We are in the final stretch of school- the last week, yay! Our school has been spending this week experiencing a host of community activities, having suspended regular classes for the week. This has given me the opportunity to do some fun activities I don't normally have time for due to the schedule. So, off to the school garden with my Fourth Graders for a bilingual scavenger hunt!
I decided on a bilingual scavenger hunt instead of all in Spanish firstly because there was vocabulary I wanted to use that my students don't know yet but also because I wanted it to be fun and not feel like a "lesson"....easily accessible and understood and right to the garden! (You can download my list here. Cut down the middle for two lists on each page.)
Before the hunt, I went out to our school garden and hid a ton of objects that matched categories on the list....many of them were realia (molinillos, a Spanish fan, dolls from Perú and Bolivia, money, maracas and other instruments and more) along with a host of other stuff such as plastic food and animals, yarn skeins, baby clothes, and so on. This was so much fun! Some things I hid really well while others were out in the open.
Prior to heading outside with the crew, we went over how to play and what would be appropriate behaviour while out on the hunt. This was important- I wanted to be sure kids weren't shouting "I see ___!" or telling others where things were hidden, nor did I want them running around the garden like crazies. As to the rules for the hunt proper, a few points were crucial:
*One item per category (no doubling up/one item couldn't count for two categories)
*No destroying plants or trees
* If they could justify why something matched a category, go for it!
*In the allotted time, try to find as many things on the list as possible; if something can't be found, no worries!
I provided them with a pencil, clipboard and paper bag- and off they went! It was so much fun watching them finding all the things I had hidden. After 15 minutes or so, I called an end to the hunt and we went back to my classroom to see what everyone had found. The kids really got into sharing from their bags...many items were creative interpretations of the categories! Can't wait to do this again!
Have you ever done a scavenger hunt with elementary age students? If so, share!
No comments
Post a Comment