Woodland Creatures

Setting: Curricular

Season: Fall

Activity Goal

Participants demonstrate balance, flexibility, and spatial awareness while travelling around the outdoor space imitating various woodland creatures.

For participant safety, please review the contents of the Beyond the Walls: Safety Considerations page for information on Safety Standards, Fall Safety Considerations, and Outdoor Playing Areas and Surfaces.

Equipment

• Cones/pylons to mark the designated playing area (optional)
• Woodland creature cards (optional)

Before Play

• Review the safety rules and activity instructions with participants prior to the activity.
• Establish the boundaries for the designated playing area and share them with participants.

During Play

• Generate ideas with participants about the various woodland creatures they may encounter on a hike through the woods in the fall (e.g., fox, squirrel, skunk, rabbit, snake, deer, bear, raccoon, owl, snail, beaver, chipmunk, frog, moose, possum, porcupine, hawk).
• As participants identify the various woodland creatures, have them move around the playing area imitating the movements and sounds that creature would make.
• Encourage participants to use movements that require balance and flexibility, travelling at different levels and speeds, moving alone and with others.
• Once students have identified and moved like different woodland creatures, call out the different creatures in random sequence for students to practice movement skills and transitioning between various movement skills.

After Play

Use the following prompts for participants to reflect on ways to be active in fall and invite others to participate in outdoor activities throughout the year.

Question prompts:

• What did you enjoy most about this activity?
• How can you encourage others to join you in this activity to help them stay active outdoors in the fall?
• What did you need to be aware of as you moved around our playing area?
• Which creature was most difficult to imitate?
• Which creature was easiest to move and sound like?
• How did you have to change the way you move each time you pretended to be a different creature?

Adaptations

Consider these tips to maximize the challenge and the fun for participants.

• Divide participants into groups of 3 or 4 and have them line up one behind the other. Designate a turning line in the playing area. Call out various creatures. The first participant moves like the creature to the designated line and then back to their group. The next participant in line moves like that same creature to the designated line and back. Each member of the team takes a turn moving like the creature. Start another round by calling out another creature. Participants continue transforming their movements and sounds from animal to animal.
• Call out various creatures as participants move to the designated line and back.  Participants alter their movements and sounds from animal to animal as they complete their turn.

Modifications

Consider these tips to maximize inclusion and fun for all participants.

• For participants with mobility challenges, consider finding other options to explore different ways of locomotion (e.g., outdoor wheelchair) to complete the tasks.
• For participants with a cognitive disability, invite other participants to adapt the game or rules to be inclusive of all skill levels.