Goals and Objectives

 To experience the benefits of living in a herd for safety from predators.

Materials and Resources

Strips of white cloth, paper lunch bags, popcorn, headband with ears or other prop representing the predator.

Instructional Sequence

Divide the group in half.  One half of the children will be deer.  Give each of these children a strip of white cloth and a paper lunch bag, representing their white tail and stomach.  The rest of the children are trees and must choose a place to stand in a selected play area.  Designate a safety zone.  Scatter popcorn around the play area for the deer to collect in their paper bag stomachs.  Secretly select one of the trees to be a predator.  Provide a prop to represent this role, but caution it should be kept hidden until the predator is ready to pounce.

Tell the children that a predator lurks in the forest.  Deer must collect food while keeping a wary eye out for predators.  When a deer spots the predator, it must signal to the others by waving its white flag.  Upon seeing this signal, deer try to flee to the safety zone without getting tagged by the predator.  Let the children switch roles.  How does it feel to be the deer?  Does living in a group help them to escape from predators?  How?

Closing

Discussion about the game, tick check before leaving the park.