Web of Life
Thanks to Joanne Conway for sending this game to the Mailing List!
Materials: A large ball of wool (the chunkier the better)
To Play: Girls form a circle, while standing. Leader holding ball of wool starts: unravel the wool a bit first, then holding on to the loose end, she says "I am the EARTH", then throws the wool ball across the circle to a girl on other side. This girl then thinks of something in nature that depends on/connects to the previous thing; i.e. "I am the LAKE(S) that cover the Earth"; She then (unravels the wool a bit first) throws the ball to someone across the circle - remembering to HOLD ON TO THE PIECE OF WOOL that connects her to the first person. Play continues like this until everyone has had a turn/is connected, with each player, both by wool and by statements in turn (i.e. "I am the FISH that swims in the lake", "I am the MOSQUITO that feeds the fish", "I am the HUMAN that feeds the mosquito", I am the SUN that shines on the human...) The entire circle is now connected by a crisscrossed web of wool. Girls should be reminded to keep their wool tight throughout the game.
Now leader says something like: "THERE HAS BEEN A TERRIBLE OIL SPILL" and tugs on her line of wool, and sits down, saying "When you feel a pull on your line: sit down". What happens naturally, is that eventually all participants should be sitting down. Discussion can ensue, as to the interconnectedness of all things in nature, etc. During the game there will naturally be some dropping of the wool ball; girls who throw the ball and forget to hang on to their end, etc... but that's what makes it fun too -someone has to climb in/under and retrieve the wool from time to time.