Nature Color

Nature Color
-(Nature Game)-

It's a game that we can played to help children know better about nature biodiversity - specially plant. It's a fun game, and everybody can play it.

Needs
Hard paper, double sided tape / glue

First, cut paper into 5x15 cm, then place double sided tape into one side of the paper. Replace the tape.

The main idea is quite simple. We can place anything (many kind of leaves, seed, some soil, small branch, humus, sand, or anything) in that paper, so we decorate the paper into interesting bookmark.

For modification, we can:
- Make nature color while we walking in the wood / garden
- Create different paper cut
- Competition to pick some kids to be winner, related with their art work

Discussion:
- Is there any recycle product than we can produce from nature ?
- Can we add more economic value to recycle products ?
- Do and dont't in making recycle products
- etc... you go on :)

Energy Transfer : Food Web

Energy Transfer : Food Web
-(Nature Game)-

It's a fun game, to energize participants, and after this game, you also can start a discuss about energy transfer in web chain among an-organic matter-light, plant, herbivore and carnivore. We also can make deeper discussion about animal, plant extinction if we make some related question (key question).

Needs
Only a room to play :) and a lot of kids

First, like my favorite step, make a circle from children

Then teacher pick one kid to become "An-Organic man". The teacher itself will become "Sun Man". The two will become trigger in this game.

The "Sun Man and An-organic Man" (SMAM) always play together (make more fun by holding hand together when play)

Then we make a simple game first. SMAM touch one kid and say "Jump Left" it means that the kid have to jump, and after landing, another kid on the left jump, and they will make a wave. Let's try this first.

After simple example SMAM can modified this game like:
- Touch the kid periodicly
- Touch the kid periodicly, oposite direction (left - right) so the wave will collide
- Make the proccess run faster
- Change the instuctions with "SIT" rather than "JUMP"

Make a discussion:
> Relate this game with energy transfer in food web
- Can they make a diagram what kind of food web can happened in this world (I mean, please use our imagination to explain kind of plant, animal, bacteria thing involve in this food web - say it). Make a food web contain 20 character for minimal - with alternate path (so there are some "cicle in circle" to explain more complicated relation)
>What thing happened if the energy transfer (in real life) broken ? - answer explain that the energy will not stop but "the player" maybe lost if they don't have another energy source - while another player have too much energy (you can explain about plague break also with this issue)
> Name plant or animal that are endangered because lack of energy source !

Kids picture taken from www.b-dinflatables.com
Food chain picture taken from http://library.thinkquest.org/J0113170/forest/images/fodchain.jpg
Food web picture taken from http://www.econguru.com/fundamentals_of_ecology/image/grazingfoodweb.gif

Global Warming 2 (Sea Level)

Global Warming 2 (Sea Level)
-(Nature Experiment)-

Hello guys... this time we want to talk about global warming effect in sea level rising. This experiment, in my opinion, can be an opening activity to the children for the issue.

Needs
2 block of ice, some container, time counter / watch, a tools to measure water volume.

We can do this activity related with math, nature and social science, so the time is very flexible.

1. Calculate ice volume (with some math formula). We assume the ice is solid (even in the fact, maybe there is some empty space in the ice)
2. Put the ice in the container, and then put ONE in direct sunlight, and the other one in the sheltered place / room.
3. In 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if the ice is bigger) the children may count how much water (from the melting ice) are in the container (use the tools, like a simple liquid measurer)

We may modified this experiment with:
- Different size / shape of ice
- Different sunlight intensity (morning, day, noon)

We can discuss more with help from some question. like
- Which is melting faster? The ice in the outer place (with direct sunlight) or in the sheltered place?
- Why they melting faster? -also relate this question with global warming topic, earth temperature increase faster for some previous decade.
- What is the effect for the sea level and the land if this happened in earth?
- What can we do for stop / minimalize global warming?

Picture taken from http://www.flickr.com/photos/shoogior/683664631/ and http://thm-a02.yimg.com/image/ea19ec643d36d19a

Global Warming 1 (Temperature Rising)

Global Warming 1 (Temperature Rising)
-(Nature Experiment)-

It is a simple nature experiment about temperature rising cause by global warming

Needs
A glass, plastic wrap / bag, rubber, thermometer.

First, fill the glass with water. Put the glass in a plastic wrap / bag. Make sure that the air can not escape freely from the plastic. For control, just fill a glass with water (control means that this glass for standard of comparison only)

shadow. The idea is toPut experiment and control outside the class. You can put it under a tree avoid direct sunlight while the temperature still in normal range.

