ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVITIES FOR CHILDREN
There are all types of activities which school teachers, play teachers, play leaders or parents can use to involve children in environmental play. Here are a few:
Observing
Observe what is around in the backyard, school ground or playground. A competition can be made to see who can find the greatest number of different smells, noises or textures, etc. Alternatively everyone can contribute to a list of things: things one can see, feel, smell or hear.
Things to look at: shapes and patterns of leaves, colours of wood, shapes of stones, flowers, fruit and nuts, insects, weeds, grass, puddles, walls, pavement, etc.
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Things to listen to: traffic, a bee, leaves rustling on the ground or in the trees, the wind, birds singing, a fire burning, etc.
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Things to feel: grass, gravel, wood, bark, bricks, metal, concrete, asphalt, leaves, etc.
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Things to smell: flowers, grass, a fire, soil, fruit, water, cars, etc.
Collecting
People like to collect all sorts of things; stamps, coins, silver spoons, swap cards, etc. but what better things to collect than environmental things? When we collect something from the environment, we are forced to take notice of the environment. Caution, though: Do not take things which are going to cause destruction to the environment. Think about what you are collecting before you take it.
If you see a lot (ten or more) of some animal or plant in an area, then it should be safe to take a specimen without upsetting the environment.
To preserve plants they should be pressed. This involves laying them out between two sheets of paper, then placing a heavy weight (such as some heavy books) on top of them. Once they are completely dry (2 weeks to 2 months) they can be removed and stuck to a sheet of cardboard or paper where, if they were pressed correctly, they should keep indefinitely.
Insects can be killed by placing them in a jar of methylated spirits; then they are removed and kept on a pin stuck into some cork or a sheet of polystyrene foam.
Shells are best kept in boxes packed with cotton wool. Rocks and stones are best kept the same way.
Making an aquarium
Some types of fish are difficult to keep. They require that the water be kept at just the right temperature and be continually aerated by bubbling oxygen through the bowl or tank. Some fish, however, are 'cold water' types and will survive with far less effort in a tank without the necessity of a pump or heater. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is not to put too many fish in a tank.
A container should first of all be thoroughly clean, free of any detergent or other chemicals. A layer of coarse, washed, granite sand (one inch or so) should be placed in the bottom of the tank first. The water used should also be clean.
As a guide you can use one 2cm long fish for every 2.5 litres of water. Fish suited to cold water tanks include: most goldfish, the three spined stickleback, the American Catfish, the minnow, Prussian Carp, and the Rudd.
In addition to the fish, you need to plant at least a few water plants. The fish should be fed daily with food purchased from a pet shop or aquarium supply.
NOTE: Fish should not be released into streams or rivers later on, as they may become a pest.
Making an antarium
Materials required are: a glass jar, piece of cardboard, soil, stones, ants and bread.
The card is cut to be about the same height as the jar, then curled to form a cylinder slightly smaller than the jar. The card is put inside the jar. The outside (between the card and the glass) is filled with soil while the inside is filled with stones. Ants are put into the jar and breadcrumbs area sprinkled on the top of the soil. After a few days the ants' tunnels can be seen through the jar.
The national parks game
The purpose of this game is to consider the national park concept. Form into a circle then take three children out of the circle. One will be a hunter, one a ranger and the other a bird. The ring of other children represents the park boundary. Place the hunter outside the ring and the ranger and bird inside. On a given signal, the hunter tries to sneak through the boundary and catch the bird. The hunter can illegally enter into the park boundary and catch the bird. The hunter can illegally enter into the park boundary and the bird can fly outside; but the ranger must stay inside. Try to give each child a chance to play each part.
Ant safari
Everyone is instructed to find an ant and follow its movements for five minutes. At the end of the time, sit in a circle and discuss how ants live.
An asphalt activity:
- Look closely at an asphalt area and describe what you see.
- Put a piece of paper on the asphalt and rub the back of it with a crayon to get a picture of the asphalt.
- Make a list of the things you can find on the asphalt. Use a magnifying glass if you wish.
- Look for cracks and see if you can find any plants or small animals there.
- Look next to the asphalt. What grows there?
NB: It is a good research project to try to find out how asphalt is made in conjunction with this activity. (Try approaching your local government engineer.)
Leaf or bark collage
Collect as great a variety of bark or leaves as possible. Glue these materials onto a sheet of paper to make a pattern or picture.
Alphabetical nature hunt
Divide the group into four teams. You are going to call out letters from the alphabet and the teams have to tell you the name of an animal (native to your country) whose name begins with the letter just called out. The first team to do so wins a point. Try to explain a little about each animal as its name comes up.
