Move-N-Around - The Nitrogen Cycle Game

The nitrogen cycle is arguably one of the most important biological processes on the planet, with significant impacts on agriculture and the environment. It's also one of the most complex, leaving many people confused about how it works and its effects on the climate.

We developed Move-N-Around – The Nitrogen Cycle Game to educate people about the nitrogen cycle and its impact on the climate. This summer, the game made its debut with educators from all over the country at the National Ag In The Classroom conference.

How does Move-N-Around work?

Here’s how the game works:

1. The game is made up of eight stations that represent different forms of nitrogen and different stages of the nitrogen cycle.
2. As players move from station to station, they collect cycle cards for different stages in the nitrogen cycle.
   1. For example, if a player goes to the Productive Agriculture Station, they learn that as a nitrogen atom, they’ve made it into the DNA and proteins of the corn plant, and then pull a new card to continue on in the nitrogen cycle.
   2. If a player ends up at Nitrous Oxide (N₂O), they have an unproductive outcome and reach a dead end – trapped as an unproductive form of nitrogen that’s harmful to the environment.

As students circulate through the stations, the class reviews the different stages of the nitrogen journey and the outcomes. Some students will land at Algal Blooms and Nitrous Oxide Stations and end their journey early. The game concludes when every station has been highlighted.

By breaking down a complex topic into an easy-to-digest and interactive format, players can see how important nitrogen is as a building block of life and understand how to best optimize it as a critical component of biology.

Move-N-Around was a big hit with teachers at the National Ag In The Classroom conference and now it is available for any educator to use free of charge. If you use it, please share your experience and photos by tagging @PivotBio on social media!

Download the lesson presentation, game instructions, printable game materials, and nitrogen cycle poster.

Have suggestions to improve Move-N-Around? Let us know through the feedback form.