More Games for the Web… 

The Web of Life… 

Have you ever played with a spider’s web and noticed how tugging on one strand shakes the whole thing?  The spider uses this to sense the prey which falls into its net. If you were to break a strand, the whole of the web would change. Now try to understand the many linkages between organisms and their environment by doing the following: 

1. Get a group of people together and let each person decide what part of the natural system he or she is (e.g.water, air, soil, all sizes of plants and animals) and stand in a circle.
   
2. One of you represents the sun, the source of energy, and you will hold a ball of string.
   
3. Now let the ball be passed from person to person by shouting out “I need you” or “You need me”, with the string symbolising each invisible connection! As the ball of string is passed back and forth around the circle, a beautiful web is formed.
   
4. Feel the web- is it strong and flexible? When one person tugs at the string, who can feel it? If one person lets go of the string, what happens? Are some links more vital than others? Can nature heal? Will it change shape? Discover all you can about your web…

Clean up and Beautify…

Have you ever given any thought to trying to clean up or smarten up your environment? Well, why not try? It doesn’t have to be a complicated project, but it needs planning.

Organise a project in an area in your town which you think could do with some improvement. It could be at your school, or some other spot. Make sure to have a plan for how to take care of your improved area after you’ve made it nice! 

The Water Cycle: Oceans, Clouds & Rain…

 Do you know anything about the water cycle? Did you know that you can create a model of the water cycle in your own home or classroom? Try this: 

1. You will need the following items: big baking pan, clear plastic, small container, salt water and the sun!
   
2. Cover the baking pan with the salt water with clear plastic and put in the sun. Don’t forget to put the small container in the baking pan.
   
3. The sun causes water to evaporate. Since the air in the room is cooler than the air in your solar collector, water condenses on the cool plastic. Water condenses from wet ocean air as it climbs into the cool mountains.
   
4. Is the water that eventually falls into the container salty? Why not?

Have you ever actually listened to what nature has to say? Try it!

Follow these steps:

1. Either by yourself or with your friends, find a relaxing spot outdoors (eg. garden, park, etc);  
   

2. Sit quietly with your eyes closed, absorbing the stillness of your surroundings;  
   

3. Begin to count all the different sounds around you, lifting a finger each time you hear a new one;  
   

4. After about five minutes, open your eyes, and either write down or discuss your experiences with others.

Have you ever touched nature with your hands, blindfolded?  

Try the following:

1. Find a partner for this game- one of you will be blindfolded and the other will be the guide (use a scarf or something similar);  
   

2. The guide takes the person who is blindfolded by the shoulders and carefully steers him/her to something belonging to nature (e.g. tree, shrub, etc.) and places his/her hands on the chosen object;  
   

3. The blindfolded person must feel the object and gather as much detail about it as possible;  
   

4. The guide then takes his/her partner, who still cannot see, back to the starting point, twirls him/her round to lose orientation, and takes off the blindfold.
   

5. It is now up to the person who was blindfolded to look around him/her and decide what it was that he/she touched.  
   

6. Do this as many times as you like, taking turns with the blindfold.

Do you know the names of the plants around you?

Get a paper and pencil and try this out:  

1. Go into your garden (if you haven’t got one, use a nearby park) and count how many different types of plants there are- are there five, twenty, or one hundred different species? Do this with your friends and compare results!
   

2. Can you name any of them?
   

3. Choose one of these plants, one that interests you the most, and do a little project on it. Find out what it is called, which family it belongs to, if it flowers and if so, at what time of the year, etc. Make use of your school library to get as much information on your plant as possible. If you wish, you can sketch your plant as part of your project.  
   

4. Get your friends to choose a plant and do the same. Read each other’s projects to learn even more!

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