Ecosystems & Food ChainsGrade 3 Science for Kids

Food chains, producers, consumers and decomposers.

Ecosystems & Food Chains helps third graders build a food chain from the sun to a hawk, sort living things into producers, consumers and decomposers, and see what decomposes. Clear lessons about how energy moves in nature.

  • Grade 3 · Ages 8–9
  • 3 lessons
  • 3 experiments
  • 12 practice questions
  • About 25 min
Start Learning Free Open the Course
  • Food Chains
  • Build a Food Chain
  • Producers, Consumers, Decomposers
  • Energy Jobs
  • Decomposers at Work
  • Rot Race

Science lab course · Grade 3

Ecosystems & Food Chains · Learning goals

What Your Child Will Learn

Build a food chain from the sun to a hawk, sort living things by how they get energy, and race things to see what decomposes.

  • Food chains show how energy moves from the sun to plants to animals.
  • Producers make food, consumers eat it, and decomposers recycle dead things.
  • Decomposers break down food and paper quickly, but plastic stays for a very long time.

Why it matters

Why This Matters for Kids

  • Everything is connected

    Food chains show how plants and animals depend on each other.

  • Energy from the sun

    Kids learn that almost all energy in living things starts with sunlight.

  • Recycling in nature

    Decomposers show how nature reuses everything, linking to composting at home.

Inside Ecosystems & Food Chains

How the Course Works

Each level has a short read-aloud lesson, an interactive experiment and a mini quiz.

  1. Step 1 · Lesson

    Food Chains

    A food chain shows who eats whom. It shows how energy moves.

  2. Step 2 · Experiment

    Build a Food Chain

    Energy passes from one living thing to the next. Put this food chain in order, starting with the sun.

  3. Step 3 · Lesson

    Producers, Consumers, Decomposers

    Producers make their own food from sunlight. All plants are producers.

  4. Step 4 · Experiment

    Energy Jobs

    Every living thing has a job in its ecosystem. Let's sort them!

  5. Step 5 · Lesson

    Decomposers at Work

    Decomposers like bacteria, fungi and worms break down things that were once alive.

  6. Step 6 · Experiment

    Rot Race

    Let's bury three things in soil and watch the decomposers work. Which one rots away first?

Lesson preview

A Peek Inside the Lesson

This is the real lesson text your child hears, read aloud by a friendly voice.

Food Chains

A food chain shows who eats whom. It shows how energy moves.

Energy starts at the sun. Plants use sunlight to make food.

Animals get energy by eating plants or other animals.

Producers, Consumers, Decomposers

Producers make their own food from sunlight. All plants are producers.

Consumers eat other living things. All animals are consumers.

Decomposers break down dead things and put nutrients back in the soil.

Decomposers at Work

Decomposers like bacteria, fungi and worms break down things that were once alive.

Food scraps and paper rot away fast. This is how compost is made.

Plastic was never alive, so decomposers can't eat it. It lasts for hundreds of years!

For parents

Try It at Home

Learning sticks best when kids use it in real life. Here are simple ideas from this course.

Parent Tip

Start a small compost bin or jar with fruit peels and soil. Check it each week and talk about the decomposers at work.

Build a Food Chain

  1. Pick an animal you like.
  2. Find out what it eats and what eats it.
  3. Draw its food chain with arrows.

Food chains show how energy moves from the sun to plants to animals.

Energy Jobs

  1. Lift a log or a pile of old leaves with a grown-up.
  2. Look for worms, beetles and fungi.
  3. Put everything back gently.

Producers make food, consumers eat it, and decomposers recycle dead things.

Rot Race

  1. Bury a banana peel, a paper scrap and a plastic piece in a pot of soil.
  2. Keep the soil damp.
  3. Dig them up after 4 weeks. What happened?

Decomposers break down food and paper quickly, but plastic stays for a very long time.

Practice

Grade 3 Science Practice Questions

Real questions from Ecosystems & Food Chains. Try them with your child, then tap to see the answer.

  1. Question 1

    Where does the energy in a food chain start?

    • A.The sun
    • B.The hawk
    • C.The soil
    Show answer

    The sun

  2. Question 2

    Which is a producer?

    • A.A fox
    • B.A tree
    • C.A mushroom
    Show answer

    A tree

  3. Question 3

    Which rots away fastest?

    • A.A plastic bag
    • B.A glass bottle
    • C.A banana peel
    Show answer

    A banana peel

The full course has 12 questions with instant feedback, stars and rewards. Create a free account to play them all.

Ecosystems & Food Chains · Questions from parents

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this course for?

Ecosystems & Food Chains is a grade 3 science course for kids ages 8–9. That is Year 4 science in the UK and Year 3 in Australia. It also works well for review in the next grade, or as a challenge for a confident younger learner.

What will my child learn?

Build a food chain from the sun to a hawk, sort living things by how they get energy, and race things to see what decomposes. Along the way they practice: Food chains show how energy moves from the sun to plants to animals; Producers make food, consumers eat it, and decomposers recycle dead things; Decomposers break down food and paper quickly, but plastic stays for a very long time.

How long does the course take?

About 25 minutes in total, split into 3 short levels. Most kids finish it over two or three sessions. Progress is saved, so they can stop any time and pick up where they left off.

Is this course free?

Ecosystems & Food Chains is part of SkillBloom Premium, which unlocks every course in every subject. Each subject also has free courses, so your child can try SkillBloom before you decide.

Does my child need to read well to use it?

No. Every lesson has a friendly read-aloud voice, questions are read aloud too, and the pictures help kids follow along. Confident readers can turn the voice off.

Can we use it for homeschool?

Yes. SkillBloom is built for homeschooling families. Kids work through lessons, games and quizzes on their own, and the parent dashboard shows what they finished and which skills need more practice. It works on phones, tablets and laptops.

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