Green hearts
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Description
Go green and share your ideas for the environment with this fun craft.
Resources
You’ll need
Scissors
Pens or pencils
Glue sticks
Green paper, card or felt
Other craft materials (depending on what animals the group want to make)
Instructions
Before you begin
You could run the Paper makers activity with the group first, and use your own recycled paper in this craft.
This activity is designed to be run after you’ve taken some action as part of a community project. Check out this resource on protecting our environment for some ideas.
Story time
Everyone should sit in a circle.
Someone should read Switch and the Energy Savers, a story bout saving energy that helps planet Earth.
After reading the story, everyone should take some time to reflect on it as a group. We’ve included some questions to help you reflect in the pink box below.
Read the story >
Taking action
Everyone should think about what the group has done to protect the environment.
If you completed Paper makers, use this time to recap what you discussed as part of the activity. If you have resources people made, or photos and videos of them taking action, consider sharing them with everyone.
Everyone should talk about what it was like to take action and why it was important.
Everyone should think about what you learned about rubbish and recycling.
Someone should make some notes about the things the groups talk about, or some important words or ideas that you can look at again later.
Craft your animals
The person leading the activity should explain that everyone will be making animals to help tell the world what they’ve been doing to help protect the environment.
Everyone needs a piece of green paper and a pencil. Everyone should draw a large heart shape in the middle of the paper.
Everyone should cut out their heart. Make sure there are plenty adults around to help supervise this part of the activity.
Everyone should choose an animal they’d like to make. They can follow the steps below to make a panda, lion or fox.
We’ve added some suggestions below but the only limit is everyone’s imagination! Instead of green paper or felt, you could use natural or recycled materials to craft your animals.
Once everyone has made their animal, they should turn it over and add a message, action or word to the back to show they care about protecting the environment.
Use the ideas or words discussed in the first part of the activity to give everyone some ideas of what they could write.
Gather as a group and see if anyone wants to share their animal and what they’re written.
Everyone can take their green heart animal home, or you could use them to create a display to tell the world what you’ve been up to.
Maybe you could share some images or messages on social media, or on a notice board too.
An image of a lion made from green heart shapes
Lion
Cut into the edges of the large heart or add some wool or sting to make the lion’s mane.
Cut a smaller heart and glue it upside down into the middle to make the face.
Add a heart nose and some eyes.
An image of a panda made from green heart shapes
Panda
Cut out four medium-sized dark green hearts for the ears and eye patches.
Cut out a small heart for the nose.
Glue these to the larger green heart, then and add a smile and a nose.
An image of a fox made of green heart shapes
Reflection
This activity was all about valuing the outdoors and communicating ideas that are important. The activity explores how we can tell the world about some of the things we’ve done to help protect the environment.
Switch and the Energy Savers
What kind of things use energy and how can we remember to turn them off?
How could we help others to remember to save energy?
Taking action
What actions did you take to help protect the environment?
How did you do it? How did the actions make you feel?
Did you learn anything new?
How did your actions make a difference for the environment?
Craft your animals
Was it easy to think of what message or word you wanted to share?
What did you enjoy most about the activity?
How did it feel making something to share with someone else?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
You must run your activities in line with the Safeguarding Code of Conduct for Adults (Yellow Card) and report any concerns to the UK HQ Safeguarding Team.
Scissors
Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.
Glue and solvents
Always supervise young people appropriately when they’re using glue and solvent products. Make sure there’s plenty of ventilation. Be aware of any medical conditions that could be affected by glue or solvent use and make adjustments as needed.
Change the level of challenge
Get creative and challenge everyone to think of some different animals to make. Have a go at the Seek out nature activity and see if anyone can make any of the animals you spot in the local area.
Make it accessible
If anyone struggles with fine motor skills, you could prepare some pre-cut shapes in advance to make it easier to create the animals.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
Tags
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Badge Links
- Earth Tribe - Energy reflection
- Earth Tribe - Nature help needed
- Earth Tribe - Nature help plan
- Earth Tribe - Plan energy reduction
- Local Superhero - Help