1. Lessons
2. Grades 3-5
3. Locomotor & Manipulative Games
4. Lesson 9
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Grades 3-5

Locomotor & Manipulative Games

Lesson 9

WARM UP: Movement and Stretching

• Call out different animals or objects and have the students imitate their movement. (Such as: bounce like a ball, chug like a train, gallop like a horse… and so on.)

• Neck Stretch: Beginning in the upright position, slowly tilt your head to right until the stretch is felt on the left side of your neck. Hold and then return your head to the upright position. Repeat to the left side, and then to the front. Turn and look over the right shoulder, hold, look over left shoulder, hold.
• Side Bend: With your feet shoulder-width apart, place your hands on your waist and slowly bend to one side. Hold and then relax. Repeat on other side. Twist around and look as far as you can behind you, hold. Repeat in other direction.
• Arm Circles: Hold arms straight out with to the side with your palms facing up. Start moving your arms slowly in small circles and gradually make larger and larger circles. Come back to starting position and reverse the direction of your arm swing.
• Thigh Stretch: Keep your body upright and with your right hand, place the ankle of your right leg behind your body close to your buttocks until you feel stretch in the front of your thigh (quadriceps). Hold the stretch and then repeat with the other leg. It's OK to do a little forward lean with this one, but be sure not to arch the back.
• Hamstring Stretch: One foot out in front, toes up. With back straight, lean forward until you feel the stretch in the back of your thigh (hamstring). Hold. Repeat with other leg.
• Calf Stretch: Gently move into a comfortable lunge, with one knee bent slightly in front of your body while your other leg is extended backward until your foot is placed on the floor. "Imagine your heel is nailed to the floor. Do you feel a stretch in your calf?" Hold and then repeat with the other leg.

Water Intake Records

• Discuss the need for water. Everyone should drink at least 8 cups of water each day.

• Drinking water is especially important during physical activity.

• The body heats up when you exercise because the muscles are producing a lot of energy. To regulate the temperature in your body, you will produce sweat. When you sweat you lose a lot of water, so it is important to drink water before, during, and after exercise in order for your body to keep sweating and regulating your temperature (so you don't get too hot!). If you do not have enough water in your body you will become DEHYDRATED. This is dangerous because most of your body is made up of water, and it needs water to function. Dehydration can affect your brain tissue (meaning you will not be able to learn as well), your muscle functioning (which means you will feel weak), and your blood volume (which will make you feel tired). Drinking water will keep you healthy, smart, strong, and full of energy!

• Sometimes we don't really know how much water we consume.

• Provide small plastic cups marked with a line that shows one cup. Students will write their name on the cups and reuse them for less waste.

• Each student will record how much water they drink before, during, and after physical activity for at least 2 days.

• Students will discuss their water intake with one another and discuss if they met their bodies needs.

Over and Under To and Fro!

• Groups of 4-5.
• Establish a starting point and a turn-around line.
• Each group forms a line - behind the starting point - with the first person holding a Fluffilo.
• The first player in each line must pass the Fluffilo over his/her head to the player behind him/her.
• When the person in the back of the line receives the Fluffilo, s/he runs to the front of the line and starts it again.
• As each player runs forward, the entire line continues to move forward.
• The goal is to reach the opposite line first, then repeat the process BACKWARDS to be the first group back at the starting point!
• Backward version: As soon as the player passes the Fluffilo, he/she must peel off and become the back of the line.
• The new leader must pass the Fluffilo under his/her legs to the player behind him/her and peel away as soon as the Fluffilo is passed.
• The pattern of "Over and Under" continues as each player passes the Fluffilo to the next player in line.
• This may be made into a relay race where groups try and be the first to cross the finish line.

Melting Icebergs

• Scatter hoops throughout the playing area, leaving enough space between the hoops for the students to run safely. The hoops are the icebergs and they are melting quickly!
• When the music plays they will wander about the ocean performing the designated locomotor skill as given by the teacher (skipping, hopping, and galloping, leaping, sliding, etc.).
• When the music stops, students jump onto an iceberg. More than one student may be on each iceberg.
• Repeat, removing icebergs as you go (because they are melting, of course!) More and more students will be on each iceberg.
• Repeat activity until there are just enough icebergs to fit all of the students in.
• Play again as desired.

Wild Animal Rescue! (a kool kid creation)

• Designate a large playing area (size depends on size of class; basketball-court size should be about right). Players (wild animals) start on one end of the field (danger zone) and travel across to the other side of the field (ultimate freedom).

• Set out hoops throughout the playing area to act as CAVES, SWAMPS, or HOLES that the wild animals can use as hide-outs, or safe bases.

• Establish an area for the wild animals to be kept when captured. Hoops approximately half-way down the field, just on the outside of the playing area will work nicely. When tranquilized, the animals must go to one of those hoops.

• The wild animal experts (suggest Jeff Corwin...) are attempting to capture and "tag" (mark for study) the animals as they move from the danger zone (area being taken over by human development) into the freedom zone (wild animal park).

• Select a couple of players to start out as the Wild Animal Experts (WAE). Each expert gets 3 Fluffilos to use as tranquilizer darts. Once thrown, the WAE may simply pick them back up and use them again. Players cannot be tagged when they are in a hide-out (hoop).

• The goal of the game is for the wild animals to cross the line to ultimate freedom without getting tagged, and for the Wild Animal Experts to "tag" as many wild animals as possible.

• If tagged, the player goes to one of the "holding hoops" and must remain there until rescued by another wild animal who tags them. When freed, the "tagged" animal must return to the danger zone and resume play.

• If a wild animal gets across the far boundary line, they collect one point, then go back to the starting line around the OUTSIDE perimeter of the playing area and start again, trying and free any captured animals as they make their way, once again to ultimate freedom.

• Captured animals may form a chain (if necessary) as long as one player keeps one foot in the cage. Only one animal may be rescued at a time.

• To begin the game, all the wild animals start on the danger zone line. Play for a designated amount of time. See how many times the wild animals can get across.

COOL DOWN: Take the Lead

• Students get into 3-4 lines.
• All lines start with a jog.
• The students at the back of each line jogs to the front.
• As soon as they reach the front of the line, the next two jog to the front.
• Progressively, the lines slow down until they are walking.
• As Teacher calls each group, the leader takes their group to the water fountain for a refreshing drink!
• Repeat stretches from warm-up.
• Discuss each students water intake for the day.