In showing the children (six years old) MORENÁ for the first time, I was innundated by questions: “Why are there so many ants on these cards?” “Ants are everywhere, but what are they doing?” “Aren’t the people bothered by the ants?” Therefore, before we actually began playing with the cards we exchanged jungle knowledge. Each child told what he or she knows about the animals, plants, and people who live in the tropical forests.
We also talked about what functions and tasks the individual inhabitants of the forest fulfill, what characteristics they have and what they look like. It became apparnet that for many of the children much of the information was completely new. Afterwards, I told them about the importance of ants and other insects to the life of the jungle.
After this exchange of information we began playing with the cards. Our game was accompanied by Latin American music playing softly in the background, which enhanced even more the warm atmosphere.
Robert Doman ~ Teacher
Lublin, Poland
Excerpted from the book Strawberries Beyond My Window: Games of Association for Opening the Door to Creativity and Communitcation, by Waltraud Kirschke.
