Food Webs & EnergyGrade 5 Science for Kids

Herbivores, carnivores, omnivores, the energy pyramid and balance in nature.

Food Webs & Energy helps fifth graders sort animals by what they eat, measure how energy shrinks up a food pyramid and see what happens when one animal disappears. Ecology about balance in nature.

  • Grade 5 · Ages 10–11
  • 3 lessons
  • 3 experiments
  • 12 practice questions
  • About 25 min
Start Learning Free Open the Course
  • Who Eats What?
  • Diet Sort
  • The Energy Pyramid
  • Energy Count
  • Keeping Nature in Balance
  • Chain Reaction

Science lab course · Grade 5

Food Webs & Energy · Learning goals

What Your Child Will Learn

Sort animals by what they eat, measure how energy shrinks up a food pyramid, and see what happens when one animal disappears.

  • Animals can be herbivores, carnivores or omnivores, and their food chains link into food webs.
  • Energy shrinks at each level of a food pyramid, so there are fewer top predators.
  • Food webs are connected. Removing one animal can change the whole ecosystem.

Why it matters

Why This Matters for Kids

  • Connected ecosystems

    Food webs show how every living thing depends on many others.

  • Energy pyramids

    Kids learn why there are fewer top predators than plants.

  • Protecting nature

    Seeing what happens when one species disappears explains why conservation matters.

Inside Food Webs & Energy

How the Course Works

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

  1. Step 1 · Lesson

    Who Eats What?

    Herbivores eat only plants.

  2. Step 2 · Experiment

    Diet Sort

    Every animal has its own menu. Is each one a herbivore, carnivore or omnivore?

  3. Step 3 · Lesson

    The Energy Pyramid

    Plants capture energy from the sun.

  4. Step 4 · Experiment

    Energy Count

    Let's count the energy units at each level of a meadow's food pyramid.

  5. Step 5 · Lesson

    Keeping Nature in Balance

    Every living thing in a food web depends on others.

  6. Step 6 · Experiment

    Chain Reaction

    What happens when wolves are removed from a forest? Put the chain reaction in order.

Lesson preview

A Peek Inside the Lesson

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

Who Eats What?

Herbivores eat only plants.

Carnivores eat only other animals.

Omnivores eat both plants and animals, like bears and people!

Many food chains link together to make a food web.

The Energy Pyramid

Plants capture energy from the sun.

Only about 10% of the energy passes to the next level. The rest is used or lost as heat.

That's why there are many plants, fewer plant eaters and only a few top predators.

Keeping Nature in Balance

Every living thing in a food web depends on others.

If one animal disappears, the whole web can change.

When wolves returned to Yellowstone Park, rivers and forests changed too!

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

Pick an animal you saw outside, like a robin. Draw a food web together showing what it eats and what eats it.

Diet Sort

  1. Write down everything you ate today.
  2. Mark plant foods and animal foods.
  3. Are you an omnivore, herbivore or carnivore?

Animals can be herbivores, carnivores or omnivores, and their food chains link into food webs.

Energy Count

  1. Start with 1,000 pieces of cereal (plants).
  2. Pass 100 to the 'rabbit', who passes 10 to the 'fox'.
  3. See how little reaches the top!

Energy shrinks at each level of a food pyramid, so there are fewer top predators.

Chain Reaction

  1. Draw a food web with 6 living things.
  2. Cross one out.
  3. Draw arrows to show what changes next.

Food webs are connected. Removing one animal can change the whole ecosystem.

Practice

Grade 5 Science Practice Questions

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

  1. Question 1

    What does a herbivore eat?

    • A.Only meat
    • B.Both
    • C.Only plants
    Show answer

    Only plants

  2. Question 2

    About how much energy passes to the next level?

    • A.10%
    • B.100%
    • C.50%
    Show answer

    10%

  3. Question 3

    What happened when wolves were removed?

    • A.Deer disappeared
    • B.Deer numbers grew
    • C.Nothing changed
    Show answer

    Deer numbers grew

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

Food Webs & Energy · Questions from parents

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this course for?

Food Webs & Energy is a grade 5 science course for kids ages 10–11. That is Year 6 science in the UK and Year 5 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?

Sort animals by what they eat, measure how energy shrinks up a food pyramid, and see what happens when one animal disappears. Along the way they practice: Animals can be herbivores, carnivores or omnivores, and their food chains link into food webs; Energy shrinks at each level of a food pyramid, so there are fewer top predators; Food webs are connected. Removing one animal can change the whole ecosystem.

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?

Food Webs & Energy 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.

Keep learning

More Grade 5 Science Courses

All Grade 5 Science Courses

More Grade 5 Subjects

A boy and his monster friend watching the sunset near a castle

Ready for the Adventure?

Join our first families and start learning with SkillBloom.

Get Started Now