The Forgetful Squirrel Looks for Her Acorns

Children are squirrels who hide their acorn around the playground before winter and, when they wake up, have to remember where they left it. It builds spatial memory and decision-making.

How to play

1. The teacher tells the story of Nina, a squirrel who stores acorns for winter but always forgets where; we do squirrel hops with hands at our chest and swish our tail (2 min).
2. Each squirrel takes an acorn (ball) and hides it somewhere on the playground: by a tree, behind a cone, next to a bench, paying close attention to the spot (3 min).
3. Winter comes: all the squirrels go to the burrow and curl up for a little nap (1 min).
4. Spring! The squirrels wake up hungry and each one looks for its acorn; if they find someone else's, they leave it where it was and tell its owner (4 min).
5. The squirrels bring the acorns to the shared pantry (the basket) and curl up under their big fluffy tails (3 min).

Rules

• Each squirrel hides only one acorn.
• If we find a friend's acorn, we don't keep it.
• We hop along, no running or pushing.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a child in a wheelchair hides the acorn at their height, and a classmate goes along to help find it.
• Visual impairment: use a ball with a bell inside and hide it somewhere the child can reach by touch.
• Autism: explain ahead that there's a nap and then a search, and let the child choose a familiar, fixed hiding spot.

Learning goals

• Remember where an object is in space.
• Hop around the whole playground.
• Respect classmates' belongings.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Balls: 25
• Cones: 8
• Basket: 1

Teacher tip

Use balls of different colors so each squirrel can recognize its own. The usual mistake is hiding it in the first spot in sight, so encourage them to find a hiding place "only I know."

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