Activity Name: Name That Animal & Its Secret Power
Time Required: 10 – 15 minutes
Ages: 6 – 12
Introduction: This is a game you play with your kids. You will have a number of pictures of animals prepared to be used for this activity. Your kids will compete to name the animal in the picture and how it uses resource resilience (its abilities and environment around to survive.)
What you need:
- Printed pictures of listed animals or digital file to flip through the pictures
- (Optional) Prize for the winner
Instructions: You will divide your kids into teams, have them compete individually, or even as one group. Instruct them you will show them a picture and to score the point they have to name the animal and share how it uses its special ability (resource) to survive.
- Chameleon: It notices its environment and changes its body to blend to hide from predators.
- Bear: It scavenges food from its environment to store for a long winter.
- Cuttlefish: Blends into its environment for protection.
- Wood Frogs: Freeze their body (no heartbeat, completely stops) to survive -80 degrees until they thaw out in Spring.
- Camel: Humps have fat in them that will convert to energy and water to help survive hot temperatures.
- Arctic Fox: Thick white fur keeps it warm in cold temperatures and lets it blend with snow to avoid being spotted.
- Roadrunner: Super fast (fastest running bird that can fly). It uses its speed to run down food like spiders, lizards, snakes, etc.
- Gerenuk: Its long neck allows it to reach more of the tree for food.
- Hermit crab: Born without a shell, it will find a shell to move into and when it outgrows that one it moves on to a bigger shell.
- Turtle: Uses its shell for security.
Discuss:
Did the animals have more resilience against physical challenges or mental challenges?
While humans may not have the same powers as these animals, in what ways are humans good at adapting to their conditions?
What makes humans unique when it comes to our ability to be resilient?
What resources can you use to be resilient? What talents and skills do you have? What things do you have access to as a resource?