We’re going on a fruit hunt
You’ll need
- Pens or pencils
- A4 paper
- Pictures of fruit
Before you begin
- Decide when you’ll hide the pictures of fruit. You could do it before the session starts – if you’re worried that people will get distracted by the pictures, some of the people leading the activity could hide the pictures of fruit while everyone’s reading the story.
- When you hide the pictures of fruit, think about how the fruit grows. For example, apples grow on trees, so they should be quite high up, while grapes grow on vines and strawberries grow near the ground. Remember to make sure that everyone can reach all of the fruits.
- Remember how many pictures you’ve hidden.
Story time
- Everyone should sit in a circle.
- Someone should read The Fruit and Nut Feast by Jess Connett. Make sure you save a copy before the session.
- After reading the story, everyone should take some time to reflect on it as a group. We’ve included some questions to help you reflect in the pink box below.
It was almost winter in the woodland. Though the days were very cold, the animals were outside every day, busy looking for food to put in secret hiding places.
Before they went into their nests to sleep for the coldest months, they were going to have one final feast.
“Where shall I put these blackberries?” Miguel said to his brothers, Manuel and Maximus. They were three mice who lived in a burrow under the acorn tree.
“In the hole in the tree with the others,” Maximus said. He had just brought in a big lot of juicy plums, and his mouth and paws were stained with juice.
Nearby, the squirrels Savannah and Stefan were burying acorns and sweet chestnuts under the soil.
“OK, remember we’ve put three near that fallen branch with the moss on it,” said Stefan.
“And three more near this pointy stone,” said Savannah. “Let’s put five in each place and then find somewhere else.”
The hedgehog family of Henry, Humbert and Harvey arrived at the acorn tree with lots of juicy sloes and some walnuts.
“I think it’s time for our feast!” Henry said. The evening was starting to get very cold so the mice brothers showed everyone into their cosy nest. Everyone placed some of the food they had gathered during the day onto the old log that acted as a table.
“I’ve never tried a sloe,” said Manuel. “Please may I have one?” Humbert nodded and passed one over. It was round and bright purple. It tasted very sharp and bitter compared to the sweet blackberries.
“Yuck!” shouted Manuel, and they all laughed.
“Have a chestnut, Harvey,” said Savannah, offering him one. He took it between his paws and nibbled off the hard outer shell. Inside, the nut was soft and sweet.
“Mmm! Thank you!” said Harvey. “Please have a walnut.” Savannah and Stefan were excited – walnuts were their favourites!
They were brown inside and a bit chewy – very tasty indeed.
“It’s lovely to share some food with you all,” said Humbert. “Even if you don’t like everything, I’m glad we got to try it all together.”
By Jess Connett
Discover the fruit
- Everyone should sit in small groups and talk about the fruits they learned about in the story.
- The small groups should work together to draw or create pictures of the fruits and where they grow. For example, you could draw a tree full of juicy, ripe apples or some bushes covered in fresh, round blueberries.
- Everyone should gather back together and share their pictures with the rest of the group.
- After everyone has finished talking, ask an adult to hide the pictures of the fruit around the meetings space.
Go on a fruit hunt
- Everyone should spend about five minutes moving around the space and searching for the pictures of fruit. They should count how many they can find without touching or moving any of the pictures. People don’t have to do this on their own – they could move in pairs or small groups. Make sure some adults are around to help with the counting.
- After five minutes, everyone should come back together, sit down, and share how many pictures they found.
- Collect the pictures of fruit and count the pictures together. How many were hidden? How many different types of fruit did they find and remember?
We’ve included some questions to help you reflect in the pink box below.
Reflection
During the game everyone worked together in small teams and used their problem-solving and counting skills to find the pictures of fruit around the meeting place.
The Fruit and Nut Feast
- Has anyone tried any of the fruits in the story? What are they like?
- Where do all the different fruits in the story grow? Was it surprising that they grow in different ways?
Discover the fruit
- What types of fruit did you draw?
- Did you draw any fruits the same as your friends?
Go on a fruit hunt:
- Did you find it difficult to remember how many pieces of fruit you saw?
- Which of the fruit in the pictures would you like to eat?
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.
- Active games
The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.
- It’s likely that not everyone will be able to count. Adults could go around with small groups to help them count as they find the fruits.
- If some people finish the fruit hunt early, they could count how many pictures of the same fruit they can find. Which fruit is most common?
Make sure that everyone can see the pictures while walking round – don’t put any too high or low, for example.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
You could keep building on skills by playing counting games when you’re out and about. You could see how many letterboxes, trees, or birds you can find, for example. Encourage friends and family to get stuck into the counting too.
Encourage everyone to look for the pictures and count for themselves during the game. Some people may need support, but they should give it a go first. Make sure everyone knows that it’s OK to ask for help.