Making homes for wildlife

This is an outdoor game for students and a variation on the game of 'tag'. In the Australian environment many native animals are under threat from feral animals. Feral animals are animals that are not native to Australia and have been brought here over time and released into the wild. Feral species compete with native or indigenous species for space and food. Some feral animals such as cats are particularly aggressive and may hunt and kill indigenous animals.

Levels

Download PDF version.

Making_Homes_For_Wildlife.pdf

Outcomes
In this game students have to make safe homes for native animals to protect them from feral predators. This game can be played outside or inside on a rainy day in a large room. This is a variation on a game of tag and makes a great warm up game to introduce ideas about threats to biodiversity.

Materials you will need

Background

Method
The leader can nominate one person to be "it", the feral animal, and that person should be changed every few minutes. To make it harder, once the class has the hang of it, a second person can be nominated to be another feral animal. Once a person is tagged they must bob down. In order to free them a second person must make an archway or shelter on all fours over them. While forming a shelter people cannot be tagged. But they can only be safe from the feral animal for a count of three. The feral animal can stand and make a count of three after which they must separate. The leader should set physical boundaries for the game, (100m2 is a good-sized area). The game can take 10 - 15 minutes to play, depending on what variations the leader wishes to incorporate.

Extension

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