Wildlife Corridor Scramble

An interactive class game for outdoors. To play this game you will need to download the cards from our pdf version of this activity. You can also make up your own cards.

Levels
CSF Levels 3 & 4

Download PDF version.

Wildlife_Corridor_Scramble.pdf

Outcomes
Students will consider various land practices and their impact on native wildlife.

Materials you will need
Bottle, Copies of Wildlife Corridor Scramble cards

Background
There are two natural habitats consisting of forest and wetland separated by cleared land. This cleared area has had its swamps drained. Creatures can't travel between the two forests and their wetlands. In order to make it across to the other forest and wetland, a wildlife corridor must be created. The corridor is made up of sections of revegetated habitat. Kids play the part of animals trying to survive. The kids move from forest to forest just as their animal would: hopping frog, flat out crawling lizard, darting honey eater, hopping blue wren and bounding and crawling possum.

Method

Start with 5 students representing 5 different animals. Each is given an animal card, which introduces their animal. On the card is a list of things that the animal needs in order to make it to the other forest and wetland. These things will focus on changes needed to be made to their habitat.

The remaining students form a circle. The Make a Habitat and OH NO! cards are passed around the circle until all the cards are handed out. It doesn't matter if some in the students in the circle have more than one card. To decide who reads their card, spin a bottle on the ground. If a student has more than one card, rotate the cards.

Animals

• Lizard
• Frog
• Honeyeater
• Blue Wren
• Possum

Make a Habitat

• A new pond wetland is created.
• Local people have a working bee and pull out heaps of introduced weeds.
• A good spread of mulch is laid down.
• Some large flat rocks are put in.
• An old gum tree with lots of hollows is left in place.
• Local native water plants are added to the wetland.
• New eucalyptus seedlings are planted.
• Local native wattle trees are added to the corridor.
• Residents group stops freeways in the future.
• Local group plants indigenous grasses.
• Planted area is fenced to keep rabbits out.
• Old logs and tree stumps are left behind.
• Locals propagate local seed.
• Kids leave tadpoles in their pond.
• A local school adopts the wetland and regularly monitors water quality.
• The local group from the school cleans rubbish out of the wetland.

• Someone introduces mosquito fish to the wetland.
• Approval is granted for the construction of a freeway through the area. (Everyone goes back to the start).
• Locals turn over rocks looking for animals and they forget to turn them back.
• All the old trees are cut down to reduce the risk from branches falling off.
• Flowering shrubs are replaced with pine trees because they grow faster.
• A truck spills oil onto the ground and some gets into the pond.
• Local resident forgets to put a bell on their cat and lets it out at night.

Extension
What were some of the things that were needed to help the animals move between the two forests? What things prevented animals from getting to the other forest? Which animal had the greatest problem? What do you think is required to help frogs?

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