This guide is designed to blend education and fun through engaging activities for children that promote awareness and conservation of vultures. It includes a variety of activities tailored to different age groups, with varying durations and setups, allowing for flexibility in how you use them. The games and activities provided are easy to organize and facilitate, requiring minimal resources while encouraging maximum creativity and imagination from the children. You can adapt them as needed or use them as inspiration to develop your own games and activities.

To ensure a memorable experience, start by highlighting the brilliance and importance of vultures through fun, interactive activities. Conclude the event on a high note by giving small gifts—such as stickers or pins—to all participants, celebrating their involvement and reinforcing the positive message of conservation.

General tips:

• Background on vultures: Please refer to the IVAD Website for detailed information on vultures, and conservation and research priorities to address the threats they face and their population declines.
• Timing and structure: Begin with an informative session about vultures, including their roles in ecosystems, threats they face, and conservation efforts. This introduction sets the context for the activities and provides necessary background knowledge. End the event with small tokens of appreciation, such as stickers or pins, to leave a lasting positive impression.
• Objectives and outcomes: Each activity should aim to educate, inspire appreciation for vultures, and foster a sense of responsibility toward their conservation. The following details specify the goals, logistics, and required resources for each activity.

Activity 1: Storytelling Session

To begin the activities, start by engaging the children with captivating tales and vibrant illustrations about vultures. Share stories that educate them on the lives of vultures, the challenges these birds face, and the importance of conservation efforts. Make the stories relatable to the children by drawing connections, such as how vultures care for their families and discussing relevant conservation efforts in the local area.

Age group: 5+

Time: 15 minutes

Objectives: introduce basic facts about vultures, their importance in ecosystems, and the threats they face.

Resources needed: Prepare a set of illustrated storybooks or visual aids that depict vultures, their habitats, and conservation efforts. Have a selection of photographs ready to pass around. These should include images of vultures, their nesting sites, and potential threats they face in the wild.

Group size: up to 30 participants

Setup:

• Arrange the children in a circle or semicircle to create an inclusive and engaging environment. This setup encourages interaction and allows all the children to see the illustrations and photos clearly.

Instructions:

• Storytelling session: Begin with a brief introduction about vultures, highlighting their unique characteristics and role in the ecosystem. Narrate the stories, using the illustrations to help visualize the narrative. As you tell the stories, pause to show the pictures and encourage the children to ask questions or share their thoughts. You can refer to the IVAD website for more background info on vultures, and their conservation if needed.
• Interactive elements: Pass around the photos so each child can have a closer look. Encourage them to describe what they see and how they feel about the images. Engage the children by asking questions related to the stories, such as how they think vultures care for their families or what they can do to help protect these birds. Optionally, provide coloring sheets or simple crafts related to vultures for a hands-on activity after the discussion.
• Wrap-up: Conclude the session with a discussion on the importance of conservation and how everyone can contribute to protecting vultures and other wildlife.

Activity 2: Silhouette Recognition Workshop

Age group: 8-12

Time: 10-15 minutes

Objectives: Identify different vulture species and understand their unique characteristics.

Resources needed: Laminated silhouettes of vultures (proportionate in size to each other), descriptions of each species at the back.

Group size: Up to 20 participants

Setup:

• Obtain life-sized silhouettes of birds, specifically the silhouettes of vultures from the internet.
• Print and laminate these silhouettes for reuse.
• Arrange them in order of size.

Instructions:

1. Display the laminated silhouettes to the participants.
2. Discuss and identify each bird, focusing on their lifestyles and habitats.
3. Have participants recognize and compare the different birds.

Activity 3: Vulture Scavenger Hunt

Age group: 6-10

Time: 15 minutes

Objectives: Engage participants in a fun, exploratory activity while teaching them about vulture habitats and ecology.

Resources needed: Items related to vultures, their habitat and conservation, create and pint out list of items for scavenger hunt, as well as bags and small prizes to give to each participant.

Group size: Up to 30 participants

Setup:

• Create a list of items related to vultures and their habitat
• Hide these items around the event area.

Instructions:

1. Give each child or team a scavenger hunt list and a bag.
2. They search for and collect the items on the list.
3. The first to find all the items wins a small prize.
4. At the end of the game, explain how each item is related to vultures.

Example Items:

• A picture of a vulture.
• A feather (fake or real).
• A small toy of a livestock like goat.
• Book with vulture habitats inside.

• Scope/binoculars.
• Tagging equipment.

Additionally, we have a scavenger hunt game outline with clear instructions and visual cut-outs that shows how Old World vultures use their sight and visual cues to find animal remains.

Activity 4: Vulture Puppet Show

Age group: 6-10

Time: 20 – 30 minutes

Objectives: Encourage creativity and storytelling, promoting understanding of vulture conservation.

Resources needed: Puppet-making materials, a script about vulture conservation.

