The Echinoderm Game

Purpose of activity: To learn about various types of echinoderms and appreciate their beauty and diversity.

Description: This is a set of 48 cards showing various kind of echinoderms: sea stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sand dollars (sea biscuits), sea lilies, feather stars and crinoids. There are three activities suggested. The first is an introductory activity where you sort the cards into groups and answer questions by looking carefully at the cards. The second activity is a matching game where you use colors, textures, patterns, and body shapes to lay down cards. The third activity is a just suggestion for a follow-up art project making edible echinoderm sculptures (cookies).

Target age group: any

Time allowance: 10-15 minutes for the intro activity, at least 20-30 minutes for the game. (The optional art activity would be more involved and would require about an hour, plus prep and clean up before and after.)

Materials needed: Copies of the pattern pages on white card stock, scissors. (The optional art activity would need cookie dough, food colorings, plus some extras such as pretzel sticks or sprinkles.)

Click here to download patterns and i14nstructions for the Echinoderm card games