game-library/data/sources/151 Awesome Summer Camp Nature Activities.txt

SOURCE: /mnt/d/GoogleDrive/Cercetasi/carti-camp-jocuri/151 Awesome Summer Camp Nature Activities.pdf
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
HUNTS
1. THE HUNT FOR BIG FOOT ................................................. 2
2. NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT ............................................... 3
3. ‘ALL THINGS NATURE’ SCAVENGER HUNT ................................. 4
4. PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT ................................................ 4
5. MICROSCOPIC PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT ................................. 4
6. “B” HUNT ................................................................. 5
7. ANOTHER NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT .................................... 5
8. PAINT CHIP SCAVENGER HUNT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
9. ABC SCAVENGER HUNT ................................................... 6
10. BINOCULAR SCAVENGER HUNT ........................................... 7
11. PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT COMPETITION ................................. 7
12. NIGHT EYES HUNT ........................................................ 8
13. CRITTER HUNT ........................................................... 8
14. PLASTIC BUG HUNT ....................................................... 8
15. SPIDER HUNT ............................................................. 8
16. INTERPRETIVE SCAVENGER HUNT ......................................... 9
17. SENSORY SCAVENGER HUNT .............................................. 9
18. T R E E S ................................................................. 10
ANIMALS
19. REPTILES ................................................................ 11
20. ECHOLOCATION ......................................................... 11
21. BLUBBER AND ANIMAL ADAPTATION .................................... 12
22. ANT FARM IN A JAR ...................................................... 12
23. BEE HIVE ................................................................ 12
24. LAKE CREATURES ........................................................ 13
25. WORM DIG .............................................................. 13
26. OWL PROGRAM .......................................................... 13
27. SLUGS and SNAILS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
28. WORM RACING .......................................................... 14
29. JAR VISUALIZATION ..................................................... 15
30. BUG INTERVIEWS ........................................................ 15
31. BIRDS OF A FEATHER ..................................................... 16
HIKES/WALKS
32. UN-NATURE HIKE ........................................................ 17
33. CREEK WALK ............................................................ 18
34. NIGHT HIKE ............................................................. 18
35. SHAPE HIKE ............................................................. 18
36. QUIET HIKE .............................................................. 19
37. THE WAGON TRAIL ...................................................... 19
38. STEALTH ................................................................ 19
39. LADYBUG NATURE WALKS ............................................... 20
40. PRESERVATION HIKE ..................................................... 20
41. 5 SENSES STROLL ......................................................... 20
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42. RAINBOW HIKE .......................................................... 20
43. NIGHT HIKE ............................................................. 21
44. DISCOvery HIKE .......................................................... 22
45. CREATING A HIKING TRAIL .............................................. 23
GAMES
46. JUNKOS and JAYS ......................................................... 24
47. BIRDS, ANIMALS, FISH .................................................... 25
48. EAGLE EYE .............................................................. 25
49. CAMOUFLAGE ........................................................... 26
50. HUG-A-TREE ............................................................. 27
51. SQUIRTING STINK BUG GAME ............................................ 28
52. LOST CATERPILLAR ...................................................... 28
53. DEFEND YOUR COUNSELOR .............................................. 28
54. WATER CROSSING CONTEST .............................................. 28
55. PREDATOR and PREY ..................................................... 29
56. YUCK! or YAY! ............................................................ 29
57. NATURAL CONTRAPTIONS ............................................... 30
58. TIC-TAC-TOE ............................................................. 30
59. TRACKING WAR ......................................................... 30
60. FROGS, INSECTS and FLOWERS ............................................ 30
61. JUDGE NATURE .......................................................... 31
62. OH DEER ................................................................ 31
63. CYCLE TAG .............................................................. 32
64. FOOD CHAIN GAME ...................................................... 33
65. THE GAME OF SEASONS .................................................. 33
66. RAINY DAY NATURE BINGO .............................................. 37
67. NATURE BINGO .......................................................... 37
68. BUG REVOLUTION ....................................................... 39
ARTS and CRAFTS
69. LEAF STAMPS ............................................................ 45
70. NATURE COLLAGES ...................................................... 45
71. ROCK and SEASHELL PAINTING ........................................... 46
72. SEED BALLS .............................................................. 46
73. MAKING BIRD NESTS ..................................................... 47
74. NATURE ART ............................................................. 47
75. MINI GREENHOUSE ...................................................... 47
76. PRESERVE A SPIDER WEB ................................................. 48
77. TREE DRAWING .......................................................... 48
78. PET ROCKS ............................................................... 48
79. NATURE “BEAD” CURTAIN ............................................... 48
80. PAINT BY TOUCH ........................................................ 49
81. NIGHT PAINTING ........................................................ 49
82. NATURE MONSTER ....................................................... 49
83. PEBBLE PLAQUE ......................................................... 49
84. MUD BRICKS ............................................................. 50
85. LEAF PRINTING .......................................................... 50
86. RANDOM ROCKS OF KINDNESS ........................................... 51
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87. OUTDOOR NAME PLAQUES .............................................. 52
88. PINE CONE OWL ......................................................... 53
89. BIRD WATCHING FEEDER ................................................. 53
90. NATURE ART ............................................................. 54
91. NATURE FINDS TO CREATE A TERRARIUM ................................ 54
92. LEAVES/FOLIAGE ART .................................................... 55
93. STICK PICTURE FRAMES .................................................. 55
94. HAIRY CATERPILLAR ..................................................... 56
95. BIRD NEST KIT ........................................................... 56
96. BUG HOUSES ............................................................. 57
97. PHOTO SENSITIVE PAPER ................................................. 57
98. SMOKE PRINTING ........................................................ 57
99. PAPER BIRDS ............................................................. 59
100. PINE CONE BIRD FEEDERS ................................................ 59
OTHER ACTIVITIES
101. LISTENING ACTIVITY ..................................................... 61
102. THE LORAX .............................................................. 62
103. PARTNERING WITH A NON-PROFIT ....................................... 62
104. PROJECT LEARNING TREE and GROWING UP WILD ........................ 63
105. ROCK RESPONSE ......................................................... 63
106. SURVIVAL THEME ........................................................ 64
107. MINI-RAFT BUILDING .................................................... 65
108. WORKING WITH OUTDOOR GROUPS ...................................... 65
109. PLANT TREES, FLOWERS OR A GARDEN ................................... 66
110. NATURE JARS ............................................................ 66
111. BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS ........................................... 67
112. GARDEN WORKS ......................................................... 67
113. FORT BUILDING ........................................................ 68
114. NOT A STICK ............................................................. 68
115. SURVIVAL SKILLS ........................................................ 69
116. MINI NATURE PARK ...................................................... 69
117. OUTDOOR SURVIVAL SKILLS PROGRAM ................................... 70
118. SOUND MAPS ............................................................ 70
119. SIT SPOT WITH A TWIST .................................................. 70
120. LESSONS ABOUT STATES OF MATTER ...................................... 71
121. ECOSYSTEMS AND COMMUNITIES ........................................ 71
122. GLOBAL WARNING COMES TO CAMP ..................................... 72
123. TREES FOR ME ........................................................... 74
124. NINJA TRAINING GROUNDS .............................................. 74
125. WORD OF THE DAY ....................................................... 75
126. MUD MAKING ........................................................... 75
127. WATER ................................................................... 76
128. GUEST RANGERS ......................................................... 77
129. SOUND DISCUSSION ..................................................... 77
130. CAMOUFLAGED CAMPERS ............................................... 77
131. MAKING EDIBLE SCAT .................................................... 77
132. RAINBOW BOARD ........................................................ 78
133. DIGGING IN THE COMPOST AT CAMP ..................................... 78
134. NATURE SKITS ........................................................... 79
135. STINKY TREE ............................................................. 79
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136. INVITING TRACKS ....................................................... 80
137. AQUAMANIAC ........................................................... 80
138. ORIENTEERING LESSON .................................................. 81
139. NATURE EXPLORERS ..................................................... 83
140. PICTURE THIS ............................................................ 83
141. ANCHOR SPOT ........................................................... 85
142. SHELTER BUILDING and FIRE MAKING .................................... 86
143. OUTDOOR CLASSROOM .................................................. 92
144. GNOME HOMES .......................................................... 94
145. ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PLANTS ON CAMP .................................... 95
146. WINDMILL EDUCATION .................................................. 95
147. OWL PELLETS ............................................................ 96
148. NATIVE AMERICAN THEME .............................................. 97
149. TEACHING HOW TO MAKE A CAMPFIRE .................................. 99
150. SHADY ACRES ........................................................... 99
151. DILEMMAS ............................................................. 100
RESOURCES
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THE COLLECTION
This collection of nature activities came from the submissions of many camp professionals. This
is an edit version of our Nature Activities roundtable. It contains the best submissions received.
EMAIL ROUNDTABLES
Want to be part of future roundtables? Each month a new email roundtable is offered. Those on
the email list get notified and have a few days to submit their ideas on the given topic. In return
they are sent the complete compilation of everyone’s ideas for free. The ebooks are edited ver-
sions of those roundtables. If you would like to participate in future roundtables go to the home
page of SummerCampProgramDirector.com and sign-up to receive email notifications.
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PART
1
HUNTS
THE HUNT FOR BIG FOOT
We had the younger campers go on a Big Foot Hunt in the woods, along the creek. I don’t think
any one went home and had nightmares, as the kids were positive and showed excitement, and
the staff were upbeat and presented “materials” to prove he was a friendly being.
