This is a great game to use as an introduction to the topic of fairtrade with your group.
Firstly, explain that there are five different actions, depending on what word the leader calls out:
- Banana (lie on ground in a curve)
- Coffee bean (crouch down and jump up and down)
- Tea (mime drinking a cup of tea)
- Cocoa pod (get into groups of 3, two people hold hands, the third is the cocoa bean inside the pod)
- ‘Fairtrade’ (everyone holds hands in a circle, and runs towards the centre – calling out ‘Fairtrade’- then back out)
Once done, explain briefly that the crops they have been representing are all grown in poorer, less developed countries like Ethiopia, Sri Lanka and Ghana. Consequently, the farmers are not paid a very high price for their crops, but there is a system called ‘Fairtrade’ that means they get paid a fairer price. These goods are for sale in the shops, and you can recognise them by a special label.