How to Make a Water Food Chain on Paper

Little fish are eaten by bigger fish in the water food chain.

Teachers often choose to incorporate food chain craft activities in the science classroom to help students understand and memorize the food chain concepts. One of the simplest and easiest activities for students to complete either in the classroom or as a homework assignment is drawing out the food chain on a piece of paper. Before you begin your food chain on paper, have a basic understanding of how the food chain works underwater.

Things You'll Need

• Markers
• Crayons

Instructions

1. Determine which specific parts of the underwater environment you would like to focus on for your food chain project. For example, you should focus on a specific type of underwater bacteria, underwater plant, small fish, large fish and shark.

2. List the specific plants and animals you identified. You will reference this list from time to time as you complete the project. List the animals and plants in the order in which they are eaten, so that you can access and demonstrate your knowledge of this information on your final project.

3. Draw a picture of each plant and animal, starting with the lowest one of the food chain. For example, if you want to begin with plankton, draw a picture of a plankton. Then, draw an arrow from the fish that eats the plankton to the plankton to demonstrate their relationship. Continue this process until you have included every animal and plant.

4. Label the plants and animals you drew pictures of in case your teacher wants further clarification of your images. You might also write a brief description of each plant and animal under each illustration.

References

• Zephyrus: Sample Food Chain Found in Water
• Kid Port: Food Chain
• Rhode Island Sea Grant Fact Sheet: The Marine Food Web