Sun and Shade Hand Hunters

Outside, children search for surfaces in the sun and in the shade (a bench, a wall, the ground, a tree), touch them with their palms and discover which are warm and which are cool. It builds temperature awareness, exploring the environment and caring for the body in the sun.

How to play

1. The teacher draws a sun and a cloud on the ground in chalk: they're the two home bases (1 min).
2. Together, touch a wall in the sun and the same wall in the shade: “Which one is warmer?” (2 min).
3. At the drum, go hunting: touch three warm things with your palm and come back to the sun base (3 min).
4. Now hunt three cool things and come back to the cloud base (3 min).
5. In pairs, each child leads the other to their warmest or coolest “treasure” and they compare (3 min).
6. In the shade, talk it over: “Where is it nicer when it's very sunny? What do we wear?” (2 min).

Rules

• Touch first with one finger, gently, in case it's hot.
• Don't touch the metal slide or anything very hot without the teacher.
• Hunt walking, and stay inside the playground lines.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a buddy brings stones or leaves from sun and shade to compare in the child's hand.
• Visual impairment: a very rich touch game; hold hands and describe where the sun and shade are.
• Autism: mark the touchable spots with chalk so the search is more concrete.

Learning goals

• Feel the difference between warm and cool on the skin.
• Explore the playground safely.
• Connect the sun with taking care of the body.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Chalk: 10
• Hand drum: 1

Teacher tip

Walk the playground first and touch everything yourself: in summer, metal and dark rubber can burn. Best early on a sunny spring or fall morning.

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