Prep Work:
Before the activity, create a flyer in Publisher to look like a newspaper. We had a (fake) article
listed from a “scientist” that was from a made up agency outside of Washington, DC. Online
there are some blurry pictures of figures in the woods, which we put on to make it look authentic.
The article talked about how some of the locals had seem a figure from a distance, and he seemed
to have a gentle nature in the way that he carefully and quietly lived his life.
It described what his footprints looked like, and how he built lean-tos to live in. He was not out
to harm any one, as he ate plants.
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It cautioned any one who saw him to stay a distance
away, as he did
not like to be disturbed. I listed the author of the article as
a friend of mine, who was willing to pose as a “Big Foot
Expert” to receive letters or emails from the campers, then
write back to them on the subject. (We ran out of time for
this portion of the activity, but the energy was there for
it! I did not list any contact information for my friend on
the flyer, so she did not receive inquiries outside of the
activity; she and I had planned on having her email me
some historical data about Big Foot sightings, and express
her appreciation for the data that the kids collected. You
could also project a Skype conversation to make it more
realistic!)
Also before the activity, have staff go into the woods and
create “foot imprints” in some mud, by a creek, etc. (Our
staff used sticks and yogurt containers to make prints that looked like a human’s, but larger.) A
simple lean-to could also be started in the same area.
Activity:
At breakfast we announced news that Big Foot had been sighted in the area, and that more
information was to come as soon as we knew. Later in the day, we showed the campers the
news article, and asked if they wanted to help collect data to send into the agency.
We suggested they look for any other clues to suggest that he could be living in the woods (things
in addition to those listed in the article). This got the kids to look at the details in the woods;
broken limbs, plants that they thought looked “eaten,” suspected hairs (I can’t remember what
they saw to make them think this), etc. They even took some Plaster of Paris down to make a
large “print” from the foot print. (Counselors carried the plaster dust down, and mixed it up
with water from the creek. The kids then poured the mixture into the foot prints as “evidence
collected”. We went back later to collect the dry prints. If you don’t have a creek to get water,
you can just “happen” to have extra water bottles with you for the trip.
A camera is good for capturing other “evidence.” It is important for counselors to have energy
and get into the activity, as with any activity! Counselor buy-in helps TREMENDOUSLY.
This was a great way to get some of our returning campers excited about going down to the
creek, as the creek is frequented during our program.
NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT
One thing we do which any age camper can do is a nature scavenger hunt. Its great, you list a
bunch of things, from leafs, bark, bug, white rock etc. You have them in teams or pairs. They
have to stay within an area (all our campers have whistles, for safety reasons) and give them a
time limit. You can also give different points for different objects, the harder ones to find are
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worth 5 points where the easy ones are only 1 point. Then at the end if you really wanted to you
could talk about each item and how it is related to the nature, and used for.
‘ALL THINGS NATURE’ SCAVENGER HUNT
• Each cabin or group is given a list that contains items like: an oak leaf, a snail, a live
fish etc.
• Use your imagination and things around your camp sprinkle other things in like a hair
from a Moose’s head, a red shoe, etc.
• You can also ask trick questions like how any words are in The pledge of allegiance (31
or 4)
• Give each item a point value the harder to find the higher the value
• Give a time limit and have all groups report to an assembly area at the end.
• The groups check in their finds with a “judge” to determine the amount of points, the
judge can reject a teams item(s) for not green enough, has a crack, etc.
This may be done to even out teams (experience or age etc). This is only to make it more fun not
to pick on a team. Other options could be to have the group give some information about the
item .
PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT
Our most loved, by the children, activity in regard to Nature
is to have the children bring an inexpensive disposable camera
and take photos of things they find in their observations. The
photos are things they “Find” in our Photo Scavenger Hunt: A
tree that looks like it’s dancing, A tree that is blooming, A red
bird, A particular animal (squirrel, rabbit, cat!) on our nature
walk, A butterfly, An unusual looking rock, or tree stump, (they
have to tell us what it looked like to them, not just that it was
unusual).
We also have them try to walk like American Indians on a hunt by being silent and not stepping
on sticks or branches that would make noise.....This makes the walk more prone to observing
nature and doesn’t scare the birds and animals away as quickly as when the children are noisy.
MICROSCOPIC PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT
I go around the camp with my digital camera and take photos of places at camp that I would like
the groups to explore. I take the pictures very close up like the back of the ears of an animal, or
the unusual bark of a tree, or a large hole or pond stone or sign, a camp clock, or bird’s nest or
archery target.
I print our about 9 photos for each group on a piece of paper in color (I use the glossy photo
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paper and my hp printer Photosmart Software 9 pictures to a page). I give each counselor the
page to find each photo over the camp grounds during the week. I like them to take pictures of
their group at the site and bring them back to me the next week. You don’t have to do that part,
but make sure you ask about their hunt adventures the next week at Nature.
Post their photos on the walls of the Nature Lodge. They are usually very creative in their group
photo and so happy they found the item. Each group has a mixture of photos not all the same
and some are real stumpers! The groups may just be walking to an activity and all of a sudden
see the photo I took in passing. Lots of veteran campers can help with clues. I always leave a little
bit of the surround in the photo so it is not too difficult. Ferns in an area, A deer path, poison
ivy up a tree, a broken limb, The nose of a statue, a crack in cement, pool toys --all look different
close up. Observation and deductive reasoning skills are improved. They like to hike and have
a mission or purpose.
We do have controls on the digital cameras and who can develop or share any photos taken at
camp.
“B” HUNT
One of my favorite nature activities that we do in the summer is a “B”
hunt. We split the campers into groups, and send them out on the nature
trails with a pad of paper, pencil and a small trash bag. We give them a
letter of the alphabet (the first time we did this, it was the letter B, hence
the “B” hunt, but we have to change it each year!), and send them in
search of things that start with that letter. They have to identify items
from nature that start with that letter (birds, bugs), and pick up any
trash along the way that starts with the letter (bottlecaps, broken glass).
They get a point for each item they find, and the winning team gets a
prize.
ANOTHER NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT
Campers are divided into teams and given the same list of items.
Example scavenger hunt list: 1 point for each item
• Acorn (extra point if you are able to whistle with the top)
• Birch bark
• Bird feather
• Toad
• Tree leaves- must be able to identify which tree they are from, 1 point each
• Bee food
• Imitate a call of a bird you heard while searching
• Four leaf clover (good luck)
• Red Neft Salamander
• Piece of bark that looks the most like a face
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• Jackpine cone
• A dead fish
• Perfect skipping rock
• Insect shell/casing
• 1 point to everyone in the group that can loon call
• An item that reminds you of a counselor
• An earthworm
• Fern leaf
• Something edible, 1 point each
• White AND red pine needles
Rules: Do not touch a dead fish if you find one. Nothing taken off of live trees. Please do not eat
your edible item without showing it to your counselor first. Be gentle and kind to your toad and
Red Neft. All living items go back where you found them after the hunt.
Prize ideas: Get to throw a counselor off the dock, flower crowns, fresh picked blackberries,
nature necklaces, parachute cord bracelets etc.
PAINT CHIP SCAVENGER HUNT
Collect lots of paint chips from your local home store (these
are free for the taking but I would still ask the paint person
there, they have always been willing to help us out!). Divide
them in color groups or even a variety for each team. Send
your groups out – they have to match something in nature
to each color. Remember – eyes only! (An added twist –
have them take a disposable or digital camera along to
photograph what they find for each color or a sketch book,
have them sketch their item noting the location they found
it as well).
ABC SCAVENGER HUNT
We love to do “Scavenger Hunts” with all ages. We take pails or buckets, a clipboard with the
ABCs on it, and a pencil and take a walk around our lake. The kids find natural things to fit the
alphabet and put examples in their pails. They are really surprised when they can find natural
items to fit almost all the letters of the alphabet.
This activity really gets kids looking at all levels when walking through the woods: they look
down at the path, off the path, under trees and logs and leaves, they look up into the trees and
sky, and they look at eye level at what is on the trees and bushes. We find amazing things that
we wouldn’t normally see if we were just on a hike.
I like to give everyone a little bit of candy for filling in the sheet and something a little extra
for those who find the most. If we have time, I have each group pick their 3 coolest things they
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found and share.
Some adaptations may be: only things found in nature, nature and man-made items (this gets
them picking up trash and then you can have a discussion about recycling, littering, responsibility
to our surroundings, etc), only things that have to deal with animals, or give them a number of
items of a certain color: 3 brown things, 3 black things, 3 red things, etc.
BINOCULAR SCAVENGER HUNT
One very simple idea that we have implemented is to make
small wooden animals, paint them nicely and then screw
them to trees in the woods along a hiking trail. We have
tucked them back off the trail a bit, but they still can be seen
if you are looking for them.
We take a regular hike to the top of our mountain and along
the way, cabins are given a card with various animals to find
as they hike. They get more points for finding live animals
along the way. So they are checking off these animals as
they spot them in the woods. It is helpful to make some very
colorful (like a bright red cardinal) so some are easy to spot. Others are more difficult, yet closer
to the trail. We have a green iguana on a branch 2 feet from the trail, and almost everyone walks
right by it.
Once we reach the top of the mountain, we use the binoculars to find items that are listed on the
paper. For example...Find a pond, a wooden fence, or a mountain with a tower on it, or a green
pasture. Some are much more difficult to spot and can only be seen with the binoculars.
The kids love this activity, and we will be adding more wooden animals to our trail hikes this
summer.
PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNT COMPETITION
With our summer day camp, we have had nature scavenger hunts. We divide them up in even
teams with one teen and one adult leader and give them a digital camera, a list of things to
hunt for and a time limit. The team leader has to verify the find before they take a picture of it
and then mark it off their list as found. Whichever team finds the most items from the list is the
winner. Each team prints out their digital photo’s to make a nature collage. Examples of things
to find: 3 pine cones, 3 different types of leaves, 3 different types of animals/critters, 3 different
colored rocks, 3 different types of flowers and something fuzzy, something smooth, something
rough.
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NIGHT EYES HUNT
Get reflective tape and make eyes of different animals and place them on trees, ground, etc. at
the level where the animals eyes would be, then have the kids use their flashlights to find the
eyes and figure out what kind of animal it might be.
CRITTER HUNT
One of our optional activities at camp is a critter hunt and it is surprisingly well attended! We
have a large box of rubber boots for the campers and counselors to wear on the trails so that they
can go into the muck without worrying about getting dirty. We give each camper a magnifying
glass and a critter container.
The campers are welcome to catch critters and put them in their container, but we do ask that
they return the critters to the area that they were found in (they wouldn’t want to be picked up
and dropped off at the other side of town to find their own way home!).
One of the best parts is going into the bog on the property and finding frogs! It’s always a hit!
This coming summer we will be adding geocaching to our critter catching activity, possibly
placing geocaches near interesting things to see along the trails.
PLASTIC BUG HUNT
My favorite nature activity is a bug hunt. A bug hunt is easy to do;
you purchase plastic bugs (the dollar store is a great place to look)
and you spread them out over a large field. Then you give each
camper a plastic bag and let them search for the bugs. Make sure you
know how many bugs you put out; so that you know how many bugs
should be collected. A good way to help younger campers experience
success in this process is to buddy up kids. Pair younger and older
or make teams.
SPIDER HUNT
• When it is dark you will need a small flashlight (LED) and an area where there is some
short grass.
• Place the flashlight against your head at eye level and point toward the direction you are
looking.
• Walk slowly and turn your head back and forth to look for small “dew drops” that gleam
in the grass. These are the eyes of the spider reflecting your light.
• Walk toward the gleam and get close to the ground to see the spider (harmless wolf or
grass spider).
It’s easy and fun!
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INTERPRETIVE SCAVENGER HUNT
A second activity I have done is a variation on a Scavenger Hunt using clues that are open to
interpretation rather than specific objects. We have made it a competition before and score points
for different things that are found as well as things for bonus points. We usually incorporate
picking up litter found on the hunt...with bonus point for extra litter. Examples of item: Find
something that rattles, Find something that is fluffy, find something that sounds like a dog, find
something that makes you happy, find a rainbow...These could be things they bring back, things
they take a picture of, or things they identify to their leader.
SENSORY SCAVENGER HUNT
Give each child a pencil and a copy of the sensory scavenger hunt that is attached and have them
go outside and complete the activity.
Pick and object you LIKE and draw a picture of it...
How does it smell? _____________________________________
How does it feel? ______________________________________
Does it make any noise? ________________________________
LISTEN for 2 sounds that you like...
Sound #1 is a __________________________
Sound #2 is a __________________________
LISTEN for 1 sound you do not like...
The sound is a __________________________
Use your nose to find something that SMELLS...
Good: __________________________
Does the smell remind you of anything? ____________________
Bad: ___________________________
Does the smell remind you of anything? ____________________
Find something that FEELS...
Cold: __________________________
Rough: __________________________
Wet: __________________________
Fuzzy: ___________________________
Pick an object you DON”T LIKE and draw a picture of it...
How does it smell? _____________________________________
How does it feel? ______________________________________
Does it make any noise? ________________________________
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T R E E S
This is sort of a scavenger hunt...but with a twist. We have cub Scouts ages 6-10 and to help them
learn about nature and the camp we play a game of T R E E S It’s like B I N G O but we split the
boys into patrols and send them on our nature trail. Each T R E E S card is different and it has
various nature items listed. The boys (and their guide) have to spell out the word T R E E S. The
first one to complete that task wins a free slushy at the trading post. It keeps them interested, it’s
fun and they learn a little something about nature and team work. All excellent scouting values
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PART
2
ANIMALS
REPTILES
After the rain we take a walk through the woods to see what animals are out like frogs, lizards,
salamanders, etc. we talk about the different types of animals how they are similar and different
what they eat where they live etc and we keep some in a proper enclosure for a little while to
observe and learn from and then we set them free.
ECHOLOCATION
Great for hot summers
Tie pie tins and plastic discs outside along a row of trees. Blindfold camper and give a super
soaker, spin once or twice and point in the direction of tins and discs. Try to hit on object and
determine what it was. Add echolocation information based on camper age.
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BLUBBER AND ANIMAL ADAPTATION
Large bucket of ice water, lard and plastic glove. We layer the lard between two gloves to save
mess, place one bare hand into the icy water the other inside the lard glove then the water. Teach
about blubber and it’s functions on age level.
ANT FARM IN A JAR
Place a small clean glass jar upside down inside a larger clean glass jar. Fill the space with sandy
soil. Locate some ants and make an ant trap by mixing a little sugar and water in a small jar and
laying it on its side near the ant hill. When you have about 20 ants put them inside the large jar
and cover the jar. In a day or two the ants will begin to build tunnels. Once a week feed them a
few drops of sugar water.
BEE HIVE
We have an indoor bee hive, so we do an entire study
around bees. We talk about how they work together
and the different jobs each one has (Queen--largest,
female, lays eggs, Drones--males, next largest, only
job is to mate with the queen, Workers--take care of
the hive, guards, forgers, tend the young, the queen
and the drones). During the discussion we talk
about the importance of bees and why we shouldn’t
be afraid of them (bees only sting when threatened
because they die as their insides are ripped out when
they sting, and without bees we would have none of the food we all love to eat).
As a part of this study, the groups get to make lip balm. The recipe is very simple.
Supplies:
• 30 Lip balm containers and lids
• 1/4 cup beeswax
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil (watch label of peanut allergy info)
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon flavoring
• Hot plate
• glass measuring cup
• stir stick or spoon
• funnel
• labels
Instructions:
1. Put the beeswax into the glass measuring cup.
2. Put on the hot plate on a low setting.
3. Add the oil and let cook until the wax is melted, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the flavoring and stir.
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5. Pour the liquid into the lip balm containers.
6. Let the containers cool.
7. Put on the lids and labels.
8. Use.
Most of the supplies can be purchased at the chemistry store.com or if you do a search online.
LAKE CREATURES
We do a small water program. The kids get buckets and we set up microscopes. We have posters
and guidebooks that identify their creatures. It always amazes me what kind of things can be
found in a simple lake. The kids love it!
WORM DIG
We find a dirt shaded area, hand out spoons and containers and start digging. Campers dig for
worms, bugs and whatever creatures they find. Once our collection is complete, we head to the
craft area, pick out our favorite worm, describe it and draw it. It then becomes a craft project.
Simple and easy and the kids love it. Parents not so much, when they want to bring the worms
home.
OWL PROGRAM
Our local Zoo has an Outreach Program. One of the programs
is a Raptor program where they bring out a live Owl. The kids
loved watching the Owl as the Zookeeper presented facts about
the Owl.
After the Owl presentation, we extended what we learned into
an outdoor activity. We started by going on an Owl hunt in the
woods by our school. We hid life-size paper owls that we made
in the trees. The kids were on the hunt to spot certain species of
owls in the trees. They carried binoculars to find the Owls and
had to identify characteristics on each owl. We also made up a
couple of Imaginary Owls. Hip Hop Hoot had a gold chain; Race
Car Raptor was holding a racing flag. We also scattered Owl Pellets along the path for kids to
collect. We had an outdoor science lab where they could examine them under a microscope and
dissect with tweezers.
SLUGS and SNAILS
Host a Slug Run. Set up stations around camp with facts and exhibits with info about various
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Mollusks. The kids can answer questions as a team. If they get it right, they move on to the task
(make edible slime, slide down a tarp with slime, pick items out of a slime pool with toes). If
they get it wrong, they have a penalty (2 min wait or make a slug rap). I did this with my kiddos.
It was actually fascinating learning facts about these gentle creatures.
We also hosted a real snail race. We had two snails in a
small plastic shoebox. We divided the camp into two teams.
Team Blue & Team Red. Each snail had a tiny colored
dot on its back. We placed a document camera above the
shoebox that projected onto a big screen. One of the staff
acted as a commentator. We played music and in-between
lulls of the slow snail race, we had the kids perform silly
commercials they worked on days before. You could do
Nature related commercials. Let them discover interesting
facts about Nature and create a commercial or PSA. We gave the winning team a golden snail
trophy that we placed in the Mess Hall.
WORM RACING
At our camp one of the popular nature activities is worm racing! It’s only a hit if your staff really
pumps it up and makes it exciting by making it into an event. Over the years I’ve seen a couple
of different worm arenas used... from cardboard, to poster board to a table top. It doesn’t matter
what you use just as long as you have some way of making a start and finish line and maybe
some encouragement lines for the worms in between!
Materials:
• Poster board - Works best and it is easily portable in case you wanted to add a worm
race onto a nature scavenger hunt or nature walk
• Markers
• Container of worms - We like the night crawlers the best
• Spray bottle with water
• Lots of enthusiasm!
Ahead of time, create the worm arena with the poster board and markers. Be creative! Add
a start and finish line at minimum but also adding a few encouragement lines for the worms
is also fun. You’re almost there! You can do it! Just keep worming! This can be in tracks or by
creating concentric circles. The start and finish lines shouldn’t be too far a part though because
when working with worms, you might have some that don’t want to cooperate... best to keep the
distance relative to your activity and your camper’s attention spans.
