Students enjoy studying cold weather biomes (like Antarctica) because of the iconic animals that live in the region. Images of polar bears, penguins, and orcas immediately come to mind. Baleen whales are another class of large sea mammals that can be taught in conjunction with Antarctica. Baleen refers to comb-like teeth that filter the water for tiny organisms like plankton and krill. Because plankton and krill are so tiny compared to the massive size of the whale, the whale literally eats millions, or tons, of these animals a day.

In this game, students split between acting as whales or the ocean moving krill around for the whales to catch. Each group will get multiple turns being the whale team or the krill team, which lets the students change roles, use different strategies, and learn from their mistakes. The students will enjoy this team-based game as the krill team rolls their krill away from danger, and the whale team swims through the ocean, collecting as much krill as they can get their hands (mouth) on.

Materials: 

·      A large indoor playing area with a hard floor surface (a large gym is ideal)

·      Scooters (8) that can lock onto each other, making a long chain of scooters (my favorites are Cosom 4-inch rubber wheel scooters)

o   Side note – they are pricey but worth the money

·      At least one tennis ball per student

·      Several polydisc or rubber disc dots (8-10)

Minimum Number of Students Needed: This game needs at least eight players but is more fun with an entire class. The number of scooters you have influenced the number of players as well.

Age: Lower Elementary