I've recently created this obstacle course off the top of my head combining multiple skills taught in previous lessons. Just the name of it grabs the attention of the students.
This is a large activity combining many past skills students have been learning in previous lessons. This lesson is oriented towards Pre-K to 2nd Grade, but can easily be modified for the 3rd through 5th grades.
My objective: Students will be able to demonstrate and explain the different pathways using words straight, curve, and zig-zag.
Equipment: scooters, balance beam (or tape), mats, chairs, cones, and directional polyspots.
Setup: Balance beam or tape on one border, it leads to a makeshift tunnel made out of 2 adult sized foldout chairs with a mat across the top. Afterwards, cones with directional polyspots or tape are to point in the direction of which way to move around the cones in a curve line. Students return back to the original starting line to go on the longest straightaway of the course. Use cones or chairs to create barriers to prevent students from detouring frequently from the designed path.
This is a large activity combining many past skills students have been learning in previous lessons. This lesson is oriented towards Pre-K to 2nd Grade, but can easily be modified for the 3rd through 5th grades.
My objective: Students will be able to demonstrate and explain the different pathways using words straight, curve, and zig-zag.
Equipment: scooters, balance beam (or tape), mats, chairs, cones, and directional polyspots.
Setup: Balance beam or tape on one border, it leads to a makeshift tunnel made out of 2 adult sized foldout chairs with a mat across the top. Afterwards, cones with directional polyspots or tape are to point in the direction of which way to move around the cones in a curve line. Students return back to the original starting line to go on the longest straightaway of the course. Use cones or chairs to create barriers to prevent students from detouring frequently from the designed path.
Core lesson: Students are to move along the pathway first using locomotor movements starting with walking. Then, they will move on to galloping, side-sliding, skipping, and running. An emphasis on different levels can also be taught or practiced in this lesson since students are to move low by passing under a tunnel, medium while on curve and straight pathways, and high while on the balance beam.
After about 5-10 minutes using locomotor movements, I transition over to using only scooters. Students review how to move forwards and backwards using their legs of vocabulary “push and pull”. After a demonstration students are to move at their own speed in their "line". I try to keep them from “cutting each other off” by detouring those who are fast, or I encourage those going a little slow to try moving on the scooter the other way. I don’t allow any of them to move on the scooters on their stomachs to avoid finger and head injuries.
You could introduce some form of shooting item at others, but I think that’s too much for certain ages. After some time I usually allow for a break due to the constant movement of the students. Most need to stretch their muscles after about 7 minutes of constant play. I go over content vocabulary again with them during the breaks too. They may have to talk to a partner, or answer a question I directly ask them.
At the beginning of each pathway I use an illustration of each pathway and level that I ask them which one they’re about to go on. They have to say the pathway along with correctly point to it. I work using this style for the really young ones.
A modifier is that one can connect the scooters together (if they have that feature), so 1 student is pulling and the other is pushing together in unison. This really encourages teamwork and communication amongst the students.
Overall, this whole activity is great due to many factors. Students demonstrate each pathway using full body movement, there are multiple skills being used, many opportunities for students to communicate with each other, and more.
You could introduce some form of shooting item at others, but I think that’s too much for certain ages. After some time I usually allow for a break due to the constant movement of the students. Most need to stretch their muscles after about 7 minutes of constant play. I go over content vocabulary again with them during the breaks too. They may have to talk to a partner, or answer a question I directly ask them.
At the beginning of each pathway I use an illustration of each pathway and level that I ask them which one they’re about to go on. They have to say the pathway along with correctly point to it. I work using this style for the really young ones.
A modifier is that one can connect the scooters together (if they have that feature), so 1 student is pulling and the other is pushing together in unison. This really encourages teamwork and communication amongst the students.
Overall, this whole activity is great due to many factors. Students demonstrate each pathway using full body movement, there are multiple skills being used, many opportunities for students to communicate with each other, and more.
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