The Hedgehogs Make a Bed of Leaves
Children are hedgehogs who, before winter, carry leaves on their backs on all fours to their burrow to make a bed. It builds crawling on all fours with postural control and the goal of finishing their bed.
How to play
- The teacher explains that fall is here and hedgehogs need a soft bed to sleep all winter; we walk on all fours sniffing the ground (2 min).
- Newspaper sheets (leaves) are spread on the floor and each hedgehog has a burrow (a hoop); with the teacher's help they put a leaf on their back and carry it on all fours to their hoop without dropping it (4 min).
- If the leaf falls, we pick it up by hand, put it back, and keep going; we carry leaves one at a time until we have a pile (2 min).
- "Here comes the fox!": the hedgehogs curl into a tight ball with their spines out; the teacher-fox sniffs around and leaves without touching them (2 min).
- Each hedgehog spreads its leaves in the hoop, curls up on top, and falls asleep for the winter, breathing slowly (4 min).
Rules
- We carry one leaf at a time on all fours.
- Each hedgehog takes leaves from the floor, not from another burrow.
- When the fox comes, we curl up and don't move.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, carry the leaf in one hand while crawling, and only on the back if they want to try.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, the leaf goes on the back and the burrow is a few yards away.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, carry two leaves on the back at once, and put the burrow farther away or behind a bench.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a child who can't crawl carries the leaf on their lap in the wheelchair or on an outstretched arm.
- Less skill: a buddy walks alongside and puts the leaf back on if it slips.
- Autism: give the child a hoop of one set color and a specific number of leaves to carry (for example, three).
Learning goals
- Move on all fours with a flat back.
- Carry an object without dropping it.
- Complete a simple goal: making their bed.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Newspaper sheets: 75
- Hoops: 25
Teacher tip
Use whole open newspaper sheets: they're light and cover the back well. The typical slip is lifting the bottom so the leaf slides off, so ask for a "tabletop back."
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