Each morning before classes begin, students are welcome to head out to the track to walk, jog, or run a few laps. What a great way to start the day! For the most part, this routine works beautifully. Students come outside, make their way around the track while chatting with friends, and head inside to class at 7:50.
But then comes fall. Oh, FALL! As beautiful as the changing leaves are and as pleasant as the temperatures become, there is one small problem: ACORNS! They fall from the trees, and apparently, they are irresistible projectiles for boys. They love throwing them at one another. And you know the old expression: It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye. Well, despite our conversations during PE and daily reminders about keeping the acorns on the ground, someone got hit in the eye this morning. Fortunately, he didn’t lose it, but he did end up with a pretty good scratch.
I need to remove the acorns from the equation.
SQUIRREL SURVIVAL
My third-grade class would be heading outside in about half an hour. Before then, I needed to check on the injured student, speak with the student who threw the acorn, check in with the nurse, and talk with the teacher. Before I knew it, that half hour had dwindled to just 10 minutes until class.
With acorns still on my mind, a light bulb suddenly went off.
SQUIRREL SURVIVAL!
I ran into our shed, where we store our Field Day equipment, grabbed five 5-gallon buckets, and lined them up in a row. Moments later, the students came running onto the field.
“NEW GAME!” I announced. “I need groups of four standing in a line behind each bucket!”
Once the teams were formed, I explained their mission.
You are now all squirrels. Winter is coming, and you need to prepare! Working with your family, collect as many acorns as possible and place them in your nest (the 5-gallon bucket). I hear this winter is going to be extra cold, so you need to stock up! You will have seven minutes. When I blow the whistle, hustle back and line up your buckets so we can see how many acorns your family collected.
At the signal, the squirrels scattered to all the acorn hotspots around the playground to gather their winter harvest.
Much to my dismay, the track didn’t seem to qualify as a worthwhile hunting ground. Uh-oh. Was my plan backfiring? My original intention had been to clear the track of all those nuts. I also didn’t want to dampen their excitement by calling everyone back and imposing boundaries on where they could search.
But listening to their enthusiasm and watching the excitement as each group patrolled the areas beneath the towering oak trees was a thing of beauty. Acorns were gathered from every direction and dropped into nests around the playground.
Finally, time expired. I blew my whistle, and all the squirrels raced back to the track, where the one place I needed them to search had been largely neglected.
Line up your buckets and stand behind them.
At that moment, another idea struck me.
BONUS ROUND!
When I say GO, you’ll have two more minutes to collect acorns from the track only! Ready, GO!
Watching this group of squirrels was nothing short of incredible. Hands moved rapidly, scooping up acorns and dropping them into buckets. There was little talking and no wasted time. Every squirrel was completely focused on the task, as if its very survival depended on it.
And just like that, my plan was working. The track was being swept clean of nearly every acorn.
STOP! Line up your buckets again. Let’s see how we made out!
With the buckets lined up, each group proudly displayed its winter haul. Honestly, it was difficult to tell which bucket held the most acorns.
Then someone shouted out an idea.
Let’s combine our acorns into one bucket!
A collective “Yeahhhhhhh!” rang out.
And that’s exactly what they did. The squirrels combined their harvest into one enormous pile of acorns. In fact, they collected so many that they needed a second bucket to hold the overflow!
Squirrels, your mission was a success! Judging by the number of acorns you’ve collected, you will undoubtedly have enough food to stay healthy and safe throughout the winter.
But we weren’t quite finished. I had one final question, and this time, the mission was to move the acorns as far away from the track as possible.
Where would the squirrels want us to put the acorns?
Hands shot up immediately. The most popular suggestion? Dump them beneath an oak tree along the fence line, AWAY FROM THE TRACK!
And off they went, one big squirrel family working together to relocate their winter bounty. They carried their acorns to the fence line and deposited them beneath a giant oak tree, safely away from the track.
Mission accomplished!
Sometimes, the last-minute plans turn out to be the most meaningful and memorable activities. What began as an attempt to solve a recurring problem became an opportunity for students to work together, embrace their imaginations, and accomplish a common goal.
And the best part? We found a simple solution to a problem that had been falling from the trees all along.
Who knew a bunch of acorns could turn into such a great lesson in teamwork, problem-solving, and a little squirrel survival?
