Serve the snack and talk about where food comes from. Talk about how the food we eat gives us energy to play and grow. For more information and for snack and craft ideas use Growing Up WILD’s “Show Me the Energy” activity!

Book List

Grades PreK-2
Bradley, K. B. Energy Makes Things Happen (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2).
Godkin, C. 2006. Wolf Island. Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Limited.
Jenkins, S. 2001. What Do You Do When Something Wants To Eat You? Houghton Mifflin Company.
Hickman, P. 1997. Hungry Animals: My First Look at a Foodchain. Kids Can Press Ltd.
Johansson, P. 2004. Wide Open Grasslands: A Web of Life. Enslow Publishers, Incorporated.
Kitchen, B. 1994. When Hunger Calls. Candlewick Press.
Lauber, P. 1995. Who Eats What?: Food Chains and Food Webs. HarperCollins Publishers.
Maestro, B. and G. Maestro. 1993. How Do Apples Grow? HarperCollins Publishers.
Mckinney, B.S. 2000. Pass the Energy, Please! Dawn Publications.
Relf, P. 1996. Magic School Bus Gets Eaten: A Book about Food Chains. Scholastic, Inc.
Rosenfeld, D. and R. Lyampe. 2002. Where Does Food Come From? Hachai Publishing.
Sayre, A.P. and K. Endle. 2008. Trout Are Made of Trees. Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Grades 3-5
Cole, J. 1996. The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten. A Book About Food Chains. Scholastic Inc.
Ellis, B.F. 2006. Web at Dragonfly Pond. Dawn Publications.
Greenaway, T. 2001. Cycles in Nature Food Chain. Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers.
Heinz, B.J. 2006. Butternut Hollow Pond. Lerner Publishing Group.
Kalman, B. and J. Langille. 1998. What Are Food Chains and Webs? Crabtree.
Mason, C. 2003. Everybody's Somebody's Lunch: The Role of Predator and Prey in Nature. Tilbury House Publishers.
Nadeau, I. 2001. Food Chains in a Pond Habitat. Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated.
Nadeau, I. 2002. Food Chains in a Meadow Habitat. Rosen Publishing Group, Incorporated.
Norsgaard, E.J. 1990. Nature's Great Balancing Act: In Our Own Backyard. Penguin Young Readers Group.
Penny, M. 1998. The Foodchain. The Bookwright Press.
Pringle, L.P. 1975. Chains, Webs and Pyramids: The Flow of Energy in Nature. HarperCollins Publishers.
Riley, P. 2002. Food Chains. Franklin Watts.

Grades 6-8
Capeci, A. 2003. Food Chain Frenzy (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book). Scholastic Inc.
Hemsley, W. 1992. Feeding to Digestion: Projects with Biology. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Silverstein, A. 1998. Food Chains. Lerner Publishing Group.

Grades 9-12
Ballard, C. 2010. Food Webs. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Gray, S. H. 2008. Food Webs: Interconnecting Food Chains. Coughlan Publishing.