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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

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Supported by Generation Green

Something sticky

Close your eyes and memorise the feeling and shape of a stick. Can you identify your stick from a collection?
Plan a session with this activity

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You’ll need

  • Bag of interesting sticks
Activity Plan Something Sticky
PDF – 356.8KB
Download Activity Plan Something Sticky
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Use your senses to tune into the sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and textures of nature.

Discover the five pathways to nature connectedness >

Before you begin

Fill a bag with enough sticks for everyone in your group to have their own. You need a variety of sticks – try to find ones of different lengths, thicknesses, textures, and shapes.

Get stuck in

  1. Everyone should sit in a circle and close their eyes.
  1. The person leading the activity should pass the bag full of sticks around the circle.
  2. As each person gets the bag, they should take out one stick.
  3. Everyone should try to feel their stick (without opening their eyes) so they can really get to know its shape, length, and texture. What makes their stick unique?
  1. The person leading the activity should pass the bag back around the circle. Everyone should put their stick back into the bag.
  2. When all the sticks are back in the bag, everyone should open their eyes. The person leading the activity should tip the sticks out of the bag into the middle of the circle.
  3. Everyone should take it in turns to describe their stick and pick it up from the pile in the centre.
  4. Everyone should work together to make sure everyone gets their stick back.

Reflection

It’s easy to label lots of different things under the same category, for example, sticks, trees or flowers. But nature is so varied that even a basic twig is unique. Ask everyone to describe some of the differences between the sticks. Was anyone surprised by just how varied sticks can be?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Gardening and nature

Everyone must wash their hands after the activity has finished. Wear gloves if needed. Explain how to safely use equipment and set clear boundaries so everyone knows what’s allowed.

If one person describes their stick, can the rest of group find it in the pile?

Make it accessible

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers My Outdoors Challenge Award

Try this activity again with different natural items, such as leaves or flowers.