Education

Print instructions in Welsh Print instructions in Gaelic

Step 1

Players will need:

An outdoor space
Hoops (1 less than the number of children playing)

Step 2

Game Set up:

Lay out the hoops so they are spread around the playing area.
Children should all spread out.
Children are playing the role of migrating seabirds, flying through different weather conditions to make their way to a safe nesting site. Children have to find a nest quickly if they want to stay in the game & ensure the survival of their species, but they need to watch out for predators who are stalking the nesting site! When children are in the role of a seabird, they shouldn’t bump into other birds, as this would cause an injury on their long journey.

Step 3

Play:

Children move around the game area at a fast walking pace, with their arms spread out like the wings of a seabird. The teacher calls out instructions as follows:

Fair weather! – Children spread their wings wide and swoop in and out of other players as they fly around the game area.

Stormy weather! – Children tuck up in a ball on the spot, wrapping their ‘wings’ over their heads. They stay tucked down until another action is called.

Dive for a fish! – Children mimic a diving action with their hands together, bending to scoop up an imaginary fish which they can then gobble up.

Hurricane! – Children spin around on the spot with their wings outstretched until another action is called.

Sea Eagle! – Children quickly change direction to avoid the predator, being careful not to bump into other birds as they do so.

Find a nest! – Children have to jump into the nearest empty hoop. The child left without a hoop is out of the game, as they couldn’t breed and their species died out.

On the first call of ‘find a nest!’ the child who is out becomes a rat, stoat, pine martin or predator of their choice. They may then choose a nest (hoop) to remove, so that there is always one less nest than birds playing. After each time the teacher has called ‘find a nest!’ that child can choose another nest to remove, until there are only two birds left and one nest. On the next call of ‘find a nest!’ the bird who makes it to the nest first is the winner of the game & their species survives!

Module 1