Der Natur auf der Spur Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Contents
• Before the First Game
• Basic Game
  • Setup
  • Playing the Game
  • End of the Game
• Expert Variant
  • Setup
  • Playing the Game
  • End of the Game
• Reaction Variant
  • Setup
  • Playing the Game
  • End of the Game
  • Variant with Tree Cards
  • Expert Variant with Tree Cards
• Animals
• Trees
  • Deciduous Trees
  • Conifers

Contents

• 1 game board in six parts
• 1 spinner
• 28 animal cards
• 18 tree cards
• 4 garbage cards

Before the First Game

Take the material out of the box. Carefully punch the animal, tree and garbage cards and the two parts of the spinner out of the punch sheet. Assemble the game board jigsaw. Assemble the spinner as shown in the illustration.

The animal cards and the tree cards each consist of two parts.

• Animal cards: The front of an animal card shows the animal's front part and the animal's back part with the track. The yellow back shows the animal and the track separately.
• Tree cards: The front of a tree card shows the tree and its leaves with fruits. The yellow-blue back shows the leaves and the fruits separately.

Basic Game

Nature game for 2 to 4 children aged 4 and up.

The goal of the game is to match all the animals and tracks together before night falls in the forest.

Setup

Sit at the table so that everyone can see the game board well. Lay the animal front parts face up in front of the game board.

The animal back parts with the tracks go into a face-down stack.

Set the spinner to "Sonnenaufgang" (sunrise).

The tree and garbage cards are not needed for this game.

Playing the Game

The youngest player begins. Play then continues clockwise.

Take the top card from the stack and look closely at the track. Which animal could it belong to? If you know the answer, place the card next to the matching animal front. You have only one try.

• Do the animal front and back part fit together? Great! Then you may bring the animal to its place in the forest. Look for the place together on the game board. The player whose turn it is may place the animal front there. The back part is removed from the game.
• Do the two parts not fit together? Bad luck! The animal front stays in the display, and you slide the back part under the stack. Time moves on: take the spinner and turn it one space further.

Now the next player takes a turn.

End of the Game

The game ends as soon as all animals and tracks have been correctly matched, so that all animals are in the forest, before the night space appears on the spinner. Then you have all won together.

The game also ends if the night space appears before all animals are in the forest. Then you have unfortunately lost. Try again!

Expert Variant

Nature game for 2 to 4 children aged 5 and up.

The goal of the game is to match all the animals and tracks together before night falls in the forest.

Setup

Sit at the table so that everyone can see the game board well. For this variant you play with the yellow back of the animal cards.

Lay out in front of the game board the animal cards on which the complete animal is visible, face up. The cards on which only the track is visible go into a stack.

Get the spinner ready. The tree and garbage cards are not needed for this game.

Playing the Game

The youngest player begins. Play then continues clockwise.

Take the top card from the stack and look closely at the track. Which animal could it belong to? If you know the answer, turn over the matching animal card from the display and turn your track card over as well. Lay the two cards next to each other. You have only one try.

• Do the animal front and the animal back part fit together? Great! Then you may bring the animal to its place in the forest. Place the animal front on the game board. The back part is removed from the game.
• Do the two parts not fit together? Bad luck! The animal stays in the display, and you slide the track card under the stack. Time moves on: take the spinner and turn it one space further.

Now the next player takes a turn.

End of the Game

The game ends as soon as all animals and tracks have been correctly matched, so that all animals are in the forest, before the night space appears on the spinner. Then you have all won together.

The game also ends if night falls before all animals are in the forest. Then you have unfortunately lost. Try again!

Reaction Variant

Reaction game for 3 to 6 children aged 5 and up.

The goal is to find the sought-after animal as quickly as possible and to win many cards.

Setup

For this game you need the animal cards, the leaf-and-fruit cards and the garbage cards. These cards go as a supply into the bottom of the box. Set the remaining cards aside.

Stand the box lid up as a screen so that the cards in the supply cannot be seen.

