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How to Play Acorn and Squirrel

The Acorn and Squirrel game demonstrates how important animals and plants are to each other. You can teach a fairly large group of young children how trees, animals and the earth all depend on each other to stay "healthy" and strong. This game requires an open area and can be played with as many as 20 children as young as 6.

Things You'll Need

3 acorns

Instructions

- 1
  Have everyone sit in a circle to discuss mutualism. Use the example of squirrels burying acorns. When the squirrel forgets to return for an acorn, an oak tree has a chance to grow. Thus, the tree benefits from the squirrel, as well as the squirrel benefitting from the tree by eating the acorns.
- 2
  Pick a squirrel. The squirrel will sit in the middle of the circle and attempt to keep track of where his acorns are hidden.
- 3
  Have the squirrel hand out the three acorns to three sitting children. All the children on the outside of the circle are potential "holes" for the acorns.
- 4
  Pass the acorns around on the word "go!" The kids can fake pass to confuse the squirrel, but they cannot hold onto the acorns and must pass them continually. As the acorns are being passed, the squirrel has to try to keep track of where they are.
- 5
  
  Halt the game after about a minute so that the squirrel can dig up her acorns by pointing out the three "holes" where she thinks they are hidden. Most likely, at least one of the "holes" will be empty, demonstrating that not all the acorns that are hidden will be eaten. Have the children holding unfound acorns stand up as trees to demonstrate the growth of the forest as the rounds of the game progress.
- 6
  Play several rounds with different squirrels. Once you have developed a sizeable forest, stop the game and review the lesson once more.

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