Nature dominos

Divide up in groups of four to six participants. The groups must find things in nature that fit together like domino pieces using adjectives describing the properties of the things.

The thing could be described like this: a stone (is hard AND round); an acorn (is round AND green); blade of grass (is green AND flat); a sycamore leaf (is flat AND has points); a blackberry branch (has points AND ...). The point is that each thing has two properties, the last of which matches the first characteristic of the next domino "piece".

The groups will now try to find pieces that fit together with a high variety. If a group has used the adjective "green" once, you can decide that the group cannot use "green" again. The groups themselves must help each other to remember which properties match each piece!
Find a forest trail or and open space. The groups spend around 10-15 minutes gathering the things that fit together and place them in a line on the forest rail fitting together as illustrated in the example above.
When all the groups are done each group present their results. The groups gather around one of the groups and hear their presentation. The ‘visiting’ groups might find other ways of linking the memory pieces together, as there is no right way of linking the properties to the things. The stone can be described as round, gray, cold, heavy, rough and so on. The game is open-ended and the task of the adult is to support an abundance of words being used to describe the things.

Pædagoguddannelsen, UCSYD, Aabenraa, Denmark

Ion age biscuits

1 ½ cups of water

1 ½ cups of cheese whey (left over from the cheese production - see recipe)

Flour (wheat or barley or rye)

Honey

Salt

Chopped nuts

Mix the honey with water, whey and salt. Stir in the flour and knead the dough until it is not sticky any longer. Make small balls (the size of a walnut) and press them flat. Bake them the campfire on an iron plate.

Pædagoguddannelsen, UCSYD, Aabenraa, Denmark

Making fresh cheese

1 liter of cultured whole milk
salt

Seasonal herbs (fresh shoots, ranting cabbage, etc.)

Warm up the cultured milk very slowly. Do not stir the milk but carefully spread the heat using a wooding ladle. The temperature should be 40 degrees.

The milk will now divide into cheese (white lumps) and whey (a liquid). Wait for the cheese to cool and strain it through a colander /a sieve. Leave the cheese for dripping of the whey. Save the whey for the ion age biscuits.

Finally add a little salt and some finely chopped herbs.

Pædagoguddannelsen, UCSYD, Aabenraa, Denmark

Guess which tree

Materials: A scarf or a blind fold

Find an area in the forest with a lot of different trees (both species, size and shapes) in a small area. The game is in pairs two and two. Spend some time walking around finding a tree for your buddy to guess.

One of you (A) is blindfolded, and he or she is lead on a detour to the tree that the other (B) has picked. This tree must now be touched closely, after which the one (A) - still blindfolded - is returned to the starting point.

It may require some personal overcoming and confidence to each other to be blindfolded in the forest, so it is important that the person who is in charge (B) is very aware of this.   

The scarf is now removed - and one (A) now must find its tree. Then the roles are swopped, and the game is repeated.

Pædagoguddannelsen, UCSYD, Aabenraa, Denmark

The Camouflage Trail - what doesn’t belong in the forest?

This game can be used an introduction to activities with invertebrates in your surrounding or as a way of genializing observation of the colours of the invertebrates the children have found.

Settle down in the forest somewhere with varied surroundings, preferably with a small path or clearing. The adults have brought along several everyday objects that do not belong in the forest. Anything that is either man-made or not found in a natural forest is suitable if the objects can camouflage either because their shape or colour resembles the surroundings.  

A stick insect on a twig
Woodlouse on bark (photo is coming)

Place the objects on a well-defined route through the forest - preferably along a small path - so that they are visible from the path. Consider the height of the children when placing the object in trees or bushes, in scrubs etc.

Walk along the route one at a time or in smaller groups and count how many things the children can spot. The children can do the counting by ticking on a piece of paper.  Decide whether the you are going to discuss the finding as you go along or whether you want the children to remember and tell you at the end of the path.  If you choose the last approach note which things have been seen and walk the route again and discover the things you have missed and talk about why? At the end collect all the objekts. You might want to look at them all once again finding similarities og differences between the objects.
Further reflections – why are some invertebrates and other animals camouflaged and others not?

Pædagoguddannelsen, UCSYD, Aabenraa, Denmark

Banana pancakes

Banana pancakes are easily made and even a two year old are able to help mashing up the bananas with a fork.

2 bananas
1 egg
2 tea spoons of sugar
1 dl wheat flower
A bit of vanilla sugar
1 table spoon of vegetable oil

Mash up the bananas with a fork. Add the egg and sugar and stir until the ‘dough’ is smooth. Then add flour and vanilla. Poor onto a warm frying pan divided into smaller pancakes and bake them until they are light brown on both sides. Serve while warm.

Pædagoguddannelsen, UCSYD, Aabenraa, Denmark

The fox and the mouse

The fox and the mouse - are the mice able sneak past the fox without being heard?


A participant is chosen to be the fox. The fox gets blindfolded and is given "a den", which is a spot, preferable surrounded by twigs and crackling, dry leaves.

The other participants are mice and must sneak towards the fox without being heard.

When the fox hears a sound, the fox points to the place where he or she thinks the sound comes from.

If a mouse has been picked, it has been "eaten" by the fox and the mouse is dead. Dead mouse standing as quiet as a mouse until the game is over. The game ends either when all the mice have been "eaten" or when one of the mice reaches and touches the fox.

 

 

Pædagoguddannelsen, UCSYD, Aabenraa, Denmark