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Description

Help Squirrels identify what they need to stay safe during hot weather and understand why those items are important.

Contributes towards;
Community Impact
Personal Safety
Decision Making
Communication
Teamwork

Resources

A backpack or rucksack for each team (or one for the whole group).

A selection of real items or picture cards, for example:

Good choices ✅
Water bottle
Sun hat
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
T-shirt/light clothing
Picnic blanket
Healthy snack
Hand fan
Reusable water bottle
Small towel
Refillable spray bottle (optional)

Not-so-good choices ❌
Woolly hat
Thick winter coat
Hairdryer
Hot water bottle
Electric heater
Heavy blanket
Chocolate bar left in the sun
Hosepipe (to introduce the hosepipe ban discussion)
Fireworks
Hair straighteners
Winter gloves

Instructions

Tell the Squirrels:
"Imagine it's one of the hottest days of the year. The weather forecast says it's going to be 30°C! We're going to the park to help look after our community. We need to pack a backpack—but we can only take the things that will help us stay safe."

Show the empty backpack.

Activity
Spread all the items around the room.

Either:
Place them in the centre for everyone to choose from, or
Hide them around the hall for an added scavenger hunt element.

One at a time, each Squirrel chooses an item and brings it back.

Before putting it in the backpack, ask:

"Should this go in our Heatwave Backpack?"

If they say yes, ask:

"Why?"

Encourage everyone to help if someone is unsure.

Discussion Prompts
Water bottle ?
Why do we need this?

Possible answers:
So we don't get thirsty.
Drinking water keeps us healthy.
We can refill it instead of wasting plastic bottles.
Hat ?

What does a hat do?
Keeps the sun off our head.
Helps stop us getting too hot.
Sunscreen ?

Why do we wear sunscreen?
It helps protect our skin from the sun.

Blanket
Ask:
Is this for keeping warm?
Lead them to:
"No—it could help us sit in the shade for a picnic."

Hosepipe
A great conversation starter.

Ask:
"Would we take a hosepipe?"
Children might say yes because it has water.

Explain:
"Sometimes, when there's a hosepipe ban, we need to save water. We can still water important plants with a watering can, but we shouldn't waste lots of water."

Hairdryer
Ask:
"Would this help us cool down?"
Cue lots of giggles!

Extension Challenge
Now explain:
"Oh no! We can only fit FIVE things in our backpack."
As a team, the Squirrels must decide which five items are the most important.
This encourages discussion and compromise.

Ask questions like:
Which one could we live without?
Which one keeps everyone safest?
Is there anything that could help other people too?

There doesn't have to be one "right" answer—focus on explaining their choices.

Community Twist
Now change the challenge:

"We're not just packing for ourselves—we're packing to help our community."

Add new items such as:
Extra bottle of water
Small bowl for a dog
Bird water dish
First aid kit
Phone
Reusable shopping bag
Watering can

Ask:
"Would any of these help someone else?"

This shifts the conversation from "What do I need?" to "How can I help others?"

Reflection
Finish by unpacking the bag together.

For each item, ask:

"Who could this help?"

For example:
Water bottle → Me, my friend, someone who forgot theirs.
Hat → Me or a younger sibling.
Bird dish → Birds and other wildlife.
Sunscreen → Anyone spending time outside.

Finally ask:

What was the most important thing we packed?
What would you take on a hot day?
Is there something you could remind your family to pack this summer?
Take-home Challenge

Before they leave, challenge each Squirrel to become a "Heatwave Hero." Ask them to check with an adult that their family has a water bottle, hats, and sunscreen ready before their next sunny day out, or to help put out a bowl of fresh water for wildlife at home. This reinforces that even small actions can have a positive impact on their community.

Tags

• back pack
• backpack
• communication
• Community Help
• community impact
• Community Impact: Tell
• decision making
• heat exhaustion
• Heatwave
• personal development
• Personal Safety
• preparation
• prepared and ready
• talking
• team activity
• thinking activities

Badge Links

• Community Impact - Tell
• Emergency Aid - Help
• Local Superhero - Help