Workshop 7: Web of Life 2: The Real World Wide Web 

Note: Explain that we have a full session outside, so we won’t be doing some of our normal opening activities.

1. Opening Image: Awe & Wonder

2. Check-in 

3. Designated Photographer - Facilitator

Do not run Be Here Now Exercise this week.

Gather the Ambassadors together before heading to the tree.

Ask: “Who can remember what we explored in our last Web of Life session?”

Take a few quick responses.

If needed, prompt: “What did we discover about the connections between humans and the rest of nature?”

Remind:

“In our first Web of Life session, we explored how humans are part of nature, not separate from it, and how living things are connected in lots of different ways.”

Say:

“Today, we're going to take that idea further and discover what some of those connections actually look like in a real living system.”

Invite the Ambassadors to follow you to the tree.

Gather the Ambassadors around a tree.

STEP 1: WHAT CAN YOU SEE?

Ask: “What can you see when you look at this tree?”

Take a few quick responses.

They might notice:

• branches

• leaves

• bark

• roots

• soil

Say: “Now let's look more closely.”

Invite the Ambassadors to move closer and investigate the tree and the area immediately around it without damaging or disturbing anything.

Ask: “What can you see now that you didn't notice at first?”

They might notice insects, moss, cracks in the bark, fallen leaves, tiny plants or fungi. Fungi are living things that aren't plants or animals. Mushrooms are one type of fungi, but much of a fungus can be hidden underground in the soil or inside wood as tiny thread-like structures.

STEP 2: WHAT CAN'T WE SEE?

Ask: “What might be here that we can't see?”

Give them time to think.

If needed, prompt: “What might be underneath our feet?”

Draw out ideas such as:

• Roots

• Worms

• Water

• Fungi

• Tiny living things in the soil

Reassure the Ambassadors that they are not expected to know all the answers.

STEP 3: WHAT DOES THE TREE NEED?

Ask: “What does this tree need to stay alive and grow?”

Draw out:

• Sunlight

• Water

• Air

• Nutrients

If needed, explain: “Nutrients are substances living things need to grow and stay healthy. Plants can get important nutrients from the soil.”

Then ask:

• “Does this tree get everything it needs completely on its own?”

• “What other living things might it have relationships with?”

Take a few ideas.

THE HIDDEN CONNECTION

INSERT IMAGE OF MYCELIEUM NETWORK

Say: “There's an amazing relationship happening underneath our feet that we can't normally see. Many plants have relationships with fungi that live in the soil. Some fungi grow as tiny threads through the soil and connect with plant roots. They can help plants reach water and nutrients. In return, plants give the fungi sugars they have made using sunlight.”

Ask: “So, when we first looked, we saw one tree. Is that tree really living completely on its own?”

Take responses.

Explain: “The tree is part of lots of relationships. There are things happening above it, around it and underneath it. When different parts connect and affect one another, we can call this a living system.”

Say: “And now we're going to become one.”

Move the Ambassadors into an open space.

Divide the group equally so you have 2-3 young people around one living systems card.

Give each group a Living System Card/ Slip of paper

LIVING SYSTEM CARDS/Slips of paper

🌳 TREE
I use sunlight to make the food I need to grow. My roots take in water and nutrients from the soil. Whilst we rarely see a tree walking or dancing, what parts of a tree might move?

🍄 FUNGI
Tiny fungal threads can grow around or into tree roots and spread through the soil. They can help their plant partners access water and nutrients. How might your threads spread out slowly to reach new places?

🪱 EARTHWORMS
I help break down dead material and move through the soil, changing its structure. How does a worm move without any legs?

🍂 FALLEN LEAVES
I may look like waste, but when I break down over time, this provides nutrients for the soil. How might you show yourself slowly breaking down and changing over time?

NUTRIENTS
Plants need nutrients to grow. We move through the fungi towards the roots and plants. How might you show yourself travelling along a path towards something that needs you?

ROOTS
We are the roots growing underneath the plants. We take in water and nutrients from the soil and connect with fungi. We connect the plants above ground with the water, nutrients, and fungi below ground. How might you spread out and reach in different directions at once?

🦠 MICROORGANISMS
You probably can't see me, but I help break down things like fallen leaves to create nutrients. If you're too small to see, how might you show your movement is tiny, busy or constant?

🐝 INSECTS
Some of us pollinate flowers. Others eat leaves, live in bark or become food for other animals. How might you show quick, darting movement from one place to another?

🐦 BIRDS
I may eat insects, fruits or seeds. Some of us also spread seeds to new places. How might you show swooping, flying, or carrying something as you move?

💧 WATER
Living things need me. I move through the soil and can be taken up through roots. How might you show yourself flowing, trickling, or seeping downward?

☀️ SUNLIGHT
Plants use my energy to make sugars through photosynthesis. How might you show energy reaching out and touching everything around you?

🌱 OTHER PLANTS
I share this habitat with the tree. We may depend on some of the same soil, water, fungi, insects, and other organisms. How might you show growing steadily while still being connected to everything around you?

Say: “Each group is going to become one part of a living system.”

“You don't need to know anything about your part already. Everything you need is on your card.”

YOUR FIRST CHALLENGE

Say: “Read your card together and get clear on

1. What you are

2. What other parts of the system might you connect with

Give the groups approximately three minutes.

Move between groups and check they understand their cards.

FACILITATOR NOTE

This is not a test of what the Ambassadors already know.

If they are unsure, direct them back to the information on their card rather than giving them the answer.

For example:

Ask: “What does your card tell you?”

rather than:

Ask: “What do fungi do?”

Gather everyone's attention.

Say: “Now comes your bigger challenge.”