Group size: Up to 20 participants

Setup:

• Provide materials for making simple puppets (paper bags, markers, glue, etc.).
• Prepare a short script or story about the vulture conservation programme in your region.

Instructions:

1. Let children create their own vulture puppets. They can get inspired from our colouring pages of vultures found on the resources page.
2. Once the puppets are ready, divide them into groups.
3. Each group performs a short puppet show using the provided script or their own improvised story.

Example Story:

• “A Himalayan vulture looking for a new home.”
• “The challenges and adventures of raising a vulture chick.”

Activity 5: Vulture Bingo

Age group: 6-12

Time: 15 minutes

Objectives: Reinforce knowledge about vultures, their habitats, and threats in a fun game format.

Resources needed: Bingo cards with vulture-related images, markers, prizes.

Group size: Up to 30 participants

Setup:

• Create bingo cards with pictures and names of vultures (nests, eggs, chicks), habitats (mountain, cliffs, snow), food (carcasses), threats (electrocution, collision, poison, lead exposure), etc..
• Prepare a set of matching calling cards.

Instructions:

1. Give each child a bingo card and some markers.
2. Draw calling cards one by one and show the picture or read the name aloud.
3. Children mark the corresponding picture on their bingo cards.
4. The first child to mark a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) shouts “Bingo!” and wins a small prize.
5. The second child to mark the entire bingo card shouts “Bingo!” and wins a bigger prize.

Bonus: Allocate a question and a correct answer to each calling card. After drawing a card, ask the children the related question. The first child to answer correctly receives that calling card and can use it as a bingo slot to complete a row or the entire card. This bonus element incentivizes children to pay attention and think about what they have learned. By connecting the game to educational content, it reinforces their knowledge and encourages active engagement. It also adds an extra layer of excitement, as children not only strive to complete their bingo cards but also eagerly participate in answering questions to gain additional slots and win the prize.

Explore our Vulture Bingo Activity Resource, which includes 24 different bingo cards.

Activity 6: Habitat diorama

Age group: 8-12

Time: 20 minutes

Objectives: Through crafts, learn about vulture habitats and ecosystem interactions.

Resources needed: Shoeboxes, rocks (children can collect their own materials from the ground), crafting materials, pictures of vultures and habitats, etc.

Group size: Up to 20 participants

Setup:

• Provide materials for creating a diorama (shoeboxes, paper, clay, markers, etc.).
• Print out pictures of vultures and their habitat for reference.
• An option is to assign each group a different vulture species to focus on (they need to have information beforehand), with time at the end for the children to present their dioramas and review key learning points. Detailed species information can be found on the IVAD website’s vultures page.

Instructions:

1. Each child or group of children receives a shoebox and materials.
2. They create a diorama depicting the habitat of specific vulture species.
3. Encourage them to include elements like other animals and ecosystem features.
4. Display the dioramas and discuss the various elements included

Activity 7: Threats to Vultures Role-Play

Age group: 10-16

Time: 20 minutes

Objectives: Educate about the various threats to vultures and discuss solutions.

Resources needed: Role cards with different threats to vultures, props for representing threats.

Group size: Up to 20 participants (divided into small groups)

Setup:

• Role Cards:

1. • Prepare cards with different threats to vultures. Examples of threats include:
     • “Poisoning”
     • “Lead Exposure”
     • “Collision/Electrocution”
   • Each card should include a brief description of the threat.

• Props:

1. • Gather or create simple props to represent each threat:
     • Poisoning: A sign with a skull and crossbones, bottles labelled “poison,” etc.
     • Lead Exposure: Aluminium foil balls to represent lead bullets, pictures of animals with lead poisoning symptoms.
     • Collision/Electrocution: Ropes or string to represent power lines, signs with lightning bolts.

Instructions:

1. Introduction:

1. • Gather the children and explain that vultures face several dangers in the wild (You can refer to IVAD website for more background info). Today, they will learn about these threats through role-playing.
   • Briefly describe each threat and why it is dangerous to vultures.

2. Form groups:

1. • Divide the children into small groups (3-4 children per group).
   • Assign each group one of the threats. Give them the corresponding role card and props.

3. Create skits:

1. • In their groups, children discuss how their assigned threat affects vultures.
   • Encourage them to think about:
     • What happens to the vulture when it encounters this threat?
     • How can people help reduce or eliminate this threat?
   • Each group creates a short skit (5 minutes) that shows:
     • The vulture encountering the threat.
     • The impact of the threat on the vulture.
     • A solution or way to mitigate the threat.
   • Guide the groups as needed to ensure they understand the concepts and stay on task.

4. Present Skits:

1. • Each group presents their skit to the rest of the children.
   • After each skit, have a brief discussion with the whole group about what they saw and what they learned.
   • Can they do something about it? I.e. If they have a hunter in the family, they can tell them what they learned and to switch to copper ammunition that is non-toxic to vultures.

