NATURE ACTIVITY
FIND A MATE
This is a nature activity that the younger children can't get enough of. We use it often in programs for 6 to 9 year olds, and occasionally with 9 to 12 year olds. They laugh and play their way through it, and then ask for more. It's a great way to experience what it is like to be an animal and to offer insights into why and how it behaves.
This is how it goes. Develop a list of common animals, such as deer, cat, dog, mouse, bird, etc. In secret, give each child an animal. The key to the game is to give each animal twice so that every child will have a mate. When the signal is given to start, the children imitate their animal and try to find their mate.
This is where the fun starts. Encourage the children to "become" the animal. Walk like the animal, make sounds like the animal, behave like the animal. No human talking is allowed. When all mates are found, start another round.
We learned this activity from Joseph Cornell's
Sharing Nature With Children.
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