Playing the Game

The oldest player is the first game leader. The game leader draws a card from the box and places it in the middle where everyone can see it.

The other players then search the game board as quickly as possible for the matching animal or the suitable tree. Whoever finds it places a finger on that spot and calls out loudly: "Gefunden!" ("Found!"). Everyone looks together to check whether it is the right animal or the right tree.

• Is the answer correct? Then the player who found the right motif may keep the card and becomes the game leader in the next round.
• Is the answer wrong? Then the search continues for the other players.

If the game leader places a garbage card in the middle, all other players must try to grab it as quickly as possible, because garbage must not end up in the forest. Whoever grabs the card may keep it.

End of the Game

The game ends as soon as there are no more cards in the box. Whoever then has the most cards has won. In case of a tie, there are several winners.

Variant with Tree Cards

You can also play the basic game with the front of the tree cards.

Lay the trees out face up. The cards with leaves and fruits go into a stack. Draw a card from the stack and try to assign it to a tree. If that succeeds, you may place the leaf-and-fruit card on the game board. Otherwise the game is played like the basic game.

To make it more difficult, you can play with the animal cards and the tree cards together.

Expert Variant with Tree Cards

An expert variant can be played with the yellow-blue back of the tree cards.

The game board goes back into the box. Lay the leaf cards out face up. The fruit cards go into a stack so that only the fruit is visible.

Draw a card from the stack and try to match it to a leaf. To check, turn over both cards and see whether they belong together. If that succeeds, you may keep the card with the fruit.

Whoever has the most cards at the end wins the game.

Animals

• Stag: The stag walks on its toe tips, which are shaped into hooves. Once a year it loses its large antlers and grows new ones.
• Squirrel: The squirrel can climb trees well with its claws. The claws can also be seen in the footprint.
• Blue tit: The blue tit can be recognised by the blue plumage on its head. In winter it is often seen at bird tables.
• Owl: The owl is well camouflaged in trees thanks to its brown plumage. At dusk and at night it hunts mice, for example.
• Hedgehog: The hedgehog has thousands of spines, which are really modified hairs. To defend itself, it rolls itself up.
• Greylag goose: Also called the wild goose, the greylag goose lives by lakes, meadows and river floodplains. The domestic goose descends from it.
• Adder: The adder has a zigzag line on its back. To warm itself up, it lies on sunny rocks.
• Roe deer: The roe deer is smaller than the stag, so its tracks are also smaller. Male roe deer also have antlers.
• Hare: The hare can become quite large and has long ears. Its tracks are easy to see in the snow.
• Toad: The toad wanders to the water to lay its eggs. The males are carried piggyback while doing so.
• Wild boar: The wild boar gives birth to its young in spring. They are called "Frischlinge" (piglets) and are fiercely defended by the mother.

Trees

Deciduous Trees

Deciduous trees have leaves that they shed in autumn.

• Chestnut: The chestnut is a deciduous tree with large white flowers. Its fruits are suitable for crafts and as food for wild boar.
• Oak: The oak bears acorns on its twigs. Oaks can live for over 1000 years, which is ten times older than humans.
• Maple: The maple has pointed leaves and propeller-shaped fruits. As they fall, the fruits also spin like a propeller.
• Linden: The linden has fruits that resemble cherry stones. At the stalk of each fruit is a leaf that serves as a small sail when the fruit falls.
• Hazel shrub: The hazel shrub has hazelnuts as its fruit. They taste good to humans, but also to many animals, such as squirrels.
• Beech: The beech has egg-shaped leaves. Its brown fruits are called "Bucheckern" (beechnuts) and taste good to many birds and rodents.

Conifers

Conifers have needles that they keep on their branches all year round.*

• Spruce: The spruce is a conifer that is widespread in our forests. The spruce cone hangs from the twig.
• Fir: The fir has upright cones on its branches. Young firs are often nibbled by roe deer and stags.
• Pine: The pine has small, rather round cones, with which you can also craft well.

*With a few exceptions, such as larches.