Keeping Kids in Motion
Building a community where fitness and play are the foundation for all families.
PASS IT ON! (5 Rounds of Action) – Game of the Week
Often throughout the school year, I’ll weave activities specific to team building and cooperation into my lessons. As stated in a previous post called, TEACHING TEAM BUILDING IS EASY AS 1, 2, 3, 4! , I stated,
“Team building with students improves productivity, boosts motivation, increases collaboration, encourages creativity, and enriches communication.”
The game PASS IT ON! is a great way to reinforce cooperation among students. Those confined to small spaces such as classrooms will benefit from this game since it takes up limited space and students work in a confined area. Another added bonus is that you can use a multitude of equipment. I’ve used balls, cones, cylinders, scarves, shoes, bowling pins and anything with varying shapes, sizes, and textures.
Here’s how I play PASS IT ON!
- I like to play in groups of 8-10
- Students sit in a circle. This is actually part on of the challenge. “Work together to sit in a circle with your legs and feet inside.” Sometimes this simple instruction can be a beneficial way to introduce teamwork and cooperation.
- Introduce the piece of equipment.
FIRST ROUND
- Pass the equipment around the circle using your hands. This gets them warmed up and familiarizes them with the “feel” of the chosen equipment.
- Ask about the physical properties of the object. “What does is feel like? Is it slippery?”
SECOND ROUND
- Inform students that you will be passing the equipment around the circle using only your legs and feet.
- Students discuss strategy for 1-2 minutes. I enjoy listening to the discussion. This is also a time to seek positive and negative communication.
- Inform students that the challenge is NOT A RACE. On some occasions students are caught up on what a neighboring group is doing. I remind students to focus on their own group.
- Students pass the object around the circle using only their legs and feet (3-4 minutes). During this round the equipment is allowed to touch the ground. If the object makes it’s way around the circle, students continue to pass it until they hear the cue to stop.
- Process with the class. I like to ask, “What worked or didn’t work? What made is challenging? How was the communication? etc.”
THIRD ROUND
- Pass the object around the circle again without allowing it to touch the ground. If the object hits the ground, it goes back to the first person who then sends it in the opposite direction.
- Process with the class.
FOURTH ROUND
- Introduce a second piece of equipment. I like to add something that has a different shape, size and texture. I ask the group whether they feel the new equipment will be easier to pass of more difficult and WHY?
- Pass the new piece around the circle. Be sure to choose a new person to begin.
- Process with the class. Along with the questions from the second round I ask them if their hypothesis about the new equipment was accurate. Was it more challenging? Why?
FINAL ROUND
- Add both pieces of equipment to the circle. I add each piece to opposite sides of the circle and inform students to pass them around in the same direction.
OPTIONAL ROUND
- Each group tries to be the first to pass a single piece of equipment around the circle without letting it hit the ground. This is a great opportunity to discuss and observe good sportsmanship.
Simple, easy, and fun! PASS IT ON! has been one of my “go-to” activities for years. It a wonderful way to reinforce team building concepts with students of all ages. Be sure to allow the essential time to process and debrief. Without debriefing, team building loses is effectiveness. Students need processing time to share what worked well and what did not, granting them stock in the methodology.
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JUMP FOR JOY – It’s Spring! – 30-day jump rope challenge
I strongly believe that everybody should learn to jump rope. There are countless health benefits and it enhances balance and coordination. Jump rope is an activity for everyone. For beginners, the processing involved in timing the jump and figuring out how to turn the rope is priceless, For more advance jumpers, there are numerous available tricks and challenges to keep the activity fresh. Finally, all you need is a rope, and you don’t necessarily have to purchase one. There are creative ways to create your own rope whether it’s a piece of old clothesline, a bathrobe belt, or a bunch of old shirts braided together. You can also present the following S.T.E.A.M challenge to encourage kids to make their own jump rope using materials around the house.
Click CREATE YOUR OWN JUMP ROPE for a copy of the S.T.E.A.M challenge.
Click the pictures for access to the challenge!
April’s Jump for Joy – It’s Spring!
Click April’s Jump for Joy – It’s Spring! for access to the challenge!
What are the JUMP for JOY – It’s SPRING! goals?
This challenge has multiple goals. The first is to improve cardiovascular endurance. Secondly, jumping rope improves dynamic balance and coordination, reflexes, bone density, and muscular endurance.
Choose a level that’s comfortable yet challenging for you:
Level 1 – Perform the number of jumps listed each day followed by the 1-minute speed rope challenge.
Level 2 – Double the number of jumps listed each day followed by the 1-minute speed rope challenge.
