Food Chain War [printable card game]

I've seen loads of great food chain activities online. What possessed me to make my own? Well, truthfully, I've been itching to make some sort of war card game for ages. This seemed like the perfect opportunity.

To set the stage for our activity, we read a few books.

The Magic School Bus book provides great detail (and who doesn't love Ms. Frizzle?!?). Snap! is a wonderfully simple picture book that reminded me of "The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly." It would be perfect for younger kids.

When we were finished, it was time to play. (Download a 5-page PDF with the game cards here.)

I dealt the entire deck of cards to my son and I. Then we each turned over one of the cards in our deck. The player with higher card in the food chain takes both cards. When the whole deck has been gone through, the player with the most number of cards wins.

There are four types of cards in the deck: herbivore, omnivore, carnivore, and plant. Of course, remind your child that many of these animals live in different habitats, so this is just pretend. When players turn over the same type of card, a duel may be necessary, whereby additional cards are turned over. See all the scenarios below.

Either decide which animal is more fierce or draw two more cards to break the "tie."

Turn over two more cards to see which player wins the round.

The player with the herbivore card wins the round and takes both cards.

The player with the carnivore/omnivore card wins the round and takes both cards.

Want a great chapter book to pair with this activity? Why not get another dose of Ms. Frizzle? (My son's reading this now.)