Have a few campers go at a time with the rest cheering on. Each camper choses a worm and can
give their worm a clever name. My go to was Crawly McWormsalot :) Once the worms have
been named, on the count of three campers set their worms at the starting line then the cheering
begins! Have a staff member do a rapid play by play to keep it engaging and exciting... maybe
dress them up like a sports announcer! From time to time, give the worms a spritz with the water
bottle just to keep them moist. Remind campers to be gentle when handling worms as well. The
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worm who crosses the finish line wins! There have been times when this activity is so successful
that we can race in rounds and once we even had closing ceremonies and placed the top worms
on a podium and gave a recap of the worm races. It’s a total hoot as long as you have a great staff
who can really get behind it and make it into a spectacle!
Fun wormy fact: The longest earthworm ever found was in South Africa and it was 22 ft long!
JAR VISUALIZATION
To help some of our campers understand why keeping critters in a jar long term was a bad idea
we talked about what it would be like to suddenly be trapped in a jar. (The closed space, lack
of food, lack of friends, lack of air, and the lack freedom.) That helped with the large number of
campers who tried to sneak bugs home with them.
BUG INTERVIEWS
Items Needed:
• bug containers
• magnifying glasses
• pencils, paper
• colored pencils
Step One: Get Ready!
1. With a partner come up with five interview questions you would ask a bug if you
found one.
2. Write them down on one side of the paper.
Step Two: Teach and Sing the Insect Song.
1. Start by asking campers if they know how to tell an insect from other bugs. Insects
have three body parts and six legs.
2. Ask if they know what the body parts are called. Head, thorax and abdomen.
3. Teach the song (to the tune of Head, Shoulders Knees and Toes) Head, thorax abdo-
men SIX LEGS!
4. Head, thorax, abdomen
5. SIX LEGS!
6. Eyes, antenna, mouth, and spiracles
7. Head, thorax, abdomen
8. SIX LEGS!
9. (Song created by Mel Gronski.)
10. Sing song over and over again omitting a word each time.
Step Three: The Hunt!
1. With a partner and the bug container look for an insect.
2. Observe where the insect comes from.
3. Carefully put the insect in the container.
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*Be careful not to hurt the insect or disturb the habitat it came from.
1. Step Four: The Interview
2. Use the magnifying glass to help observe the insect closely.
3. Ask yourself the questions about the insect that you came up with at the beginning.
4. Write the answers on the paper. Use the back of the paper and draw the insect and the
micro-habitat from where it came.
5. Name the insect.
Step Five: Introductions
1. Have each set of partners introduce their insect to the group.
2. Where possible pass the insects around so the group can see them.
Step Six: Good Bye!
1. Have the campers put their insect gently back where they found them. Be specific,
remember a hundred feet is like placing us many miles from where we started.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Hand out a feather and magnifying lens to each camper.
Have them begin to look closely at the feather.
There are two types of feathers: contour and down.
Contour feathers are found on the wings, tail, and body
and help the bird to fly. Down feathers, which are soft
and fluffy, lie close to the bird’s body and keep them
warm. Ask campers what kind of feather they have.
Explain that the hard center is called the shaft and the
skinny hair like substance growing from the shaft is called the vane. Each individual hair is
called a barb. Have them separate the barbs and look at them in their magnifying lens. Each barb
has tiny hooks on them called barbules that “zip” the barbs together. Have the campers zip the
feathers back up. Ask how this zipping of the feathers helps the bird.
Birds also have an oil gland above the tail. When a bird “preens” itself they are spreading
this oil over the feathers while also zipping the feathers together. This helps keep the feathers
waterproof and in good condition for flight. If all of the feathers were unzipped and messy what
would happen to the bird?
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PART
3
HIKES/WALKS
UN-NATURE HIKE
We have a number of fun nature activities for Day Camp. One that was referred to us was an
“un-nature” hike. This is a scavenger hunt for “unnatural” items. The steps for this program are
• Gather a number of “unnature” items, e.g, a birdhouse, a pool noodle, a statue of a
squirrel, a gnome – include some things that are really close – e.g., a pine cone bird-
feeder – both natural and unnatural.
• Find a hiking trail with hiding places.
• Hide the items – still somewhat in sight.
• Tell campers that you are proceeding on an unnature hike.
• Activity can be competitive with each camper silently writing down what they see or
team activity with everyone participating in the scavenger hunt.
• At end of hike, discuss items found and those not found. Ask what could be left in
nature, and what cannot be left in nature.
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We have found that the longer the trail, the better. It is also fun to add funny items – it could be
something from a theme [e.g., a plastic Harry Potter wand] or something like the camp director’s
hat.
CREEK WALK
We use this activity a lot with our smallest
campers. It is a great way to get them
comfortable with nature and to have tons of
fun. It is simple. We take them out to a flat
gathering spot beside our camp creek. We
explain a little about stewardship (taking
care of the water and the creatures in it).
We teach them a few of the most common
creature that we can find in our creek.
Sometimes (depending on the age) we
remind them about not drinking the water
from the creek. Then we give them small
nets and small buckets and we explore.
They catch the creatures (only one in the
bucket at a time). Once we have identified
them we release them as close to the place they found them as possible. Depending on time and
depth we may also let them swim and play in the water.
NIGHT HIKE
Here you need to balance exposing the kids to darkness without being too scary. We take the
children up to the knoll (bald up on the mountain where they can see the stars and maybe
sunset). We tell stories, we sing songs. At dusk we head down to a lower spot on the mountain.
We then tell stories about not being afraid of the darkness (“The Cherokee Indian youth’s rite
of Passage” is one of my favorites). We may teach them a little about owls or other nocturnal
creatures that live in our area. Once it is dark (our definition of darkness varies by the age
and comfort level of the children), we line up single file. One counselor in the front and one
in the back, leads the children back to basecamp without the use of flashlights. (*Make sure
the counselors have flashlights in their packs in case of an emergency!) Once they are safely in
basecamp, they debrief as a group.
SHAPE HIKE
This one is usually done with our younger campers. The activity starts with a craft. They each
make a bracelet with their favorite shapes on it. They cut out shapes (circle, square, triangle,
etc.), punch holes in the middle, string yarn through their shapes, and tie on arms. Then they
begin a short hike. During the hike they look for shapes in nature that match the ones on their
bracelet. For example- round rocks, triangle leaves, straight sticks.
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QUIET HIKE
We take the group of campers to a fairly secluded place. Once we get there we ask them what
they remember seeing and hearing. Usually this list is short or mostly focused around human
sounds. We then take the same walk again. This time we do it in silence. Some groups we give
paper so that they can take notes of the things they see and hear. Once we finish the section, we
sit down again and talk about what they saw and heard. This list is usually more nature focused.
Encourage them to be specific. Then we compare the two. We talk about why they heard more
things the second time and what we could do to hear even more things. You can repeat the hike
as many times as time allows and the kids stay interested.
THE WAGON TRAIL
We did a “Western Weekend” for one of our
GS encampments. We told a story of being on
a wagon train and they had different stations
(wagon train stops) they did with hints of what
they may find at the end of their quest to find
gold.
Since everything was outside at the camp, one
of our stations was that the wagon trail was very
bumpy and it was putting a toil on the wagons
so the families had to get rid of things from their
wagons. The girls followed the trail and had to
remember things that may have been thrown out of the wagons. At their next stop they were
asked to tell what they saw that shouldn’t have been out in nature. The person in charge of that
station had a list to see how observant they were.
The girls did really well as some of the things were slightly hidden. It got the girls out on trails
that they may not have normally used in camp.
STEALTH
Just hiking can get boring for kids, so we like to play a game called “Stealth.” For this game, a
leader calls out “STEALTH” and then counts down from 10. They must keep their eyes closed
while they count, and cannot move from the spot they are standing on. While they are counting,
everyone else must find a spot to hide in the woods/path directly around them. Since you are
only counting from 10, they cannot get very far before time is up. Once the person who called
Stealth opens their eyes they can turn in a circle where they are standing and call out the name
of anyone they can see from that spot. Anyone who is seen is then “out.”
After they call out everyone they see they then announce “high five.” Once “high five” is called,
the first person to high five the leader gets a point or a prize. This game is simple enough that it
can be done over and over again on a trail, and also really fun for the kids since they can figure
out better and better spots to hide while still staying close enough to high five the leader running
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the game.
LADYBUG NATURE WALKS
To get kids and parents outside, observing nature, and
visiting little-known public lands together, our Park District
offers pre-school “Ladybug Nature Walks”. Each walk
includes a short storybook about the walk topic (birds, wind,
bugs, colors, etc.), a make (or find) and take home item, and
a guided, interpretive walk on a short, relatively level loop
trail.
Kids are allowed to borrow ladybug magnifying glass
lanyards, flashlights, etc. along the way. The interpretive “markers” hung along the trail are red
plastic plates (“ladybug spots”) with an observation or question written in permanent marker.
Things such as “Look inside this hole. What do you see?” or “Touch this old stump. How does
it feel?” or “Smell the beach air”.
For a typical 1-hour walk, there are usually 2+ hours of prep. A leader has to walk the path and
create the interpretive markers ahead of time, as well as prep any project materials for the take-
home item.
PRESERVATION HIKE
Prepare a list of trash items and give a point value for the items, then give the kids gloves and
trash bags and have them pick up trash and record their points when they come back together.
