Materials
insect stickers (two sets)
juice can lids (enough to make two of each insect)
magnetic wands
Instructions
* Place all the balls that are the same color into one container.
* Place the ball containers randomly around the playing area.
What to Do
1. Discuss the terms "pollen" and "pollination" with the children. Highlight how
important pollination is to the production of fruits and vegetables. Discuss how
insects like bees and butterflies help the process of pollination. Explain that
birds are natural predators for insects like bees and butterflies.
2. Explain to the children that the playing area is a field of flowers waiting to be
pollinated. Each box represents a flower, and each ball is a bit of pollen from
that flower.
3. Most of the children will be pollinators. For every five or six pollinators, assign
one child to be a bird.
4. To play, the pollinators run between the containers. At each container, they drop
off the ball they picked up at the previous container and pick up a new ball.
5. The birds try to tag the pollinators. If a bird tags a pollinator, that pollinator is
out of the game and must sit on the sideline.
6. Play concludes when time is up or all of the pollinators have been tagged.
7. At the end of the game, take time to observe how the colored balls are
distributed in the play area. Ask the children to raise their hands if they think
the field has been pollinated well.
Assessment
Consider the following:
* Are the children beginning to understand the importance of pollination? Can
they describe what pollination is?
* Can the children work together to "pollinate" the field?
