These statements are designed to be used in the game Owls and Crows from Joseph Cornell’s Sharing Nature with Children.  Choose any of the statements which are appropriate for the ages and knowledge of the children playing.

How to Set Up the Playing Field:

How to Play:

The leader reads a statement out loud.  If it is true, the Owls chase the Crows and if it is false, the Crows chase the Owls.  Anyone caught before reaching the base switches teams.  Before beginning, make a few obvious statements, such as “Grass is green.  The sky is blue.” and ask the players just to point in the direction that they should run.  When you begin the game, start with the easiest questions to give the players practice figuring out which way to run. 

Players will continually be changing sides, so make it clear which direction to run when the statement is true.

I have made all of these sample statements true.  You should re-write some of them to be false.

Insects have 6 legs.

Insects have an exoskeleton.

Butterflies have 2 pairs of wings.

Flies have only 1 pair of wings.

Spiders are not insects.

Dragonflies catch and eat other insects.

Caterpillars turn into either Butterflies or Moths.

Male mosquitos pollinate flowers while drinking nectar.

Crickets have ears on their front legs.

Crickets sing by rubbing their wings together.

Grasshoppers can jump 20 times the length of their bodies.

Insects are animals.