You can download EcoChains: Arctic Life now as a free print-and-play deck!
Color printer recommended.
This printable card game deck features 17 Arctic species and includes 10 sea ice cards, 37 species cards, 4 action cards, and 3 event cards.
Click here to download the printable game deck and instructions (zipfile).
EcoChains: Arctic Life was created by two professors, Joey Lee and Stephanie Pfirman, who combined their passions for games and Arctic research. Joey is a Lecture Professor of Technology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University, and his mission is to design games for social and educational impact. Stephanie is a Professor of Environmental Science and Sustainability at Arizona State University and is wildly passionate about researching the effects of climate change in the Arctic. The team was later joined by Jason Wu, a career educator whose mission is to help students grow and discover their true potential.
Great news! You can buy the game directly from us or from Amazon. Contact us if you want a discounted rate for a classroom pack. Yes, we ship internationally using the actual cost of USPS Priority Mail (Classroom packs of 24 only).
You can Buy Direct from us:
EcoChains: Arctic Life food web card game – family friendly game teaches climate change
Or Buy on Amazon:
Special offer for educators: Buy 6 or more decks and get 10% off your order! Enter code ECOTEACH at checkout.
EcoChains: Arctic Life is a 2017 Parents’ Choice Approved Award winner, a family friendly game for all ages.
Instead of other games that promote violence, the fun in Arctic Life comes from survival and stewardship — the challenge of building and protecting food chains. Parents can play with kids, or children can play with each other — at home for family game night or in the classroom.
“Arctic Life is a two-player educational card game that demonstrates the importance of understanding the struggle for survival in a rapidly warming Arctic. Players build an Arctic marine food web, learn about the importance of sea ice, and respond to ecosystem changes. Climate change is a complex issue; playing the card game shows the challenges, causes, and effects. A good supplement to environmental science classes.”
EcoChains: Arctic Life accurately models the effects of climate change on wildlife food-webs. The game shows how human actions such as the development of alternative energy can influence carbon pollution.
Climate researchers helped design the game to ensure faithfulness to the underlying science. The game is fully aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards. For students in upper elementary through high school, the game is a great way to teach about Earth’s ecosystems, human activity, and weather and climate. It can be used for demonstration, student practice, and assessment for students from third grade all the way through high school.
Below you will find guides for the classroom, as well as a companion article to extend learning in the language and literacy domains.
3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.
5-ESS2-1. Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
MS-ESS3-5. Ask questions to clarify evidence of the factors that have caused the rise in global temperatures over the past century.
HS-LS2-7. Design, evaluate, and refine a solution for reducing the impacts of human activities on the environment and biodiversity.
HS-ESS2-2. Analyze geoscience data to make the claim that one change to Earth’s surface can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems.
HS-ESS3-1. Construct an explanation based on evidence for how the availability of natural resources, occurrence of natural hazards, and changes in climate have influenced human activity.
EcoChains: Arctic Life HS Classroom Quick Guide
EcoChains: Arctic Life MS Classroom Quick Guide
EcoChains: Arctic Life Companion Article
