Chain Reaction at the Great Barrier Reef

Ecology & Food Webs Adventure Pack

Beneath the surface of the Great Barrier Reef, the ecosystem is starting to fail.

Energy pathways are breaking down. Key species are disappearing. The delicate balance between producers, consumers, and decomposers is unraveling, triggering a dangerous chain reaction across the reef. Ari Raider has detected a major disturbance in the reef’s food web and needs explorers to restore balance before the system collapses completely.

In Chain Reaction at the Great Barrier Reef, students are deployed into one of the most complex ecosystems on Earth on a high-stakes, escape-room-style mission. By learning how energy flows through food webs, how organisms depend on one another, and how disruptions ripple through ecosystems, explorers must repair broken connections, stabilize the reef, and prevent total collapse.

This adventure blends ecology and food web science with story, exploration, and optional hands-on discovery.

About This Adventure Pack

Chain Reaction at the Great Barrier Reef is designed for elementary explorers and connects directly to an interactive online adventure.

Students can complete the Chain Reaction at the Great Barrier Reef adventure online for free, including access to free printable trading cards that match this experience. The online adventure delivers the full learning and story-driven mission without requiring a physical kit.

👉 Explore the free Chain Reaction at the Great Barrier Reef adventure here:
Coming Soon

For families or classrooms that want to extend the experience, this Adventure Pack adds a hands-on excavation and collectible cards that bring the reef rescue mission into the physical world.

The learning experience is the same whether students use the physical pack or not. The pack simply adds a tactile, collectible layer to the adventure.

What This Adventure Covers

Each Chain Reaction at the Great Barrier Reef Adventure Pack explores core ecology and food web concepts, including:

• Producers – How algae and plants create energy using sunlight
• Consumers – How herbivores and carnivores transfer energy through the food web
• Herbivores & Carnivores – How feeding relationships shape populations
• Scavengers – How leftover energy is recycled across the ecosystem
• Decomposers – How dead matter is broken down and nutrients are returned
• Food Chains – How energy moves from one organism to another
• Food Webs – How multiple food chains connect and depend on each other
• Trophic Cascades – How changes at one level affect the entire system
• Ecosystem Balance – How stable food webs keep ecosystems healthy

Each topic appears naturally within the adventure and is required to move the story forward, reinforcing learning through exploration rather than memorization.

What’s Inside the Pack

• 9 Adventure Trading Cards
Story-driven Podlings cards that guide the reef mission and reinforce ecology and food web concepts through exploration and discovery.

• 1 Real Mystery Dig
A hands-on dig containing a hidden collectible specimen to uncover, clean, and identify.

• Dig Stick Tool
A sturdy tool for carefully excavating the hidden specimen.

• Cleaning Wipe
Used to clean and reveal the specimen after excavation.

• Excavating Adventures Sticker
A collectible sticker to mark the adventure and celebrate your discovery.

Why Kids Love It

Exploring a collapsing coral reef, restoring broken food webs, collecting cards, and digging out a real specimen makes learning feel like a true underwater rescue mission.

Why Teachers and Parents Love It

Chain Reaction at the Great Barrier Reef supports life science learning through curiosity-driven exploration, clear concepts, and flexible use in classrooms or at home. The adventure works for whole-class instruction, small groups, or independent learning — with or without the physical pack.

Free Adventure Option

Chain Reaction at the Great Barrier Reef is also available online for free, including free printable trading cards that align directly with this adventure. No purchase is required to participate.

This reflects our mission at Excavating Adventures: to make engaging, story-driven adventures accessible to everyone.

👉 Explore the free Chain Reaction at the Great Barrier Reef adventure here:
Coming Soon