Give prizes for the most points earned. Have snacks afterwards. (Kids actually have fun picking
up trash when there is a reward for it, but it also makes them appreciate a cleaner environment,
etc.)
5 SENSES STROLL
Similar to a nature hike, we do a “5 Senses Stroll”. Each child gets a nature hike board with tasks
on it to complete. Some of the tasks include: hug a tree, let one bug climb on your hand, slide
sand through your fingers, listen for an animal sound, feel the breeze, chase a butterfly, smoosh
a leaf and smell it, smell a flower, etc.
RAINBOW HIKE
great for little ones - family camps , grandparent groups, preschools, etc.
• Encourage children to think about their favorite color.
• Where do they see that color outside?
• Tell the children we will be going on a hike and we’re going to try and find as many
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colors as possible!
• First - find all the colors of the rainbow. At every color, stop and teach a little bit about
what they found.
• Second - once we have found all the colors, hand out paint chips (just grab some from
the local hardware store and punch a hole in the center of each color to help with
matching). Have a competition with older kids to see who can find the most things that
match. With younger kids - set a goal of 20 (or whatever) matches as a group.
NIGHT HIKE
At our camp we do a night hike every
night. Each cabin gets the opportunity to
go on the hike with a couple of cabins
going together right after campfire has
ended.
A night hike typically involves a few
activities beginning in one of our fields
and then heading on our nature trails.
Our Nature Director will have a rope for
everyone to hold on to to keep everyone
together and also a flashlight in case
there is an emergency, but otherwise, no
lights allowed.
Often the first activity is some star gazing and looking for constellations. The Nature Director
would sometimes talk about mythology as well and explain some of the stories behind the
constellations.
One goal of the night hike is to engage the senses at night. So they will be still and silent for
about 30 seconds and talk about the noises that you hear at night and compare them the noises
that you would hear in the day. They will also dab a little bit of water under the nose to heighten
the sense of smell and then smell some different things (Skunk Cabbage for example) and talk
about the sense of smell.
Once they get into the forest, they will often do a sight activity where each camper gets a card
that is a different colour and they will need to look around and try to figure out what colour
their card is and find objects that are the same colour as the card.
At the end of the hike they usually finish with ‘Moon Rocks’. The Nature Director will cut up
wintergreen lifesavers, which when crunched in the dark in a dry mouth will spark. The Nature
Director will often come up with a story about how they came across these moon rocks and in
dramatic fashion share the story and then give everyone the opportunity to crunch and spark
the ‘rocks’.
Once this is done, they head back to the shelter and talk about the experience of hiking at night
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and also to see if they guessed the right colour on their card. They then enjoy the nighttime snack
and head off to bed.
DISCOvery HIKE
Overview:
This activity is best done early on in a program. This hike accomplishes two goals. The first is
to guide participants around major areas, trails, activity areas, and buildings of your site. The
second is to begin a habit of noticing things that present teaching opportunities or things that are
just cool! A Disco Hike is a DISCOVERY hike, not a FACT hike.
Resources:
None are needed, but having a map of the area is helpful.
Outline:
Tell your group they will be out on a hike for 1-2 hours, and to bring water, and perhaps extra
clothing depending on the weather. The group will head out together for the hike, make sure
there is another adult at the end of your group hike, or count group members frequently. When
any member of the group sees something unique or that captures their attention, the person
yells “DISCO”! The person who spotted the item brings the group around to show off their
discovery. Limit the names and definitions that are provided during the hike. This is not a hike
about naming things and handing out facts. It is about exploring and finding interesting things.
You could provide brief categories for things such as producer, consumer, etc. You can make a
list of things to research more about later. Taking pictures could be helpful and fun.
Safety:
Make sure everyone has water, and appropriate clothing and footwear. This is a good time to
point out hazardous items such as poison ivy, oak, and sumac. As well as areas that are off limits
to students.
Variations:
Use this activity to go exploring for specific things. Have a Disco Hike for Decomposers, or Bird
and Animal signs. You could do an erosion Disco hike, or go exploring on a scat Disco Hike
(always fun).
With many activities allowing participants to tell their story about the activity can be a worthwhile
activity. After a Disco hike, either right after or at the end of the day, gather your group and have
them tell the story of the Disco Hike. You can create a list of things to further explore, and also
map what you found and where. This process allows people to relive the day and if you make
a map, it begins to create a visual sense of the property. And you can add to that map each day
with your adventures.
You never know what you might find on a Disco Hike!
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CREATING A HIKING TRAIL
We partnered with the WV Division of Forestry and created a hiking trail. This was a multi-year
project. The Forester was able to identify a location and provided the expertise and tools. He was
also able to get some grant money for signage. We have three morning classes and kids signed
up to be a part of the hiking trail class. It took several years to get the trail ready, but now that
it is complete the campers love being able to say they were part of making the trail. Having the
trail done this way made it much safer for us to go down to the creek for water activities. We
have also used it for a “trail run” as one of our Friday morning counselor-camper competitions.
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PART
4
GAMES
JUNKOS and JAYS
I call it Junkos and Jays, but I’m sure the game could be adapted for other birds or mammals.
Junkos are small birds that gather food by searching around. The jays are an aggressive bird that
gathers its food by taking it from the nests of the Junkos.
• We use beans (pinto, navy, garbonzo etc) scattered over the play area which is outside
in nature! 80% to 90% of your group are jays. They must gather beans (1 at a time) and
take them back to their nest which they should attempt to keep hidden.
• The other children (10 to 20%) are jays, who can only take the beans that are in a nest.
• After a period of time, stop the game and debrief. Obviously birds with no beans would
not survive, discuss this.
Junkos need to be quick, sneaky and choose well-hidden nests. Jays need to be persistent and
ruthless to find other birds nests.
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BIRDS, ANIMALS, FISH
• Players stand in a circle
• A player shouts either “bird,” “animal,” or “fish” to any player and tosses a ball to
them.
• The catching player must shout the name of a creature that falls into the category be-
fore the ball reaches them. For example: If the tossing player shouts, “bird!” the catcher
might reply, “owl!”
• A catcher who fails to name a creature before the ball reaches them must step back
from the circle.
• The elimination continues until only the winner is left.
• No name may be repeated twice.
• The tossing player must shout their category before the ball leaves their hand.
• The ball must be thrown slowly and with an arch.
Variation: Instead of eliminating the child when they fail to answer, they must imitate in sound
and actions a creature in the category the thrower shouted. The thrower gets to choose the
creature to be imitated.
EAGLE EYE
Take participants on a hike. When you reach a location that has fairly good coverage, stop and
gather the group.
Intro:
Talk to the group about eagles and how awesome their eyesight is, how they are able to spot the
tiniest movement on the ground when they are soaring up in the sky or perched on a branch.
Game:
The goal of the game is to be the closest person to the eagle AT THE END OF THE GAME
• Designate a person to be IT.
• IT becomes the Eagle.
• IT closes his/her eyes and counts to 30.
• Everyone else scatters and hides.
• Those hiding MUST be able to see the IT person at all times, even if it is just their shoe
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or the top of their head.
• Before opening his/her eyes, IT must yell “EAGLE EYE!!”
• IT then looks around to spot those in hiding.
• IT cannot move, but is allowed to pivot on one foot.
Round 2
• When IT can no longer see anyone else, IT closes his/her eyes, counts to 20.
• During this time, everyone still in hiding must move AT LEAST 5 steps closer to IT.
• IT will call out “EAGLE EYE!!” and then call people out of their hiding spots.
Round 3
• When no one else is to be found,
• IT will again count, this time to 10.
• Everyone still in hiding must move 5 steps closer to IT.
Las Round
• If there are still people hiding, IT can ask them to reveal themselves.
• The person who is closest to IT at the end of the game becomes the next IT person.
Continue the hike and have the new IT call the start to a new game of Eagle Eye at their discretion.
CAMOUFLAGE
In a wooded area, tell the kids that you will be playing camouflage - an animal version of hide-
and-go-seek. Establish appropriate boundaries.
Gameplay:
• You are the mountain lion and they are the deer.
• Their job is to hide and not be seen by you.
• If you see them/their clothing and can call them out, they’ve been “eaten” and come
stand by you.
• If playing with younger campers, search with your eyes and ears, but don’t move your
feet.
• Close your eyes and count to 45, then let the searching begin!
For an added level of challenge, tell them they must keep their eyes on you at all times. (If you
were a deer, would you want to be able to see the mountain lion? Why or why not?) To ensure
this happens, tell them you will hold up numbers on you hand at different points throughout the
round (I usually choose three different numbers and show each only once). In order to survive,
they must not be seen and be able to whisper the three numbers in your ear at the end of the
round.
The kicker: debrief this activity, both between rounds and at the end of the game, by talking
about animal adaptations (behavioral vs. physical).
Debrief Questions:
• Did you survive longer during the first or second round? Why?
• What changes did you make to how you hid?
• Were those behavioral or physical?
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• If you had a magic wand and could change one thing about your body, how would
you change yourself to increase your chances of survival?
You can play this in multiple areas, causing the kids to adjust to a new habitat/environment.
HUG-A-TREE
This can be used as an activity anytime, however it is a great
intro to nature activity because you can discuss senses. Great for
varying ages!
Partner up!
One buddy has a blindfold, the other is the “driver”.
To drive your buddy, put your hands on their shoulders, be sure
to move them slowly, tell them to step left and right, down and
up. Be sure to guide them around obstacles like trees, bushes,
etc. When you take them to a tree make sure the tree is clear of
lower branches so your buddy doesn’t run into them. We want
to keep them safe!
