Have you ever played Jenga or a version of Jenga related to ocean food webs like this great one from New Jersey Sea Grant? Well, I have adapted a version to facilitate conversations about sea-level rise impacts! You can find the lesson plan here.
In this tumbling tower game, each removed block represents an impact to the community caused by sea-level rise, and each added block represents a community solution. At the beginning of each turn, participants will read cards about different ways, both big and small, that sea-level rise impacts coastal communities or about actionable solutions for all ages.
The tower represents different components in the community that support families and neighbors, such as fresh water, roads, hospitals and wetlands. As sea-level rise continues to impact the Gulf Coast, these different components are also impacted, sometimes resulting in difficulties for the community.
The tower, and community, can be stable with a few impacts. But, too many impacts become a problem and may lead to imbalance. By playing, students – our future coastal resilience planners – will become familiar with sea-level rise and learn how they can work toward community solutions. A prepared community is better able to face future impacts, allowing them to thrive and grow.
Make a giant tumbling tower
You can make an even bigger impact with this game by creating a giant tumbling tower!
The first thing you will need are the long rectangular cardboard soda boxes. Carefully open the ends and enjoy the soda. To add a bit of weight and provide some resistance so the empty boxes aren’t smushed, crumple up newspaper and stuff inside the empty soda box. Tape the end closed. To cover the soda box logos, wrap the boxes with plain white paper, long pages from a flip chart or a roll of art paper will work. Once they are covered in paper, cut colored contact paper to size and wrap the boxes to match the colors of the tabletop game. You have now created a giant tumbling tower that won’t hurt when it falls down!
Our giant tumbling tower set has only been road-tested in one outreach event because of COVID-19 restrictions, but it held up well and even withstood a toddler stomping on the boxes.
For more sea-level rise focused educational lessons and activities visit our website. Our newly launched Sea-Level Rise in the Classroom curriculum is a four-module curriculum designed for high school teachers to introduce sea-level rise impacts and discuss community-based solutions with their students.