Have you ever seen this while out on a hike and wondered what it is? This is actually created by squirrels! This is a food cache, or food storage,  created by squirrels called a ‘midden.’ Squirrels will store cones and seeds in the midden. Amazingly, squirrels have a great memory of where their middens are and are able to come back to it to get food. Do you think your memory is as good as a squirrel?

1. Tell the story of the squirrel and its midden. Try and see if you can spot one on a hike/walk!
   
   
2. Tell participants you will be creating your very own middens today. Collect a variety of items from your backyard/park/schoolyard. Encourage participants to help out in the collection process. The more items you find, the harder the game will be!
   
   
3. Lay the items down in the centre where everyone can see them.
   
   
4. Give participants about 2 minutes to study the items in the midden.
   
   
5. Assign one person who is it who has to close their eyes.
   
   
6. Remove one item from the midden.
   
   
7. See if the person who is it can guess what item is missing to test if their memory is as good as a squirrel!

Squirrels work very hard to store this food for themselves and then remember where it is! What are some things we can do to make sure that the food source for squirrels can stay protected?

• More protected areas to protect trees & cones
  
  
• Leave no trace when out on a hike/walk to make sure squirrel habitats stay garbage-free
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