Blindfold buddies, keep your bumpers up (hands up and cupped
like spotters).
Do an example with one camper:
• To start, spin your blindfolded buddy three times slowly.
• Then pick a tree (let’s pick ones that are clear of under brush, like this one) and drive
them towards it.
• When you are in front of the tree tell them.
• If you are blindfolded, your job is to get to know your tree using your senses (except
taste!). You are trying to get to know your tree so well that you can guess which tree it is
from of all of the others!
• When you are done tell your buddy and they will guide you back to the circle (still
blindfolded) and spin you slowly three times.
• Now take off your blindfold and try to guess which tree is yours! Then switch buddies.
Debrief Discussion
• When we experience things we all experience them differently, how did you determine if
it was your tree or not? What senses did you use? What did not work well?
• When you observed your tree without your eyes what did you notice? What did you notice
when you went back to it with your eyes? What do the different things you observed
about your tree tell you about your tree? (age, type, etc.)
• Can we all try to use our senses as much as possible this week?
• So anytime during this week or any time at camp, if you smell, hear, see, taste, feel
something you’d like to share – then share it!
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SQUIRTING STINK BUG GAME
Mark off a playing area on the field.
Some insects squirt a repulsive liquid when startled or threatened. In this game, one person is
the Squirting Stick Bug. He is blindfolded in the center of a hula hoop in the middle of your
playing area, and has a squirt gun or squirt bottle of water that he squirts on anyone who come
near. The rest of the players must try to get their food (clothespins or beanbags) that is on the
ground near the Squirting Stink Bug, without getting squirted.
LOST CATERPILLAR
Some caterpillars are well hidden by their camouflaged colors. Hide different color pipe cleaners
in a marked off area in field of tall grass. All the students are hungry birds and must go find one
caterpillar and bring it back to the nest. What color pipe cleaners were easiest to find? The birds
are still hungry, so they must find two more caterpillars. Are the caterpillars harder to find now?
Did some birds go hungry? What would happen to the bird population if all the caterpillars died
off?
Variation: Have the students make their own pipe cleaner insects and hide them.
DEFEND YOUR COUNSELOR
In this game, students have to use only items they find in nature - logs, trees, holes, leaves, etc
to build a shelter for their counselor. (They are not allowed to kill or destroy living trees/plants.)
They must scour the woods for fallen trees and debris. They are given a certain length of time
to complete the shelter. When the time limit is up, they must be prepared for a water balloon
attack from the enemy (the other camper teams). Campers can also attack other shelters but
must watch to not leave their shelter unprotected. The goal is to keep your counselor as dry as
possible. The shelter should be designed so that counselors are safe and dry. Campers can also
jump in front of balloons as they come at their shelter. When all of the ammo is gone, the driest
counseling group wins.
WATER CROSSING CONTEST
This is one of our favorite nature activities. It is both educational and fun!
Water Crossing “Project Wet” Curriculum and Activity Guide
The Watercourse and Council for Environmental Education (CEE) p. 421, copyright 1995
It’s the 1800s, your wagon is packed and you are traveling west. You arrive at a raging river, 1
mile wide.
Now what?
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Students will participate in a water crossing contest.
The goal of the contest is for small groups of students to plan, design and construct a means of
carrying a load across a body of water.
Divide the class into small groups. Each team will build a water crossing conveyance from
natural materials collected from front yard, city park, school grounds or natural areas.
The load they will be transporting is a hardboiled egg/rock/tennis ball or tissue filled with flour
(my favorite because you can tell if it gets wet). Once each team has built its boat, the heavy item
is placed in the center and must be floated in a tub or bucket of water. The boat must support
the load from two minutes, while not touching the side or bottom of the bucket. If the structure
has not cracked, capsized or fallen apart within two minutes, the team has successfully crossed
the barrier.
PREDATOR and PREY
Explain that the quietest of animals will eat during the harsh
winter. If the prey has heard you, you will not be eating this
winter.
You have one person sit on the ground with a blindfold on.
They are the “prey”. They have sticks on the ground between
their legs.
The rest of the group are “predators” who are stalking their
“prey” (the sticks on the ground). At the start of the game, as
the leader calls them out, the predators start making their way
to their prey as quiet as possible.
If the prey hears the predator, they point in the direction of the sound they heard. If they are
pointing to a predator, that predator goes back and has to try again as the prey heard them and
ran away (theoretically).
The prey can also wave around their arms and hands to try to touch a predator as they are trying
to grab a stick and make it back to where they started from.
YUCK! or YAY!
A good inside nature activity is to get a list of bugs and play ‘Yuck or Yay’. Give each kid a
sticky note with their name on it. Let them vote yuck or yay for each bug, and keep a running
tally of votes for each bug. Some bugs like cockroaches get a lot of yuck votes, other bugs like
butterflies, get lots of yays. Then discuss how each of them is important to the ecosystem.
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NATURAL CONTRAPTIONS
This can be a team activity or done individually. The goal is to create the most useful contraption
out of nature (think Gilligan’s Island or Swiss Family Robinson) Teams brainstorm what they
want to make and what materials they will need.
Team members collect all sorts of materials from nature: pine cones, stones, sticks, branches,
leaves, water, sap, etc. (Most not be taken alive- not where it would hurt the nature) Hand out
twine. Teams create the most useful contraption out of nature. You could put a time limit on it
if you wish.
TIC-TAC-TOE
This is an activity I remember from a camp I attended MANY
years ago! Campers gathered sticks and small rocks to use for tic
tac toe. We drew the “grid” with a stick in the dirt, and played
with pieces of broken sticks and stones. I can see taking this
a step further and using glue dots to attach sticks together to
make a more permanent “grid”, that can be used over and over.
TRACKING WAR
Show the campers different animal tracks using a track sheet or track cards. Divide the group
into two teams and have them form two lines with the line leaders facing each other. Place an
animal track card between each line leader. The first person to correctly identify the track is the
winner, and the loser moves to the back of the winner’s line. The game continues into all of the
tracks have been cycled through twice or one line has swallowed the other. Great preparation
for going out in “the wild” to look for tracks.
FROGS, INSECTS and FLOWERS
Divide the group into three circles, one inside the next. The people in the outer circle are flowers,
and remain stationary. The players in the inner circle are insects, and begin the game with one
knee to the ground. The players in the middle circle are frogs - they begin the game standing.
When the whistle sounds the insects have ten seconds to run and tag a flower. They may avoid
capture (being tagged by a frog) by flying (touching one knee to the ground). Frogs chase the
insects and can “follow” an insect by turning 360° pivot during which the insect can dash off.
After each round, the results are noted. A successful animal remains as that animal for the
next game. A captured animal becomes the same animal as his captor. An unsuccessful but
uncaptured animal dies and becomes a flower.
Each round creates changes in populations and inter-relationships can be easily observed. A
balanced game can go on indefinitely, but if frogs become too efficient, the insects are wiped out
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whereupon the frogs ultimately die. If the frogs are inefficient they may be wiped out and large
uncontrolled fluctuations can result in the insect population.
JUDGE NATURE
Every player chooses the name of an animal they would like to represent. One player is chosen
to become JUDGE NATURE. Animals follow the instructions given by Judge Nature. If animals
should happen to die during the game, they go to a designated area called “SOIL”. There,
they may be given a task by Judge Nature, such as ‘hop on one leg for one minute’, or ‘do a
somersault’. Judge Nature calls out one of the following instructions
(Feel free to add to this list!):
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
players run around a designated tree and touch Judge Nature. The first four players back remain alive - the
others die.
DROUGHT
Players run to an area designated as the water hole (perhaps around a different tree) and touch Judge
Nature. The first three back live and the others die.
HUNTER COMING/ATTENTION ALL GAME ANIMALS
Those players have five to ten seconds to run and hide from the sight of Judge Nature. If they are seen,
they are dead.
ILLEGAL HUNTER
Shoots every animal he sees, so all animals run and hide. If any are seen, they die.
FAMINE
Among the remaining players, there must be some sort of animal that each player can feed from (in the
natural environment). If there is none, that animal dies.
WINTER
All hibernating animals live, while the others die.
With younger players, it might be necessary to help them in the choosing of their animal, and to review
some of the habits of the animals in the game, so that all understand each of the instructions, and their
reaction to each instruction.
OH DEER
1. Place two parallel lines on the floor or ground, ten to twenty feet apart
2. Count group off in fours (1,2,3,4,1,2…)
3. Ones become deer, the others are needs of the deer, which are three: food, water and
shelter
4. Show the groups what the symbols are for each of the needs, which include: holding
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whereupon the frogs ultimately die. If the frogs are inefficient they may be wiped out and large hands over head for shelter, holding hands on stomach
uncontrolled fluctuations can result in the insect population. for food, and holding hands on mouth for water.
5. The groups (both deer and needs) turn their backs to
each other and pick a need by placing hands in one of the
3 positions.
6. At your signal (count of three), both groups turn towards
each other holding their signs clearly.
7. The deer must then run to “need” that is holding the
same sign. Each need may only have one deer.
8. Any deer who find the “need” they are searching for,
then takes the “food”, “shelter” or “water” back to their
(Feel free to add to this list!): side of the lines. Those needs then become deer as well,
as deer are able to reproduce if they find what they need.
Any deer who does not find what they are looking for, dies and becomes part of the
players run around a designated tree and touch Judge Nature. The first four players back remain alive - the habitat, or stays on the need side of the line.
9. Continue play for 10 –15 rounds
10. Have a discussion about how the deer population continues to change because of cycle
of available needs.