Activity 8: Vulture Conservation Quiz

Age Group: Could be tailored to any age group and used to test the desired outcomes of some of the other activities

Time: 10 minutes

Objectives: Test knowledge and reinforce learning about vultures and conservation efforts.

Resources needed: Quiz questions, answer cards (A, B, C) for each participant.

Group size: Up to 30 participants

Setup:

• Prepare a set of multiple-choice questions about vultures, their habitat, and conservation efforts.
• Create answer cards (A, B, C) for each child.

Instructions:

1. Read each question aloud and provide three possible answers.
2. Children hold up the card corresponding to their chosen answer.
3. Discuss the correct answer after each question.

Example Questions:

• “What is the primary diet of the vultures?” A) Fruits, B) Animal remains, C) Fish.
• “What is the number one threat to vultures worldwide?” A) Deforestation, B) Poisoning, C) Plastic.

Activity 9: Quick Response Circle

Age group: 6-10

Time: 10 minutes

Objectives: reinforce knowledge about vulture-related terms in a fun and interactive way.

Resources needed: sheets of paper with vulture-related words, marker.

Group size: 10-15 participants

Setup:

• Form a circle with all participants.
• Prepare several sheets of paper, each with a different word related to bearded vultures written on it using a marker.

Instructions:

1. The facilitator starts by saying, “If I say…,” followed by a word written on one of the sheets. For example, “If I say beard, you say…?”
2. The child to the left responds with the first word that comes to mind, such as “I say bearded vulture.”
3. This child then turns to the next child on their left and says, “If I say bearded vulture, you say…?”
4. Continue this pattern around the circle.

Activity 10: Why? Because Game

Age group: 8-12

Time: 15 minutes

Objectives: Explore own curiosity about vultures and recall vulture facts while resulting in humorous results that can be engaging and memorable.

Resources needed: Paper, pens, prepared “Why” questions and “Because” answers.

Group Size: 10-20 participants (divided into two teams)

Setup:

• Divide participants into two teams.
• Team 1 writes 5 questions about a specific vulture species that start with “Why.” They do not show these questions to Team 2.
• Team 2 writes 5 answers that start with “Because.” They do not see Team 1’s questions.

Instructions:

1. Teams sit facing each other.
2. Team 1 reads a “Why” question, and Team 2 responds with a randomly selected “Because” answer.

1. Repeat until all questions and answers are read.

4. The mismatched answers often result in humorous and educational moments.

Example:

• Team 1 question: “Why does the Egyptian vulture have an orange/yellow face?”
• Team 2 answer: “Because they have wings.”
• Team 1 question: “Why does the Egyptian vulture nest in caves?”
• Team 2 answer: “Because they bathe in mud.”

Activity 11: Photo Language

Age group: 6-10

Time: 10 minutes

Objectives: Encourage creative thinking and association with visual elements related to vultures.

Resources needed: Print and laminate around 15 photos of vultures related to vultures, their habitats, their threats, etc. Provide, paper, markers.

Group size: Up to 15 participants

Setup:

• Spread the vulture images out for all to see.

Instructions:

1. Allow participants to look at the images.
2. Allow participants to choose a photo and create a title that reflects their impression.
3. Share and discuss the titles, exploring different perspectives on vultures.

Example:

• An image of an Andean condor soaring might be titled “The king of the sky.”
• An image of a griffon vulture nest might be titled “Home on the rocks.”

Activity 12: Vulture Story Chain

Age group: 8-12

Time: 10 minutes

Objectives: Foster teamwork while reinforcing knowledge about vultures and resulting in humorous result that will be memorable and fun.

Resources needed: Paper rolls, pens, prepared “why” questions.

Group size: 10-15 participants

Setup:

• Prepare slips of paper with “Why” questions.
• Use a roll of paper (like a receipt roll) for writing.

Instructions:

1. Start with a “Why” question related to vultures.
2. The first participant writes a phrase to continue the story, then folds the paper to hide all but the last word.
3. The paper is passed to the next participant, who continues the story using the visible word, then folds the paper again.
4. At two points during the game, insert a word from the Quick Response Circle.
5. Continue until all participants have contributed, then read the complete story aloud.

Example:

• Start with a “Why” question: “Why does the Bearded vulture nest on cliffs?”
• First participant: “Because it loves high places,” (folds paper to hide the phrase but leaves the word “places” visible)
• Second participant: “Places where it can see everything,” (folds paper to hide the phrase but leaves the word “everything” visible)
• Insert a word from the Quick Response Circle: “Everything including bones,…”

This guide provides recommendations and ideas to help you organise engaging and educational games and activities for International Vulture Awareness Day. Feel free to use your creativity to tailor these activities to your specific goals and audience.

Please be aware that the International Vulture Awareness Day organisers hold no responsibility for the execution or outcomes of the activities you choose to implement. It is your responsibility to ensure that all necessary precautions are taken to safeguard the well-being of all participants, especially when activities involve vulnerable groups such as children. We strongly encourage you to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of participants and to comply with all relevant laws and regulations.