RAINSTORM
Materials
required: none.
No
preparation time.
This
game is appropriate for all ages, though younger children tend to have
more difficulty making the connection between the game and a rainstorm.
Playing
time is 5-10 minutes.
This is a great activity to get everyone to come together, whether at the
beginning or the end of a visit. It gets the kids to focus and settle down,
and can be a lot of fun when variations are added!
A WOODS person should do the first few runs of the "storm", but then ask
for volunteers to lead it as the kids get the idea - they can be very creative!
Gather everyone in a circle, standing up. One person stands in the center
and will be the "rainmaker". As this person makes sounds, corresponding
to different stages in a rainstorm, he will turn around so that he faces
everyone in the circle around him along the way. The people in the outer
circle will mimic his sounds as he faces them, so that gradually, everyone
in the circle is doing the same thing just as the person in the center
starts something new.
Some ideas for a storm are:
a soft blowing noise = wind
gently rubbing hands together = soft rain
snapping = slightly harder rain
slapping hands on thighs = even harder rain
pounding feet on ground = a downpour
Be creative! Add thunder, a worm dance, whatever - get the kids to think
about what is involved in a rainstorm!
Activities