Players run to an area designated as the water hole (perhaps around a different tree) and touch Judge
Nature. The first three back live and the others die.
CYCLE TAG
Those players have five to ten seconds to run and hide from the sight of Judge Nature. If they are seen, Overview:
This icebreaker tag game is played to get participants moving around and playing together. And
it presents a very basic example of the energy cycle.
Shoots every animal he sees, so all animals run and hide. If any are seen, they die. Resources:
You will need an open area where the players can move around easily such as an open field
or a gym. You will also need some objects to mark off the boundaries of your playing area.
Among the remaining players, there must be some sort of animal that each player can feed from (in the Backpacks, jackets, hats, etc all work really well to mark boundaries.
natural environment). If there is none, that animal dies.
Outline:
Gather the group together in a square with no corners in the area you will be playing in. Show
All hibernating animals live, while the others die. them the boundaries of the playing area. Then get a volunteer, a participant or another staff, who
will be the first Consumer. The Consumer’s task is to try and gently tag the other players who
With younger players, it might be necessary to help them in the choosing of their animal, and to review are a rare species of Producer-“running grass” (autotrophus quickusmobilus). If the Consumer
some of the habits of the animals in the game, so that all understand each of the instructions, and their tags a Producer, that Producer is frozen in place and has been transformed into Scat!
Now this Producer/Scat is not out of the game! They can raise a stink by waving their hands and
shouting, “Recycle me! Recycle me!” To be able to run around again, two non-frozen Producers
must join hands around the Producer/Scat and say loudly “Decompose and break it down!”
Then the player is recycled into a new Producer and may continuing playing. If the Consumer
Place two parallel lines on the floor or ground, ten to twenty feet apart manages to tag all the Producers, then the game is over. You can also have multiple Consumers
Count group off in fours (1,2,3,4,1,2…) if you have a large group.
Next Step:
To make this game more specific to your place, have the participants choose some local plants
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and animals to play this game. You could challenge them each day to choose a new local grass
or plant, herbivore, and even decomposer. And if the group is ready, you cold have a discussion
on the carrying capacity of the area you are playing in with regards to the local producers and
consumers.
FOOD CHAIN GAME
• Spread popped popcorn over a large area outside.
• Distribute felt ‘name tags’ and safety pins to kids (brown felt = hawks, green felt =
frogs, yellow felt = grasshoppers).
• Give each player a sandwich baggie marked halfway up with a strip of masking tape;.
• When the simulation starts, grasshoppers try to fill their bags to the halfway line with
popcorn while watching out for frogs – if a frog tags them, the grasshopper must emp-
ty its ‘stomach contents’ (popcorn) into frog’s baggie and go sit down on the sidelines
to represent being eaten.
• Frogs try to get halfway-full baggies while watching out for the hawks who will eat
them (and make them empty their stomachs).
• The day ends after a set amount of time (a couple of minutes or so) or when one species
is gone.
• Hawks can only eat frogs which can only eat grasshoppers which can only eat popcorn.
• If an animal is not eaten during the simulation, yet does not have a full stomach, they
still die due to starvation.
• After simulation talk about why species usually do not eat just ONE thing in nature
(and why those that do are at higher risk for extinction---pandas, koalas, etc.), and why
there are more prey than predators (energy consumed is used by the prey to live and
reproduce, so those further up the food chain only get a portion of the total energy
consumed by their prey and therefore need to eat many grasshoppers, etc. to get the
energy they need to live)
Students often want to try playing a different role in subsequent simulations, or vary the
number of each type of animal to see what happens---it works best with about a 7:3:1 ratio of
hoppers: frogs: hawks, but students can figure that out for themselves.
THE GAME OF SEASONS
This is a game that was created during one of our snow camps
in our winter cabin. Our plan is to introduce an outdoor version
at summer camp in 2014. The game is a bit complicated to
explain. I have found that once stating the rules, and taking a
couple questions, the best way to learn is start playing. There are
three different characters in the current game. Bear, Squirrels,
and Birds. They all have roles to follow based on their natural
behaviors. Bears must hibernate. Birds have to be flying to not
get eaten by a bear, squirrels can climb trees for protection, ect...
This is a really fun way for kids to learn the relationship between
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seasons and animals.
The instructions are based on the indoor version of the game. Our plan this summer is to hike to
a spot in the woods where there are a lot of pinecones and play with what’s already in nature.
Squirrels will be able to touch a tree for safety rather then sit in a chair. I always make Bears
have fewer players then the other characters. If you have a really large group, I would encourage
creating more animals to join the game, and interact with each other.
The kids we played with were 4th-6th graders and they got really into the game and wanted to
play more then we had time for.
The last thing I will say about the game is it’s very important to have a designated north and
south for birds to be migrating back and forth to. In the cabin we had two levels to play on and
that worked great, but outside, we will have to have to get more creative!
All this will make more sense when you look at the instructions below.
The Game of Seasons Instructions
Props Needed:
• Food Cards- Acorns
• Character cards- More then the number playing so that as kids get out they can get a
new card.
Played in a building with two levels,
Setup:
Before the game can begin the moderator should hide all the food in all areas of play. Cards
should be handed out and each team will be given time to strategize (Birds must choose where
their nests will be, squirrels there stash, and Bears their Den).
Characters:
• BEARS: Bears are active during the spring and summer, they must prepare to hiber-
nate in the fall and hibernate in the winter. The bears goal is to get as much food in the
spring and summer as possible, they collect acorns. Bears can carry as much food as
they want at a time, but if they have more then 10 pieces when it becomes winter they
will be too fat to fit in their den and die of exposure. If this happens then they will have
to wait until spring and get a new character card.
• SQUIRRELS: Squirrels are active all the time. They often collect acorns more in the
spring summer and fall then in the winter and they can only carry so much, so they
store their acorns in various places. The squirrels must agree ahead of time where they
will hide their acorns. They can have 4 pieces of food on them during the spring, fall,
and summer, but only 2 during the winter. To avoid getting caught by a bear, a squirrel
can “climb a tree” only one squirrel can be in a single tree at a time.
• BIRDS: Birds migrate during spring and fall and are active during winter and summer.
They are small and can only have 1 piece of food at all times but since they can fly, the
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bears and squirrels are unable to take food from them as long as they are flying. Bird’s
nests are also unable to get ransacked by bears because they are too high in the tree but
squirrels are able to get food from a bird’s nest.
The Game:
The goal of the game is for each team to try to collect the most food and have the most players left
in the game. All of the Characters interact in some way and have advantages and disadvantages
to their character.
Rules of the Game:
• Birds must migrate north during summer and south during winter, therefore they
should have nest on both sides of the cabin. During migration they cannot have food
on them so if the season changes while they have food, they must drop it and begin
migrating
• Squirrels are the only animals that remain active the whole game
• Bears must be in their den by the time the season changes to winter. When they hear
the game switch to fall they should head towards their den, if they do not make it to
their den before winter is called out then they will die and receive a new card in spring.
Death:
When a player reenters the game after a death, they are given a new card by the moderator and
begin the game again as the animal on the new card.
The Game should have a moderator who is in charge of changing the seasons and handing out
new cards as characters get out and go back in.
Whenever the moderator decides to end the game the characters will produce their food and
count it up. The team with the most acorns wins.
Start
The game should always begin in spring and end in winter. When a character dies, they may
come back as any of the animals in the game, not what they started as. It’s important for the
moderator to have extra cards.
• Seasons times
• Summer/winter- 4-5
• Spring/fall 2-3
Moderator
The moderator is a very important part of the game. They have a stop watching and announce
the changing of the seasons. They also hand out new character cards when some one dies. When
we play inside we use our radios so that both levels here the seasons changing at the same time.
Character Cards on next 2 pages.
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BEARS
Interactions with others:
Squirrels: Bears can take food from squirrels. If the squirrel has no
food then the bear can take the squirrel for food. If the squirrel in
a tree then the bear cannot take the squirrel.
Birds: Bears are unable to reach birds when they are flying or
reach their nest but if a bird is not flapping its wings then the bear
can take their food or them if the bird has no food.
Summer and Spring: Bears gather food from ground and squir-
rels.
Fall: Bears should head towards their den. They can only have 9
pieces of food to enter, they cannot enter with more then 10. If they
accidentally have more then ten pieces they are too fat to enter and
die.
Winter: Bears must be in their den before winter starts and hiber-
nate the whole winter. If the bear does not make it back to the den
by winter, they will die and receive a new card in spring.
SQUIRRELS
Interactions with others:
Birds: Squirrels can take food from birds nest only they are
migrating, other times birds are free to squawk and scare
them away.
Bears: Squirrels can sneak into the Bears Den when they are
hibernating and take food. Squirrels should climb trees to
avoid bears when they are awake.
Summer/Spring: Squirrels collect nuts like crazy, they can
up to four pieces of food on them during this time.
Fall/Winter: It’s colder and harder to get around so squirrels
can only have two pieces of food at this time.
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BIRDS
Interactions with others
Squirrels: Birds can take from the squirrels stash.
Bears: Birds can also take from the bears stash. Birds must be
flying in order to avoid getting their food stolen or eaten by
a Bear.
Spring: Birds must migrate “North” (upstairs). When birds
migrate they cannot bring food!
Summer: Birds collect food in the north and stash in a nest.
Fall: Birds must migrate “south” (downstairs). When birds
migrate they cannot bring food!
Winter: Birds collect food and stash in nest.
