3rd Grade Science — Plants and Ecosystems — God's Green Earth
Students will understand food chains and how God designed living things to depend on each other for food.
A food chain shows how energy passes from one living thing to another. God designed a wonderful system where every creature has something to eat and every creature plays an important role.
Every food chain starts with the sun. Plants use sunlight to make food through photosynthesis. Because plants make their own food, they are called producers. Without producers, no other living thing could survive.
Animals that eat plants are called herbivores or primary consumers. Rabbits, deer, and caterpillars are herbivores. Animals that eat other animals are called carnivores or secondary consumers. Hawks, foxes, and frogs are carnivores.
When plants and animals die, tiny organisms called decomposers break them down and return nutrients to the soil. Mushrooms, worms, and bacteria are decomposers. God designed decomposers to recycle nutrients so new plants can grow.
A simple food chain might look like this: Sun → Grass → Rabbit → Fox → Decomposers. Each link in the chain depends on the one before it. God designed this system to keep nature balanced and healthy.
Create your own food chain using drawings or cutouts. Start with the sun, then add a producer, a herbivore, a carnivore, and a decomposer. Use arrows to show which direction the energy flows.