Welcome to Eco Games!
Playful tools to help us learn, act, and make change together.
Our Eco-Games are designed to make learning about the environment fun, interactive, and meaningful. Whether you’re in a classroom, a community group, or just playing with friends, these tools will help you explore how everyday choices add up to a big impact on our planet.
Created by the New Creatives, a group set up by Jumped Up Theatre in Peterborough, these games were designed with young people and professional artists working together to spark creativity, confidence, and action.
We know climate change can feel overwhelming. That’s why Eco Games break it down into simple, engaging activities that help us learn together and show how every choice, even small ones, can make a difference.
Now it’s your turn: explore the games, try the activities, and discover the actions you can take today to help our planet.
The Carbon Cycle Ballet
The Carbon Cycle can be tricky to understand, so we turned it into a performance. The Carbon Cycle Ballet uses cardboard puppets, movement, and storytelling, all narrated by Jason Mitchell, to show how carbon moves through our planet and why it matters.
We worked together to design and perform our own version, bringing the science to life in a playful and creative way.
You can:
Learn the basic steps of the carbon cycle through movement and cardboard puppetry
Work together to create a group performance.
Add your own ideas to show different parts of the cycle.
Reflect on how this helps us understand climate change.
The best part is that there is no single way to do it. Every group will find their own moves, puppets, and stories to bring the Carbon Cycle to life.
Watch our version, then have a go at creating your own.
It’s Litter-ally Rubbish! Quiz Show
Our first Eco Game is a quiz show that is Litter-ally Rubbish, and that is the point!
Everyone loves a quiz, and this one is a fun way to learn about climate change, test your knowledge, and share surprising facts with others.
We designed and filmed our very own game show, complete with questions, contestants, and even rubbish-themed point chips. You can watch our version and play along at home, or use our guide to make your own quiz.
You can:
Form teams, just like we did.
Be “fact detectives” and find surprising information about the environment.
Turn your discoveries into quiz questions.
Add rules, buzzers, or silly sound effects to make it fun.
The best part is that every quiz is different, because you get to design it. Watch our game, play along, or use the guide to create your own Litter-ally Rubbish quiz and see how much your group really knows about the planet. about the planet.
Snakes & Ladders
We have taken the classic game of Snakes & Ladders and given it an environmental twist. Every roll of the dice comes with a real-life scenario. Will it be a Ladder (positive action), a Snake (negative impact), or somewhere in between? The group decides.
We created and tested our own version with life-sized boards and players acting as tokens. You do not need a big set-up to play. We have also made a guide so you can design your own version.
You can:
Build a gameboard with cones, chalk, cardboard or anything you have.
Play as your own tokens by stepping forward, backward, or staying in place.
Use our ready-made list of scenarios or create your own.
Print them as cards or use a digital generator to keep the game moving.
The first to the finish line is the winner. But the real goal is sparking conversations about how our everyday actions add up.
Use our guide to create your own Eco Snakes & Ladders and see where your choices take you.
Want More?
Would you like to experience Eco Games live?
Artist Jason Mitchell can run an in-person Eco Games workshop with your group.
We have already brought Eco Games to life at the TDET Sustainability Conference, Peterborough Celebrates, and as part of our show Trashedy. Each time, the games sparked laughter, debate, and fresh ideas about how we can all make a difference.
If you would like to host an in-person workshop, get in touch with Small Nose Theatre.
Credits
Eco Games was co-designed by
The New Creatives (2024–25)
Zara, Simona, Sheila, Jacob, Chiara and Louisa
The films feature Jason Mitchell, Jacob, Chiara, Emily and Diana
Produced by Jumped Up Theatre
In collaboration with Jason Mitchell
With thanks to Becky Owen-Fisher and Louise Garwood for artistic support
Filmed and edited by Emily Steele-Dias
Sound by Maleeha Iqbal
With thanks to Peterborough Museum and Peterborough College Media and Journalism Centre
Funded by Arts Council England and Hyde Charitable Foundation
