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Description

A fun game to teach Squirrels (or Beavers) about pollination, flowers and insects and working together as a team to achieve a goal.

This game worked well for a small group (six), you may need to modify this for larger groups (see Variations).

Resources

Space inside or outside to run around.

Hula hoops or similar to represent flowers - you will need at least one per in-play Squirrel and preferably more to make the game last longer (we had 3 hoops per player).

You will need two different kinds of objects, one to represent pollen and the other to be drops of nectar:
For nectar, we used balls - a variety of sizes from tennis balls up to basketballs - you will need one per hoop.
For pollen, we used football cones - you will need one per hoop.

We would recommend having a container capable of holding all of the "nectar" objects, to reduce trip hazards; we used a couple of plastic crates.

Instructions

Preparation:
Designate an area as the hive. We used the centre circle in our sports hall. If you are using containers for the "nectar" objects, place them in the hive.

Scatter the hoops around the playing area. This is your wildflower meadow.

Add a drop of nectar (we used balls) to each flower (hoop).

Add a pollen grain (we used cones) to each flower (hoop).

Intro:
Ask the Squirrels what they know about bees. Explain how they visit flowers to gather nectar that they take back to the hive, where it is made into honey. Tell them that as bees visit a flower, pollen rubs off the flower and sticks to them. They carry the pollen to the next flower, where it rubs off and this helps the flower start to make a seed, which will grow into a new plant.

Explain that when bees find nectar they tell their friends where it is by doing a waggle dance (make up your own waggle dance to show them, keep it very simple but fun).

Demonstrate the game to them (see below).

Game:
The aim is for the bees to gather all the nectar and bring it back to the hive... but first they must pollinate the flowers.

The leader starts the game with "Busy Bees, buzz buzz buzz!"

When the game starts, all of the "bees" should fly off to a flower of their choice.

They must pick up a pollen grain (cone) and "stick it" to themselves - we got our Squirrels to balance the cones on their head (this is good for their balancing skills and it slows them down a little, too) but you could get them to make a pouch with their jumpers to carry them or simply have them hold them in their hands, whatever you think best and suitable for the object you have chosen.

They should then fly to any other flower of their choice that has a drop of nectar in it.

They should drop their pollen grain into the flower (if it falls outside the flower, get them to try again) and they can then pick up the drop of nectar (ball) and carry it back to the hive, depositing it in the container (if using).

They then fly off to another flower and repeat.

Bees must buzz and flap their wings (arms) at all times!

At times of your choosing, call "Everybody waggle dance!" and all bees (and leaders and parents) must stop what they are doing and dance until you call "Busy Bees, buzz buzz buzz!" and the game resumes.

When all of the nectar is in the hive, the game ends.

Once you are happy the Squirrels understand the game (ours picked it up quickly), add some competition by getting one or more leaders or helpers to act as bears stealing honey from the hive. The "bears" should sneak the nectar drops out of the hive, one at a time and at a safe, leisurely pace (to avoid collisions with bees), and return them to the flowers. The more bees you have, the more bears you will need. The bees win when they have gathered all the nectar.

Variations:
- For large groups, you could send half of the bees out initially, the other half waiting in a line in the hive until they are tagged into the game by a returning bee depositing its nectar and doing the waggle dance; the returned bee then joins the end of the line.
- You could try this with two competing hives.
- After each round you could reduce the number of pollen grains to force the bees to strategise more about which flowers they visit.
- Instead of buzzing as they fly, the bees could chant "Busy Bees! Busy Bees!" (Beavers may enjoy this).

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