 This month's Roots & Shoots Book Club selection comes from one of our very own community members: Marc Bekoff, group leader of Roots & Shoots groups in Boulder, Colorado.
In Animals at Play: Rules of the Game, Marc and illustrator Michael J. DiMotta introduce young readers to the unwritten codes of behavior that animals follow when playing with one another. An ethologist and Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Marc simply and clearly explains the ways in which animals play together and communicate—from a dog's play bow to a vole's pheromones to a chimpanzee's panthoot. The book is geared toward readers aged 9 to 11, helping them to see how their own human friendships have a lot in common with those of other animals. The second in the "Animals and Ethics" series edited by Marc, Animals at Play received coverage in the Vegetarian Times and is wholeheartedly endorsed by Dr. Jane. "Marc Bekoff's ideas about fair play stress the significance of cooperation and justice, aspects of behavior desperately needed in the world today," Dr. Jane writes. "Read this book, share it with the children in your life and incorporate its lessons into your classroom, family room or board room." Here's how you could incorporate Animals at Play into your Roots & Shoots group:
Make Some Meaning
When animals play, they follow rules that involve:
- Cooperation
- Communication
- Fairness
- Trust
Look up the definitions of these words in a dictionary and read them aloud. Then, translate them into meanings that relate to your lives. Your new definitions might look something like this: Cooperation: When one member of my Roots & Shoots group rakes leaves, another bags the leaves, another transports the bags to the compost bin and, together, we clean up our neighbor's entire yard. Write down your new definitions and post them where you'll see them and remember what these concepts mean to you.
Explore as an Ethologist
At the end of the book, Marc encourages readers to go out, watch dogs, spy on cats and peek at squirrels—take his advice! As you observe the animals, try to answer these questions:
- Are the animals working, playing or doing both?
- What might the animals be feeling right now—happiness, anger, frustration, excitement?
- If the animals were humans, what might they be saying to each other?
Carry a pen and paper to record your observations and, later, use your notes to submit your Project Report.
Cater to Kids
Teen and 'tween Roots & Shoots members can share Animals at Play with younger kids to help them understand how animals behave. Read the book aloud to the kids and then lead them in one of the activities above. Or you could brainstorm a list of animal behaviors they've observed that were not mentioned in the book—have they ever seen horses nuzzle noses or heard robins twitter? You could help the kids act out some animal gestures and postures. Get started with some chimp calls. Be careful to not let any of the "animals" get too aggressive!
Are you an animal-lover? Check out these past Roots & Shoots Book Club selections:
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