After 1 or 2 hour, you can check the water temperature with thermometer. Which water is hotter?

Discuss this issue:
- Carbondioxide and some gas have similar role like the plastic, it will hold the heat.
- What is the effect for global warming?

In more extreme and shocking part from this activity, that will show to the kids about global warming danger effects to living thing, you can put a small fish into a warm water. When the fish die, we can warn children that global warming effects also killing living thing. For this part of activity, you may choose children older than 12. They will remember about the danger, just explain carefully about why you do that.

Watching A Tree Grow

Watching A Tree Grow
-(Nature Experiment)-

Hello ... This time I like to share you a simple nature experiment that we can use to make children more aware about plant grow. In more advance discussion it' s not just a simple discussion. If your background is biology, you know that we also can discuss about :
- Sunlight effect for different plant species
- Which kind of light is good for plant grow (is it blue, red, yellow light?)
- Kind of fertilizer that better for the plant
- The influence of classic music for the plant :P (I like this idea, do you?)...

In basic, we just discuss about plant grow, what basic matter they need to grow. It just a simple experiment but help children to start caring greener and increase their feel to living creature.

Needs:
Pot, seeds

Activity : plant a seed for each kid. Measure how long the plant will grow each 4 or 5 day. Make a notes in this kind of table:

Day	High(mm)	Leaves	Information
0	?	?	?
4	?	?	?
8	?	?	?
…	…	…	…
60 ?	…	…	…

Ask this question to them (it's a key to open more discussion):
- What kind of seed do you plant (is it a corn, a lettuce, a peanut or a papaya?)
- According to your oppinions, why different species have different growth rate? - talk about species diversity
- Is it also related with external factor like sunlight, disease, soil fertilizer, water, and more?
- How you can make your plant grow better?

After this experiment, to conduct a good bussines - eco enterpreneurship - in my idea, can we sell their product (well, it's good to decorate the pot first) in school bazar? I think the parents will buy their products, don't you think :) ?

Raft and River

Raft and River -(Nature Experiment)-

As we always know, there's many method to learn about environment. We always can integrate environment education into math, biology, social science, anything. This experiment is one of them:

First we make a simple boat from tree branch or something else (in Indonesia there's a children play to make ship from banana tree stalk, water lily and other water plant. The main idea is to teach local wisdom, traditional game, and how to make children think creative.

And then, look for a small river. For each group, we divide children into : counter and player. Counter will write data while player keep watching the raft in the river, then.

Make a finish line, 10 meter from the start point. Children will drift the raft (don't forget to connect it with a line first, so the raft will not go to the sea :P ) in your instruction. And when the raft reach finish line, they count the distance and the time. Repeat 10 times and do this experiment for 20 meter (so they will learn about the use of statistic)

Make a table and look for its mean (you may add more for modus, etc if you like)

Discuss this topic:
1. Can we find current velocity from this river ?
2. If I want to deliver a thing (letter in a bottle maybe) through this river into someone stand 12 km from here (let assume there's no trouble for that bottle), how long will it takes?
3. If someone poisoning this river, from this point, how long will it takes to reach Jakarta City (example only) - so the children will start looking for a map, calculate with scale and so on...
4. Do you realize that it realy happened (case no 3) ? What thing we must do to minimize water pollution ? Can we stop water pollution ? - so the children will start to argue each other...
5. Make a promise together that we will stop or minimize water pollution from ourselves... :)

Cartoon picture taken from http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/840/10097052.JPG

Nature Character Game

Nature Character Game

-(Nature Game)-

This is a nature game that we can played to know more about animal, tree, and specific living creature (like human species) character. After this game we can discuss more about species, genetic biodiversity, even social related issues.

Needs
Sticker label for name tag

For example, when we want to talk about animal biodiversity, we can divide groups into 5 or more groups, according how many children play this game (greater than 20 is good).

Let assume that we divide groups into five : rat, spider, worm, hawk, barracuda group

Make a circle. Stick the label to each children and name it according their groups. Don't forget to randomize their groups to separate their position in circle. After get into their position, each participant must mark their stand with their personal stuff (like a shoes, a bag, a scarf). And we have some points related with the children number - in front of their positions.

The teacher came into the circle and give some instructions:
- Living in the water - MOVE (so barracuda kids will move, leaving their point and move into another barracuda point)
- Eat the meat - MOVE (so everybody move, only worm kids stay still in their point)
- Shark enemy - STILL (so everybody move, only barracuda kids stay still in their poin)
- Can fly - MOVE (so hawk kids will move, leaving their hawk point and move into another hawk point)
- Etc

After kids used to play this instruction, teacher will also move into point, so there is will be a subtitute for INSTRUCTOR (played by a kid who is to slow when moving in last round). This time the kid must say his / her own instruction, until he can move back into point (another kid will replace his / her position)

As teacher you can get back to play instructor role if the situation need some help.

