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Teaching and Learning with Games

Teaching and Learning with Games

Integrate game-based learning into your classroom with CEEE programs, activities, and instructional videos, offering students an interactive approach to environmental science.

Game-based learning and hands-on activities provide an engaging way for students to develop critical thinking and teamwork skills while deepening their understanding of environmental issues and connecting them to their local communities. This resource collection features CEEE programs, such as HEART Force and We Are Water, which explore topics related to natural hazards and water resources through interactive games and activities. HEART Force includes role-playing games that simulate responses to wildfires, floods, and droughts, enabling students to apply their knowledge in realistic scenarios, along with instructional videos that offer guidance on game mechanics and educational strategies. We Are Water offers trivia challenges at various skill levels and a Take and Make Kit that includes a collaborative board games focused on protecting rivers from pollution and hands-on exploration of local water topics.

CEEE's resources on teaching and learning with games empower students to tackle real-world challenges and foster resilience in their communities.

Environmental hazards—such as wildfire, flood, and drought—are increasingly affecting communities in Colorado. With this rise in hazardous events, there is a pressing need for communities to become more resilient through education, preparation, and planning.

The Hazard Education, Awareness, and Resilience Task Force (HEART Force) is an award-winning collaborative project implemented by the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) and Climate Adaptation Partnership (CAP) partner Western Water Assessment that engages rural Colorado middle and high school students, teachers, and communities to take proactive steps in preparing for and responding to natural hazards.

HEART Force Educational Games: Building Community Resilience

HEART Force offers interactive games where students work in teams to tackle challenges from natural hazards like wildfire, drought, and flood.

  • Wildfire: Students plan and invest in community resilience before responding to a simulated wildfire.
  • Drought: Teams use resources to navigate the effects of extreme drought.
  • Flood: Students collaborate to solve issues during a simulated flood event.

Each game follows a corresponding hazard lesson, allowing students to apply their learning in realistic scenarios.

All HEART Force Curriculum

Water, critical and scarce in the Four Corners Region, connects diverse communities through our shared place and unique stories. 

We Are Water is a place-based education program that connects rural, Latinx, and Indigenous communities in the Four Corners Region of the U.S. with water topics through stories, activities, and a traveling exhibit and engages community members in conversations about their personal and community connections to local water topics.

We Are Water: Engaging Students with Water Topics

We Are Water offers a variety of interactive games and activities to challenge students' understanding of water science and its significance in the Four Corners Region.

  • Water Trivia: Challenge students at various knowledge levels with beginner, intermediate, advanced, and expert trivia about the science of water and the geography of the Four Corners Region.
  • Take and Make Kits: These hands-on activities allow students to explore water in their community from home, with materials available in Spanish. Students participate in a collaborative board game where they work together to protect a river from pollution, search for evidence of pollinators in their backyard, and learn about the connections between water, pollution, and pollinators.

We Are Water Home Page

Activities and Games

How to Play the HEART Force Drought Game

How to Play the HEART Force Drought Game

It’s late summer in our community and the weather has been hot and dry for a while. River levels are low and both farmers and homeowners would like some rain. These are moderate drought conditions, but without rain they will get worse. In this role-playing game, students explore their role as community members and develop a plan of how to work together to prepare for and respond to a drought event. The community members need to assess the costs and benefits of different resilience measures and keep their community from entering Critical Drought conditions

This video introduces the HEART Force Drought game materials and gives an overview of how to play.

How to Play the HEART Force Flood Game

How to Play the HEART Force Flood Game

It’s autumn and it has been raining for days! The risk of a flood is high in your community. In this game, you will need to act fast and work together to prepare for and respond to an extreme flooding event. As a community, you will need to assess strengths and vulnerabilities, take stock of available resources, and allocate them during the emergency.

This video introduces the HEART Force Flood game materials and gives an overview of how to play.

How to Play the HEART Force Wildfire Game

How to Play the HEART Force Wildfire Game

It’s summer and it has been hot and dry for weeks. The wildfire risk is high in your community. In this game, you will need to act fast and work together to prepare for and respond to an extreme wildfire event. As a community, you will need to assess strengths and vulnerabilities, take stock of available resources, and allocate them during an emergency.

This video introduces the HEART Force Wildfire game materials and gives an overview of how to play.

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CEEE Contact

ceee@colorado.edu
Phone: 303-492-5670
Fax: 303-735-3644

CEEE Mail

CIRES Center for Education, Engagement and Evaluation
University of Colorado Boulder
488 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0449

CEEE Office Hours

8:00 am to 5:00 pm MT -- fall and spring semesters