Resources
Natural objects, as they’re found
Where
Skinny Woods, Hawkhill
Wood,
Innocent Walkway.
Why
To encourage detailed observation of our natural surroundings and to
build up associations between living things. [As all the items collected
will be related]
How
On a walk, or between activities, stop in a clearing, choose two
different objects from around you and lay them down on the ground, next
to each other. Make sure that they can be associated in some way (could
be because they come from the same plant, they both have a similar
biological function, they are the same colour, etc.) and explain this
association. Then ask one child to go and find two objects—one to
match one of your objects and another, different, object that has some
kind of relation to their first object.
When they have returned, ask them to lay down their
objects, with the matching object next to yours. Ask them to explain why
they chose the new one. Then, send another child away to look for
another two objects—one to match one of either objects at the end of the
increasing chain. [Two children could go looking at the same time, as
there are two ends to the chain—but remember to ask each child to
explain the association between their objects to the group.] Like
dominoes, it could be made more complex by splitting the main chain and having off-shooting chains from
this chain.
This could be used as an introduction to exploring
connections in the natural world, including food webs and cycles, as the
associations between objects could become more complex.
It could also be used as an introduction to environmental art, as the objects can be laid out in any pattern on the
ground. Photographs could be taken when you’ve all finished. |