Friday, September 24, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Environmental Education Games!
Recently I've been working with Global Environmental Brigades (at UCSD), "a secular, socially conscious network of volunteers that travel to developing countries to mitigate ecological degradation and develop sustainable environmental practice." At UCSD our group has been visiting Nusatupu - an island in the San Blas Arpeggio of Kuna Yala, Panama. We have installed and educated the community about solar panels, initiated a waste removal and reduction program, and spent a large amount of our time educating the leaders (Silahs) and children about the environment. We gained a deeper appreciation of nature, while they learned what they can do to save the place they love.
So how do you teach kids who speak either Spanish or Dulegaia (the Kuna indigenous language) about the environment?
We had a combination of colorful presentations, short worksheets, games, art, and service activities. For now you can get a taste of the games:
Water Ball
Need: Ball
How to play: This game is essentially kick ball, but with a water cycle metaphor. Divide the participants into two teams. Team one can kick, team two can catch. A kicker from team one goes to home plate and a member from team two rolls the ball at them. The kicker kicks and runs around the four bases trying not to get tagged by team two's outfielders. If the ball is caught, they're out. If the get tagged, they're out. If they don't reach the base before the ball does, they're out. Three outs and a switch. Here's the metaphor. The ball is like a water molecule, when it's rolling imagine its rolling down a river or through the ocean. The energy from the kick evaporates it into water vapor, into clouds, and when it is caught it condenses back into rain.
Concept: Parts of the water cycle
Predator's Coming
Need: Nothing
How to play: Similar to the game "Capitan's Coming" - just with different activities. Allow all the participants to stand in a random mass and have the Predator call out the following commands:
Symbiosis: Two people pretend to clean each other
Camouflage: Two people hide one other person
Run Away: Four people sit in a line on the ground as if in a row boat and row
Attack: Five people two for legs, two for arms, one for head, make a creature and loud attack noises.
Predator's Coming: Everyone stands in a line and the "predator" comes by trying to make them laugh (no touching).
If participants can't find a group to be in or laugh, they're out.
Concept: Teaching different ways organisms interact.
So how do you teach kids who speak either Spanish or Dulegaia (the Kuna indigenous language) about the environment?
We had a combination of colorful presentations, short worksheets, games, art, and service activities. For now you can get a taste of the games:
Water Ball
Need: Ball
How to play: This game is essentially kick ball, but with a water cycle metaphor. Divide the participants into two teams. Team one can kick, team two can catch. A kicker from team one goes to home plate and a member from team two rolls the ball at them. The kicker kicks and runs around the four bases trying not to get tagged by team two's outfielders. If the ball is caught, they're out. If the get tagged, they're out. If they don't reach the base before the ball does, they're out. Three outs and a switch. Here's the metaphor. The ball is like a water molecule, when it's rolling imagine its rolling down a river or through the ocean. The energy from the kick evaporates it into water vapor, into clouds, and when it is caught it condenses back into rain.
Concept: Parts of the water cycle
Predator's Coming
Need: Nothing
How to play: Similar to the game "Capitan's Coming" - just with different activities. Allow all the participants to stand in a random mass and have the Predator call out the following commands:
Symbiosis: Two people pretend to clean each other
Camouflage: Two people hide one other person
Run Away: Four people sit in a line on the ground as if in a row boat and row
Attack: Five people two for legs, two for arms, one for head, make a creature and loud attack noises.
Predator's Coming: Everyone stands in a line and the "predator" comes by trying to make them laugh (no touching).
If participants can't find a group to be in or laugh, they're out.
Concept: Teaching different ways organisms interact.
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