"Pin the part on the pony"
You get stickers of some sort, or you could make your own with blank address labels from the office supply store or walmart. Name a part and the kids have to put the sticker on the correct part. I have done this in teams and individually. Makes a great anatomy lesson. Walmart or the dollar store has some foam stickers that come off easily, they work great. We'd go over anatomy one day, then give them study sheets, the next day, without their sheets we'd play the game, but didn't tell them we were going to play the game the day before. Kids had a blast with it. Worked great on rainy days when I brought the mini in the bunkhouse at camp. If it was warm enough, aka summer time in FL we'd paint the ponies, get two or 3 minis/ ponies and let the kids go to town, the non toxic tempera paint works well and washes out easily. Except for a mega load of hotpink on white pinto spots, that doesn't like coming out, might take 2 or 3 washes, always have the kids wash ponies after painting. Kids love it, ponies get clean
You could also make this an anatomy lesson, IE Paint the hock green, the withers blue etc.
You can also set up a maze and they have to figure out how to get through it. Obstacle courses are fun, but hard for the younger ones. Keep it simple but fun and the kids will enjoy it. Go over tack parts, teach them how to hold reins, one child holds the bit, one child holds the reins, not facing each other and they have to "steer" and drive them around a room, aisle or stall. This helps teach them to respect the bit and not snatch and jerk. Take a bridle apart and put it back together. When I was in 4-h at age 9, we went over bridle parts and then afterwards we were each given a bridle to put back together, who ever was done correctly first got a prize. It was something small candy I think, I got a double bridle, and I hadn't seen one before, I beat everyone else, no one else had a double bridle, they all had normal english and western bridles. I hope this helps in some way. You can also go over different kinds of feed, whats a sweet feed, whats a pellet, simple is key for this age group.
Karen
