Note: If it is not possible to go to a nature site, this game can be played in class with team members describing where and when they last saw the items named.
The group should meet at a site in the woods. An area with trails, bogs, birds, and other wildlife is best. This program will work best during the spring, although each season has its attractions. The likelihood of finding the item in the list of quotes depends on the time of year and part of the country.
1) Introduction ? 10 minutes
Gather the group together in a clearing or at the entrance to a nature trail. Before handing out the list of quotes and the diagrams that they will be using as they walk through the woods, tell them the following saying attributed to the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism:
?The world is full of wonders, special radiance, and marvelous secrets, but all it takes is a small hand held over the eye to hide it all.? (God in Search of Man, Abraham Joshua Heschel, 1955)
Small children should actually cover their eyes to help them understand the meaning of this quote.
Ask the group to open their eyes and ears. The quieter they are, the more they will be able to focus on seeing and hearing nature and the less they will disturb their surroundings.
2) Going on the nature treasure hunt ? 15-45 minutes (depending on age group)
Have the participants break up into groups of two or three and distribute the handouts. Using the diagrams, ask the participants to walk through the woods trying to identify as many of the objects mentioned in the quotes as possible. Give everybody about a half hour and then call them back to the meeting place with a whistle.
3) What they found ? 5-10 minutes
When they have all come back together again, have them report on what they found. Ask if they saw things that they had never before noticed. Were there any quotes that they liked especially? Were there plants or animals they liked? What were the animals or plants that they wanted to see but didn?t? Did they find anything interesting not on the list?
4) Conclusion ? 5-10 minutes
Discuss the saying of the Baal Shem Tov that was mentioned at the beginning of the program. Ask the group if they can think of trees, plants or animals they may often see whose names they don?t know. How often do they take the time to notice parts of nature on their way to work, school or in their backyards? Ask them to take their list of quotes and diagrams home with them, to sue them to identify things around them, and to try to notice the world around them more in the coming week.
