Outdoor Education: Eagle Eye - A Fun Game for Physical Education Classes

Dixie Iverson for PE Update.com

Eagle Eye is a unique outdoor version of that old favorite, "Hide and Seek." It increases the observational skills of students and is a lot of fun at the same time.

Set-Up
You will need an area that has tall grass, trees, bushes or other type of cover that is suitable for hiding. Be sure your group knows the boundaries of the playing area.

Discuss how eagles have very keen vision and can spot their prey while perched in their nest on a tall cliff.

How to Play
Designate a centralized "Eagle's Nest" and choose one student to be the Eagle. The Eagle closes his eyes and counts to sixty while the rest of the players hide in the playing area. Everyone must be able to keep at least one eye on the Eagle at all times while hiding.

At the count of sixty, the Eagle opens his eyes and looks (and listens) for the other players without ever leaving the nest. When he spots someone, he describes the clothing or hair color of that person until it is obvious which player has been found. That person must come and sit quietly near the nest so that the Eagle can continue looking.

If the Eagle is unable to find everyone, have him close his eyes and count to five while all the players move a few steps closer to the nest. Continue in this manner until all participants have been spotted but one, who then becomes the new Eagle.

Benefits of the Game
While students are hiding, they will have an opportunity to sit quietly and observe nature. They can become increasingly comfortable with being in rustic, outdoor environments and develop their skills of description and observation. They will often come back to the group after being found and share a story about seeing an insect, flower, rock or pine cone they had not noticed before.

Reference: Wilderness Awareness School's Quarterly Newsletter Foxprint, Winter, 2007.

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