“All the groups need to work together to create ONE living system.”

Explain: “As a whole group, you need to work out:

• Where your group belongs

• Which other groups you connect with and why 

• How you will use movement to show what your part is doing.”

Say: “There isn't one perfect arrangement.”

“Use the information on your cards. Talk to one another, listen to other groups and see what you can work out together.”

“You have SEVEN minutes. GO!”

Step back and allow the Ambassadors to organise themselves.

FACILITATOR: OBSERVE

Notice:

• Is everyone included?

Resist organising the system for them.

If they become stuck, ask:

• “What does your card tell you?”

• “Who might you need to do your job?”

• “Is there another group you might be connected to?”

2 MINUTES REMAINING

Say: “Two minutes left!”

“Check your living system. Are all six groups involved? Does everyone know what they are doing and who they connect with?”

When the time is up, say “Freeze!” and check in with how they think they have done and also that they are in the right place. 

Once the Ambassadors are ready, say: “Right now, you've created a picture of a living system. But living systems don't just stand still. Water moves. Roots grow. Animals move around. Fungi spread through the soil. Plants grow and change.

“Let's bring your system to life.”

Say: “3... 2... 1... SYSTEM ALIVE!”

Allow the system to move for approximately 30 seconds.

Then: “FREEZE!”

Choose several groups and quickly ask:

• “What are you?”

• “What are you doing?”

• “Who are you connected to?”

• “Why?”

Keep this quick.

The Ambassadors do not need to use perfect scientific language. You are checking that they understand the relationship.

Say:

“Look at how many different things are happening at the same time, and how many of them are connected.”

Keep everyone in position.

Say: “Our living system is working. But living systems don't always stay the same.”

“Something has changed. There has been very little rain.”

Ask: “Who do you think would notice this first?”

Let the Ambassadors decide.

Ask: “Why?”

Invite the group or groups directly affected to change their movement to show what is happening.

Everyone else stays frozen.

Then ask:

• “Does the change stop there?”

• “Who might be affected next?”

• “Why?”

Allow another group to respond.

Then another.

Let the change travel through the system.

The Ambassadors should only change what they are doing if they can explain why their part would be affected.

Then: “FREEZE!”

Ask:

• “What happened?”

• “Did the change stay with just one part of our system?”

Take a few responses.

Explain: “This is called a ripple effect. A ripple effect simply means that one change can lead to other changes.”

Bring everyone out of their roles and gather the Ambassadors together.

Ask: “What did you discover about living systems from that activity?”

Take a few responses.

Ask: 

• “Could any one part of our living system have done everything on its own?”

• “What happened when one part of the system changed?”

• “Did that change stay in one place, or did it affect other parts too?”

Draw out:

• A living system is made up of different parts that are connected.

• Different parts have different roles.

• The parts can depend on and affect one another.

• When one part changes, that change can sometimes ripple through the system.

BRING IT BACK TO US

Ask: “Are we part of a living system?”

Give them time to think and take a few responses.

Ask: “If yes, what living systems are we part of?”

Draw out their ideas. They might identify:

• our bodies

• families and communities

• the local environment

• ecosystems

• the wider natural world

• the Earth

Say: “We are not separate from living systems. We are part of them. We depend on air, water, food, plants, animals, soil. and many other living things, and what we do can affect other parts of those systems too.”

Then connect this to their experience of the challenge.

Ask: “What helped all the different groups become one living system?”

Take a few responses. They might mention listening, communicating, working together, sharing ideas, adapting, helping one another, and making sure everyone was included.

Ask: “Does that remind you of anything we've explored in our other workshops?”

Allow the Ambassadors to make connections to Ubuntu and the first Web of Life session.

Close: “Whether we're looking at the relationships beneath a tree, an ecosystem or our own lives, we are not separate from the Web of Life.”

“We are part of it. Everything is connected, and relationships matter.”

The 3-2-1 Reflection is split into two parts. If you have time, complete both. If not, choose Part 1 or Part 2, based on what you feel will best serve the needs of your group.

MAKE IT SIMPLER

If your group needs more support:

• Give each group a starting place in the space rather than asking them to decide where to begin.

• Highlight the key information on each Living System Card: What we do and Who we connect with.

• Build the system one group at a time. After each group joins, ask: “Who might this group connect with?”

• If they become stuck, offer two choices rather than giving the answer: “Do you think Roots might connect with Water, Sunlight or both?”

• Keep the movement simple. Each group only needs one movement to show what it does.

• During Something Changes, guide the ripple one group at a time by asking: “Who might be affected next, and why?”

Facilitator Note: The aim is not to create a perfect model. Prioritise understanding that different parts are connected and can affect one another.

MAKE IT MORE CHALLENGING

If your group is ready to go further:

• Give less facilitator support and allow the  groups to work out their connections independently.

• Challenge each group to identify more than one connection within the living system.

• Ask: “Is your connection one-way, or do both parts affect one another?”

• During Something Changes, don't tell them which group should respond first. They must decide and explain their reasoning before changing their movement.

• Introduce a second change and ask them to predict what might happen before they act it out.

• Ask: “If one part disappears completely, what might happen to the rest of the system?”

Finish with the bigger question: “Can changing one part of a living system ever have an effect we didn't expect?” For example: 

• Very little rain: “There has been very little rain for several weeks. What changes first? What might happen next?”

• Lots more insects: “The number of insects eating the plants suddenly increases. Which parts of your living system might be affected, and how?”

• Some plants disappear: “Several plants in the area have been removed. What happens to the other parts of your living system?

Facilitator Note: Greater challenge should come from thinking more deeply about the connections, not from adding more complicated rules.