Animal-O — Activity | Navigation Games

Time	15-30 minutes
Space	Gym, schoolyard, or local park
Materials	Animal-picture checkpoints, Clue sheets, Cones to hold the animal pictures (optional)
Vocabulary	Clue sheet, Checkpoint, Course, Boundary, Spatial memory

Learning Goals

Students completing this activity will be able to:

Use a clue sheet to complete an orienteering course in order
Check the animal picture at each checkpoint to confirm they have the right one
Develop spatial memory by repeating courses and tracking where checkpoints are
Manage quick changes of direction while moving through the space

See the Grade 3-5 curriculum for how this activity fits into the lesson sequence.

How to Run It

Setup

Place animal-picture checkpoints around the play area, spread out within the boundary
Set up a start/finish area with a marker or cone
Prepare clue sheets. The Navigation Games teaching kit includes six 5-animal clue sheets (each a different course) and 10-animal clue sheets for a challenge
Optional: set up a whiteboard near start/finish to track times or completions

Steps

Each student or pair picks up a clue sheet at the start
Find the first animal on the clue sheet. Run to that checkpoint and confirm the animal matches
Continue to the next animal on the sheet, visiting each checkpoint in order
Return to the finish after the last checkpoint

Differentiation

Ways to adapt the activity to meet the needs of your students: slow things down, increase the challenge, or adapt for different learners

5-animal clue sheet: learn the format with a standard course
For speed: repeat the same course and beat your previous time
From memory: put the clue sheet away and try to complete the course
Different sheet: try a new 5-animal sequence so memorized routes don't help. There are six different 5-animal courses in the kit
10-animal clue sheet: for pairs who finish all six 5-animal courses
Solo: if students started in pairs, try it individually
Animal Relay: in small teams, students take turns running to a named animal checkpoint and back. The caller says an animal name; the runner finds it and returns. Tests spatial memory and adds competitive energy. Good as a closer after students have learned the checkpoint locations.
Draw and guess: as an optional deeper add-on after the courses, each student draws the space from memory and circles the location of one animal (without naming it). A partner reads the drawing and guesses which animal it is. Can a fellow student read your map well enough to know? A first taste of map making and map reading in one step.

Tips

Make sure students check the animal at each checkpoint, not just run to the nearest cone
If students are struggling, start with Explore & Find (see Companions tab)
Moving checkpoints to new locations resets the challenge and prevents memorizing a route

Script

Visiting Cones Together

"Now we're playing Animal-O. First we'll visit the animal cones together as a group."

(Walk to first cone) "Which animal is this? How does it move?"

"When we find an animal, we move like that animal to get to the next one. Let's go."

Clue Sheets

"Now you each get a clue sheet. What do you see on it, words or pictures?" (Students: "Pictures!")

"Your goal is to find all the animals in order, top to bottom. When you find an animal, check that the picture on the cone matches your clue sheet. Then move to the next one."

(Hold up clue sheet and point to the first animal)

"Start here at the start cone. Look at your first animal. When you find it, check it matches, then move to the next one on your sheet."

Vocabulary

Clue sheet: A list showing the order to visit checkpoints. In Animal-O, the clue sheet shows animal pictures.

Checkpoint: A location marked with a cone or flag. In Animal-O, each checkpoint has an animal picture attached.

Course: A sequence of checkpoints from start to finish.

Boundary: The perimeter of the play area. All checkpoints are inside the boundary.

Spatial memory: The ability to remember where things are in space.

See the Glossary for all curriculum terms.

Related Activities

Explore & Find (readiness)

In pairs, explore to find animal checkpoints without a set order.

A less structured version of Animal-O. Students explore freely within the boundary to find animal checkpoints and report back what they found. No clue sheet, no required order.

Use this before Animal-O if students need to get familiar with the space and the checkpoint format first. See the full activity page for details.


Time	5-10 minutes
Materials	Same setup as Animal-O
How to run it	Pair up. Explore within the boundary to find animal checkpoints. Return on the gathering signal. Report what you found and where.

Animal-O — Activity (Clue Sheet Orienteering)

Learning Goals