RAINY DAY NATURE BINGO
When it is just raining (no thunderstorm), we take a small group of 8-10 campers on a rainy day
scavenger hunt to play bingo. Each camper gets a “bingo card.” We laminate the cards so they
are water proof. Every camper receives a dry erase marker to check off the box when the find
the item. Some of our items include: a puddle, rainbow, rain boots, rain jacket, ducks playing in
the water, dark cloud, earthworm, bullfrogs, etc. Make sure every card is in a different order or
has different items. The group will walk around camp property playing in the rain and trying to
find all the items on their card. The first person to get a row filled wins or to make the activity
last longer, the first person to fill the card.
This is a great activity to do because it still allows campers to run around property and not
cooped up. It also shows them that nature doesn’t stop jut because it’s raining. In fact, you can
usually see more “stuff” during a rain storm.
NATURE BINGO
This is a good one for little kids.. fine motor not really needed, nor are reading skills! Of course,
can be done with primary aged who can read, too. Each camper gets a bingo sheet and a marker,
and head out on the trails.. or around camp, or the neighbourhood! Cross off pictures as you see
them - but leave everything where it is in nature!
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BUG REVOLUTION
One of my favorite nature ideas was a brand new game that we implemented last summer.
We call it Bug Revolution. Do you know the board game, Stratego? It’s similar to that, but a
live version of it. We created two versions, one for our older group (grades 5-8) and one for the
middle group (grades 3-4).
For your reference, the game board tarp mentioned is a giant tarp, divided into squares. If you
haven’t seen the board game Stratego, there are two sets of squares facing each other (we did
four rows of five squares), with a blank space dividing the two teams.
At the end of the description are the ID cards
Bug Revolution for the Older Group
You will need:
• Game board tarp
• ID cards (1 / camper)
This is a variation of Capture The Flag and the board game Stratego, using real bugs. Each
player will represent either an actual bug, or an item. There are ranking bugs, bug zappers and
one bug flag per team. When a flag is found, game over… so protect it well.
How to play:
Divide the group into two fairly equal teams (red flying bugs vs. blue crawling bugs) and
randomly assign everyone an ID card
Be sure that there are an equal number of players and card levels on each side.
• 1 bug flag
• 1 level one bug
• 1 level two bug
• 1 spy bug
• And equal numbers of threes, fours, and zappers on both sides.
These IDs are secret, and should not be shared.
ID cards will either have a bug’s name and corresponding rank (numbered 1 – 4) or an icon
(zapper or flag).
One counselor (or counselor / camper pair) on each “side” is the Captain and is now in charge
of his / her bug collection. Work strategically to place everyone on the game board—remember
to protect your flag!
Remember that zappers and flags cannot move.
The red team goes first, and the Red Captain directs a player to move (the team can help decide).
Players can only move one space, in any direction. Play then goes to Blue side with the Blue
Captain directing as the team decides.
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When two campers have moved so that they are face to face, the Captain of the team that made
the last move can choose to yell ATTACK. If he/she doesn’t attack, play moves to the other team.
The Captain of the other team can attack, but this ends that team’s move.
In Attack Mode:
The two ID cards are exposed, and the lower number wins. For example, when a 9 attacks a 2,
the 2 wins. The losing player then moves off of the board and joins the Captain and helps to
make decisions for their team.
SPECIAL MOVES:
• A 4 is the only bug that can defuse a zapper
• A Spy (S) wins against a 1—but only if it attacks first
• Zappers cannot attack or move
• Flags cannot attack or move
Play continues until one team captures the other team’s flag and wins the battle.
Bug Revolution for Middle Group
You will need:
• dark colored sheet
• ID cards (1 / camper)
This is a variation of Capture The Flag and the board game Stratego, using real bugs. Each
player will represent either an actual bug, or an item. There are ranking bugs, bug zappers and
bug flag per team. When a flag is found, game over… so protect it well.
How to play:
Divide the group into two fairly equal teams (red flying bugs vs blue crawling bugs) and
randomly assign everyone an ID card.
These IDs are secret, and should not be shared.
Two counselors hold the sheet up, and each team meets behind its own side of the sheet.
Talking in quiet voices, the groups decide which person will “fight” first, and will stand facing
the sheet.
Everyone else sits down (while still behind their side of the sheet).
When both teams are ready, the counselors count to three and drop the sheet
The two standing players then reveal their ID
Except in the special moves below, the lower number wins (for example, when a 4 and a 2 are
both at the sheet, the 2 wins)
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The higher numbered camper moves to the edge of the game, and the lower numbered camper
rejoins his / her team
Play continues until one team has no players remaining
SPECIAL MOVES:
• A 4 is the only piece that can “defuse” a zapper
• A SPY is the only piece that can “kill” a 1
In the event of a tie, both players return to their team
ID CARDS
BEES
Did you know that bees are a close cousin the ant? There are both solitary and communal species
of bees, and some even come out during the night. Aside from the normal yellow and black
coloration, some bees are actually a metallic green, blue or black. Like many other flying insects,
bees drink their meals through an appendage called a proboscis. Although many people refer
to stinging insects, like bees and wasps, as poisonous, that’s actually an incorrect way to classify
them. Instead, the proper description is venomous, because they inject the venom into whatever
they are stinging.
Strategy Level: 1
BEETLES
It’s estimated that there are more species of beetles than any other type of insect. They belong to
the Coleoptera order, and they all exhibit a head, thorax and abdomen. The majority of beetles
are not segmented in a way that it’s easy to recognize between the three parts without getting up
close. There are many different color variations of beetle, including, metallic green, black, red,
yellow, orange and purple. Some beetles have wings, which are protected under a hard covering
called the elytra.
Strategy Level: SPY
FLIES
Most flies can be identified by their large, compound eyes, small bodies and well developed
wings; however, there are some flies that have evolved without wings, as well. There are four
stages to the fly lifecycle: egg, larva, pupa and adult. The majority of flies live for less than a
week after they reach adulthood. It’s important to remember that true flies, which belong to the
order Diptera, are different from other types of flying insects, like dragonflies and whiteflies.
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Strategy Level: 3
MOSQUITOES
The first thing that comes to mind when most people think about mosquitoes is their unique
feeding habits. However, not all mosquitoes suck blood; some drink plant nectar and juices
instead. Unfortunately, the ones that do rely on a diet of human and animal blood can be carriers
of harmful pathogens. All mosquitoes start out as larvae that live in water.
Strategy Level: 4
MOTHS
Like a butterfly, moths start out as caterpillars, too. The easiest way to tell a moth apart from a
butterfly is to look at the antennae. If the insect has feathery looking antennae, then it is probably
a moth. Although most moths are not as brightly colored as butterflies are, there are some species
that have very bright colors. Moths are better left unhandled, because their delicate wings can be
damaged very easily.
Strategy Level: 2
SPIDERS
Unfortunately, Aranae, which is the order spiders belong to, is surrounded by a lot misinformation.
They are one of the most feared groups of insects due to their secretive nature, diet and the myths
that surround their behavior; however, without spiders, other insects, like flies, mosquitoes and
grasshoppers, would quickly overrun the ecosystem. There are many different species that can
be found in your own backyard, like jumping spiders and orb weavers.
Strategy Level: 1
GRASSHOPPERS
Grasshoppers come in many different sizes and colors, so that they can camouflage with the
foliage that they eat, and some grow even larger than your hand. They are characterized by
their long, powerful hind legs that allow them to jump such great distances. In addition to
jumping, grasshoppers also use their wings to travel around looking for food, shelter and a
mate. Sometimes, you can even find them traveling in large swarms, much to the dismay of
farmers.
Strategy Level: 2
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BEETLES
It’s estimated that there are more species of beetles than any other type of insect. They belong to
the Coleoptera order, and they all exhibit a head, thorax and abdomen. The majority of beetles
are not segmented in a way that it’s easy to recognize between the three parts without getting up
close. There are many different color variations of beetle, including, metallic green, black, red,
yellow, orange and purple. Some beetles have wings, which are protected under a hard covering
called the elytra.
Strategy Level: SPY
ANTS
Ants are one of the most widely recognized types of insects, and for good reason, too! There
are very few places in the world that don’t have a native population of ants. While ant species
differ in color and shape, they all have a large, round head, compound eyes and a body that is
segmented into three sections. Even though they aren’t as colorful as many of the other insects
are, ants still come in varying shades of red, brown, orange and black.
Strategy Level: 4
SILK WORM
You know that expensive silk dress your mom always wore on fancy occasions? Nothing
but worm spit. Silkworms, which really are caterpillars, not worms, spin a cocoon made of
one continuous strand of silk. Workers unwind it and then process the silk thread into cloth.
According to Chinese legend, an ancient emperor tested the thread and began making garments
as early as 2700 B.C. When the country’s longest highway opened nearly 2,600 years later, it was
named “Silk Road.” The silk industry has been going strong in China for more than 4,000 years,
and the silkworms are totally dependent on humans. They are so highly bred by this point that
they can’t even climb up the plant they live on to get their own food.
Strategy Level: 3
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PART
5
ARTS CRAFTS
AND
LEAF STAMPS
We get leaves that have fallen off trees naturally and are still green and alive.
Squirt some paint colors onto a paper plate for each table.
They can paint their leaf and then stamp it onto another piece of paper. Have them get creative
with it and have fun!
NATURE COLLAGES
Some of our campers are less athletic and interested in hiking around camp or getting dirty. This
craft is a great way to introduce them to nature without getting too messy. We give them a task
of collecting X number of pieces of nature. They can’t be alive and they must be on the ground.
(*Before they do this is a great time to review dangers in your area- poison ivy, oak sumac, etc.)
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