Each year February 2nd is celebrated as World Wetlands Day. The international theme for World Wetlands Day 2020 is "Wetlands and Biodiversity".
On the occasion of this year's WWD celebration, we decided to share with you the content of our workshop which was organized by DANUBEPARKS staff at Kopački rit Nature Park.
Games and rules are described below and we hope that it will be inspiring and useful for organizing similar workshops. 43 elementary school students participated in this workshop, so you will have to adjust the number of teams accordingly.
1. The teams
The participants were divided into 3 teams. Teams were determined by randomly distributing cards to children that contain pictures of animals (e.g. otter, eagle, and pike). After they see what picture they got, they were grouped with other participants who received the same picture.
2. Rules
Rules were briefly explained and the scoring table is created on a big piece of paper. The columns contain the names of the teams and the rows of the names of the games. The last line contains the total number of points.
3. Game: „Pictionary“
Each team chooses its own representative. That representative pulls out a card containing the word associated with wetlands (e.g. animal/plant/phenomenon…).
After that, he or she has 60 seconds to draw a picture, representing the word on the card. The rest of the team are trying to guess the word. If the team guesses the word, they get 2 points. 2 rounds are played.
Example of words printed on the cards: Danube, fog, flood, willow…
4. Game: "The food chain"
On plastic/paper cups, there were pictures and names of animals and plants that would make a food chain. As soon as possible, students must assemble a 5-level food chain (e.g. phytoplankton-> mosquito larvae-> frog-> fish-> white-tailed eagle). The food chain is arranged according to the levels so that the final solution looks like a "pyramid" (1st level - 5 pieces of plastic/paper cups, 2nd level – 4 pieces,…., 5th level – 1 piece).
All 3 teams start playing at the same time. The team that composes the "pyramid" the fastest gets 4 points, the second team is getting 2 points, and the last one reminds without the points.
5. Game: "Guess Who"
Statements (hints) have been prepared to describe a particular animal, plant, or phenomenon in the wetlands. The statements are gradually revealing more about what is being described with each round. In the end, the answer is discovered.
A representative of each team is selected to provide answers on behalf of the entire team. Each team can offer 2 solutions, and if they answer incorrectly both times, they are no longer entitled to answer. The team that first offers the correct answer gets 1 point. It is suggested to prepare six different terms and statements for 6-7 rounds.
Example for hints:
Round 1: Endangered and protected species found in Kopački rit.
Round 2: Weighs 6 kg on average.
Round 3: They live in pairs all their lives.
Round 4: An estimated 70 couples currently live in Kopački Rit.
Round 5: Their nests can weigh up to 400 kg.
Round 6: The wingspan can be up to 2.5 meters.
Round 7: The bird is at the top of the food chain.
Solution: White-tailed eagle
6. Announcing the winner
It would be desirable to secure a symbolic prize for the winning team. This way, the children will have a better memory of the workshop and the motivation during the game will be greater.