By Kara Headley
Capital News Service
LANSING -“What in the Wild” is a new card game designed to teach elementary students about Michigan wildlife in a unique and fun way.
The game contains 120 cards featuring plant and animal species and the food, water, habitat and space requirements of each. Five games can be played with the deck that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently released.
The game follows the agency’s curriculum for K-5, but it is designed for anyone living in Michigan or elsewhere in the United States.
“The game is a bridge between nature and urban and suburban environments,” said Karen Cleveland, a DNR wildlife biologist and creator of “What in the Wild”.
The game teaches children about Michigan wildlife in a nonconventional way.
“It doesn’t feel like you’re learning something, so it is easier to want to learn the stuff,” Cleveland said. “Playing games where you’re exposed to information repeatedly helps you remember.”