Predator and Prey game
Source:
The Moine Mhor National Nature Reserve, local schools pack (SNH)
OBJECTIVES
- To use the sense of hearing to feel more aware of the bog habitat
- To understand the importance of the sense of hearing to predators and prey
Time
10 minutes
You will need
- blindfolds for half the class
Did you know?
Foxes have very good hearing, they can hear the tiny rustle from a vole moving through vegetation.
Before the activity
Ask for suggestions for animal predators and prey found in the bog habitat around you. You could get suggestions such as frogs are eaten by adders, beetles or caterpillars by frogs, small birds and voles by foxes, larger birds by hen harriers etc. Discuss how the predators spot, sneak up on or otherwise catch their prey and discuss what the prey do to avoid being caught. Imagine that they are voles how would they move to avoid being caught by a fox, would they be looking, listening or sniffing in order to watch out for foxes. If they hear a fox they can run somewhere else and hide again.
The activity
Choose a safe area where the children can all spread out but still be seen. Ask them to pair up. One is the 'vole', with the blindfold, the other is the 'fox'. The 'vole' goes a distance away and puts on the blindfold. The 'fox' has to approach from any direction and just be as quiet as possible. The' fox' has 3 tries to creep up on the 'vole' without being caught. If the 'vole' hears the fox it can point in the direction of the 'fox' and lift the blindfold, then the 'fox' goes back to the start distance and tries again. The pairs then swap over.
Discuss the game afterwards. What did it feel like to be the hunting fox, what were you concentrating on? What did it feel like to be the hunted vole, what were you concentrating on? If the vole had been hidden from view what other senses would the fox use to hunt the voles? Do foxes have big noses and big ears? Were the 'voles' aware of any other sounds around them when they were listening for the fox? What else did they hear?
Suggested Follow up
Draw a 'Sound Map' of the bog where you have been playing the game. See the activity Sound Map in the Freshwater section.
Curriculum Links
Science