Level 3 – Triple the number of jumps listed each day followed by the 1-minute speed rope challenge.
The 1-minute Speed Rope Challenge
Count how many times you can successfully jump your rope in one minute. Jumps do not need to be consecutive. Calculate your daily total on the calendar.
What if I don’t have a jump rope?
No problem at all! Simply perform the challenge by jumping with an invisible rope. Pretend to turn the rope as you jump.
What if I can’t jump rope?
Each of us is at a different level when it comes to jumping rope. Try to perform the minimum number of jumps each day with the rope. For the 1-minute challenge, stretch the rope out on the ground. Count how many times you can jump back and forth over the rope in one minute.
Complete the Jump for Joy – It’s Spring! fitness challenge for 30 days. Track your improvement.
Don’t forget the April’s Jump for Joy – It’s Spring! participation certificate! I fill one out for each student who returns a challenge at the end of the month!
If you enjoyed this post, consider following my blog to receive future posts.
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/justybubpe.
Check out my Facebook group called Keeping Kids in Motion!
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Stomp-Catch-Add-Exercise – Adding numeracy to PE
Making cross-curricular connections is a key part of designing a PE curriculum. Maybe you’re teaching students the Virginia Reel in PE to connect with a Westward Expansion unit or using measurement skills to determine distance while practicing track and field events which naturally connects with a math unit. Whatever the cross-curricular connection, reinforcing student learning in the classroom in physical education class helps not only the students but the teachers as well. Another benefit is the connection you make with classroom teachers. It’s a way to solidify the idea that we’re all on the same team, teaching the whole child, and working together to help students learn.
This week’s Game of the Week is called STOMP-CATCH-ADD-EXERCISE. Below are three ways to play this game while adding a touch of numeracy to PE. The videos below show kindergarten and First-Grade students playing the game. STOMP-CATCH-ADD-EXERCISE could easily be adapted for older students using subtraction and multiplication. Finally, I like to incorporate STOMP-CATCH-ADD-EXERCISE as a station during class. It takes up limited space while offering an opportunity for exercise, teamwork, and numeracy.
If you don’t have the stompers or launch boards, no problem. I’ve also played the game where instead of launching the dice, students toss the dice in the air either to themselves or to a partner. Don’t let the large dice in the picture deter you from playing. I’ve also used small and medium-size soft dice as well.
1. Partners Choose the Exercise
This is the version most often used in my PE classes. In groups of two or three, students each launch their dice. Once they catch their dice, the number facing up is the one they will use. If a student is unable to catch the dice, no problem. Just use the number facing up when it lands on the floor. Students then come together to add their dice. The sum equals the number of repetitions for the chosen exercise. Students each take turns choosing an exercise. Sometimes prior to the activity, we’ll brainstorm exercises and list them on the screen or whiteboard.
2. Match the Sum with the Exercise on the Screen
Other times I project a slide with the following image on our screen. Each of the exercises is a gif. Partners stomp, catch, and add the dice together. The sum of the dice determines which exercises to perform. For example, if the sum is four, students would complete 10 lunges as indicated on the slide. Click the link below or the picture for access to the slide.
Click STOMP-CATCH -ADD-EXERCISE for access to the slide.
3. Odd or Even
Fellow PE teacher, Kyle Bragg (@elemPE1) introduced me to his version of Stomp-Catch-Add-Exercise. When his students catch the dice, they add them together to discover the sum. Then they determine if the sum is an odd number or an even number. On the screen, he presents four exercise gifs on the “odd” side and four different exercises gifs on the “even” side. Students choose an exercise on the screen based on whether the sum is odd or even. Another great way to add numeracy to PE.
Kyle Bragg (@ElemPE1) shares a video of his students playing their version of STOMP-CATCH-ADD-EXERCISE.
I hope you’re able to add STOMP-CATCH-ADD-EXERCISE to your PE arsenal. If so, I’d love to learn how you adapt it to work for your students. Also, share other ways you connect physical education to the classroom. Until next week, keep your kids in motion!
Special thanks to Kyle Bragg (@elemPE1) for his version of the game. Be sure to check out his Twitter account and Youtube channel for outstanding ideas.
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/justybubpe.
Check out my Facebook group called Keeping Kids in Motion!
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for over 100 useful games for physical education!
Check out my TeachersPayTeachers store.
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/justybubpe.
Check out my Facebook group called Keeping Kids in Motion!
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for over 100 useful games for physical education!
Check out my TeachersPayTeachers store.
me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/justybubpe.
Check out my Facebook group called Keeping Kids in Motion!
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for over 100 useful games for physical education!
Check out my TeachersPayTeachers store.