For more instruction, after this general instruction you can play:
- Everybody move (randomize all position)
- Change your label with a kid right on you
- Etc

To discuss about biodiversity among one species (like human), you can give instruction like
- Curly hair - MOVE
- Live in Bogor District - MOVE
- Taller than 160 cm - STILL
- Like Farming - STILL
- Like to read newspapper - MOVE
- Etc

You can discuss about inter species biodiversity (like genetic biodiversity). Even we can relate it with social issues: like human right issues, specific tribe issues if we give more specific instruction as instructor. It's not hard to try... we can do this game as an introduction game into specific issues :)

Catch The Fish

Catch The Fish (Sustainable Resouces Management Game)
-(Nature Game)-

How we explain "sustainable" ? In my mind I remember that sustainable means that we still can use resources, but not to much, so the nature still can recover and the balance is in the right pattern. That's my idea, how about yours?

There is a game that we can use to discuss about sustainable management for nature resources. I know this game when I come to TNC (The Nature Conservancy) training in Bali in 2003. Although it's a complicated game, I believe that children (5th grade) can play this game and share their opinions (we have a responsibility as facilitator to make this game easier to understand - and I believe you are a good facilitator : ) ).

Needs:
80 fishes from paper
5 hook (from wire)
5 x 2.5 meter lines

Make a circle with 2 meter diameter. You can mark the circle by using chalk. Divide groups into five. Then each groups choose 2 participant. So there is two active players in each groups, play as fisherman)

Each fisherman take the end of the line. Tie the hook in the middle of the line.

Read the rules: 1. They can catch max 5 fish in one round (so if all the group success, in one round there will be 25 fish being catched). 2. For every round passed by, teacher will add about 20% fish from the fish which still in the water (so teacher will throw some fishes to the fishing arena, based on number of fish still "live" every round bell) 3. We choose the winner related with their fish catch 4. No round limit

Notes:
1. Try to make a simulation first. You need to calculate how much time the participants need to catch about 5 fishes in one round. And then you have (X) minutes for each round.

According to my experience, all the goups will compete to catch fishes as many as possible. So in round one, about 25 fishes will be catch. In round two, they will still catch about 25 fishes, and so on.

EXPECTED RESULTS

	Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D	Group E	Total Catch	Fish Left	Fish Breed (20%)
Round 0							80
Round 1	5	5	5	5	5	25	55	11
Round 2	5	5	5	5	5	25	66 min 25	8
Round 3	5	5	5	5	5	25	49 min 25	5
Round 4	5	5	5	5	5	25	30 min 25	1
Round 5	1	1	1	2	1	6	6 min 6	0
Total Catch	21	21	21	22	21	106

So, according to this plan, all the fish will be gone after 5th round. Or if I mistaken, all the fish will be gone in round six.

And then ask the participants:
1. Can they catch more fishes than this? Yes
2. Are they pay attention about fish breeding percentage in this game? Yes (some said too late, or maybe not at all)
3. If they (person or group) already know about "nature friendly fishing" can it be done alone? No, must be in groups (they can not work by theirselves)
4. Is there any way to get nature conservation and fishing activity walk together side by side? Oh course... look at this table for example. Look at the fish number! I only make it for nine round.

	Group A	Group B	Group C	Group D	Group E	Total Catch	Fish Left	Fish Breed (20%)
Round 0							80
Round 1	3	3	3	3	3	15	65	13
Round 2	2	2	2	2	2	10	78 min 10	13
Round 3	3	3	3	3	3	15	81 min 15	13
Round 4	2	2	2	2	2	10	79 min 10	14
Round 5	3	3	3	3	3	15	83 min 15	14
Round 6	2	2	2	2	2	10	82 min 10	14
Round 7	3	3	3	3	3	15	86 min 15	14
Round 8	2	2	2	2	2	10	85 min 10	15
Round 9	3	3	3	3	3	15	90 min 15	15
	23	23	23	23	23	115

Benefit :
1. It can be more than round nine, because the fish number is still increase (relate this topic into sustainable issue)
2. The fisherman can be rich in the future, although it is not in fast mode

Notes:
In extreme way, we can catch more fishes. Imagine how it will be if we don't catch the fish in some opening round... :) ?