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Resources
Prepared lists of natural items to
collect. One list per child or per group.
Where
Almost anywhere. Can either be played
whilst going along a path, or in a clearing. Good places—Skinny
Woods,
Hawkhill Wood, Innocent Walkway,
Craigmillar Castle Park.
Why
To encourage the children to look more
closely, or differently, at what’s around them.
How
Children are given a Scavenger Hunt list,
must collect everything on it, and bring their findings back to the
start point. They should collect one object for each description —
e.g. if a feather is found, it can’t be used as ‘something soft’
and ‘something beautiful’ too! In this case, the children have to
decide which object is going to be used for which description. Also,
emphasis should be placed on taking things which aren’t living if
possible, but if they want to collect leaves or flowers, to take only
one from any one plant.
The objects on the list should
require some creative thinking or close observation. Here are some examples:
A feather
Three different kinds of seeds
Something round
Something red
Something furry
Something that makes a noise
Something perfectly straight
Something beautiful
Food for an animal
Something that shows animals have been here
Items can also be varied to match the
seasons.
Once collected and looked at, all the items collected should then be put back where
they were found—or taken inside to make something (e.g. collage,
sculpture, etc.).
A variation on this game is to give everyone painted
matchboxes in which to collect their objects, whilst walking from one
place to another. Only very small things that will actually fit into it
are allowed. This should encourage the children to look closely at small
things and to only take small amounts of things from their surroundings. |
