The Giraffe and the Meerkats Watch the Savanna
Children are tall giraffes and tiny meerkats moving across the savanna at different heights and helping each other look after the herd. It builds high and low levels and teamwork.
How to play
- The teacher explains that the giraffe sees from way up high and the meerkat keeps watch from the ground; giraffes stretch their necks and arms to the sky, and meerkats make themselves small, standing straight with hands at their chests, looking side to side (2 min).
- A walk across the savanna: if the drum sounds up high, everyone is a giraffe walking on tiptoes with arms raised; if it sounds down low, everyone is a meerkat crouching and peeking out of its burrow (3 min).
- Half the group are giraffes eating high leaves and half are meerkats looking for bugs on the ground; when the teacher says "Danger!", each giraffe pairs up with a meerkat (3 min).
- The pairs help each other: the giraffe bends down to give the meerkat a leaf, and the meerkat stands on tiptoes to tell the giraffe what it sees; then they switch roles (2 min).
- The day is over: the giraffes lie down stretching their super-long necks, and the meerkats curl up beside them (2 min).
Rules
- The giraffe goes high and the meerkat goes low.
- When there's danger, we find a partner.
- We help each other, we don't push.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, everyone is a giraffe or a meerkat at the same time, following the teacher, with no pairs.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, split into giraffes and meerkats who pair up when there's danger.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, add a middle level, the zebra on all fours, and danger groups have three different animals.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a child in a wheelchair is a giraffe by stretching the arms or a meerkat by dropping the shoulders, and their partner comes to them.
- Hearing impairment: tap the drum very high or close to the ground so the signal can also be seen.
- Autism: let the child keep the same animal if switching is hard.
Learning goals
- Show high and low levels with the body.
- Respond to a sound cue by changing posture.
- Work with a different partner.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Hand drum: 1
Teacher tip
Play the drum way up high or way down low so the signal is visible too. At first they stay in the middle, so exaggerate how tall the giraffe is and how small the meerkat is.
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