The platypus
Games
Platypus, possums and pademelons
Joey Scouts form two teams, facing each other approximately 2 metres apart. One team are the Platypuses, the other are the Possums. Each team is allocated its own safety zone (could be when Joey Scouts are touching walls on their side of the hall, or across a chalk line on the floor). When the leader calls out P-P-P-Platypuses or P-P-P-Possums that team runs towards its safety zone with the other team trying to tag them before they reach it. Any player tagged joins the opposite team. All return to the middle for another call. When the leader calls out P-P-P-Pademelons, all plays must remain where they are.
Platypus feeds
Joey Scouts in two teams each with spoons. A relay race to see which team can gather the food (bowl of rice bubbles) from the other end of the hall with the spoon and fill a plate at the starting line. Explain that platypuses use their spoon bills to gather food from the riverbed.
Craft
Platypus model
Cut out all the parts and assemble. You might like to use fake fur for the body and leather off cuts for the legs and bill.
Platypus puppets
Cut out and colour small platypus shapes, and attach to icy pole sticks.
Build a platypus
Using the pictures cut out the different parts to make a platypus.
The Platypus appeared in the September 1999 issue of Australian Scout. Compiled by Barbara Tabe.
Activities
Platypus tongue twister
Can the Joey Scouts say “Peter Platypus plays purple piano perfectly”?
I went to the river and saw
Joey Scouts sit in a circle. Start off with “I went to the river and saw a platypus”. Going around the circle, each Joey Scout adds something that the platypus was doing, e.g. swimming, dancing, eating.
Platypus puppet plays
Using any of the craft projects, have Joey Scouts make up stories about platypuses. You could guide their thinking to keeping the waterways clean so that the platypuses are safe.
Craft
Platypus mask
Cut out mask. Colour, punch out holes and attach elastic to wear.