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Pajaggle

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PajagglePajaggle Stacks 

Hold up a Pajaggle (large foam puzzle piece) and show the students that the outside piece is the ring. The inside piece is the insert. If there is a smaller insert, this is called a mini insert.Note: Use your hand when removing an insert from a ring

Activity: Team Pajaggle

Distribute a class set of Pajaggles (Large foam puzzle pieces with inserts) equally  to each of the six teams lined up in relay style. If your largest team is six players, then all teams will take six pajaggles. 

  • The object of the game is for your team to fill up all of your team’s pajaggle rings. Then see how fast the whole class can complete filling all of the rings for all of the teams.
  • Lay the six pajaggles next to your relay team.
  • Pull out the inserts and everyone walk to the center line, close your eyes and fling the insert as far as you can. 
  • Teams go back to their relay team.
  • On the teacher’s signal, the first person on each team runs to the inserts at the opposite end of the gym.
  • Pick up one insert and return to your relay team. Give the next person on your team a high five they continue looking for inserts that fit your rings.
  • If the insert fits, then you keep it. If the insert does not fit, hand it to the next person on your team, who will fling it after they get a high five for their turn.
  • They run back to their line and give a high five to the next person in line.
  • Continue until all of the pajaggle puzzles are solved.
  • How long does it take the whole class to get all of their puzzles solved?

Game: Chasers and Puzzlers (This event is timed)
Setup and Equipment

  • The class is divided in half.
  • One half of the class are the chasers and the other half is the puzzlers.
  • The puzzlers sit around the center circle in the gym.
  • The pajaggles are set up at one end of the gym with the inserts taken out.
  • The chasers line up their relay teams, so they can easily pass beside the puzzlers in the center of the gym.
  • On teacher’s signal, the chasers run one at a time to pick up one piece at a time and hand it off to the puzzlers.
  • The puzzlers will begin to put the pajaggles together in one giant puzzle.
  • Chasers continue running until all of the pieces are in the center of the gym.
  • Puzzlers continue until the giant puzzle is put together.
  • The teacher stops the time when everyone is sitting down and the puzzle is completed.

Links to Pajaggle Games:

 

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Scooter Freeze Tag

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Equipment and Setup:

  • Scooters and pool noodles or yarn balls for tagging.

Guidelines:

  • Choose “its” for the game, they each get a pool noodle  and go the center circle in the gym to start the game.
  • The class is split in half.  Each half  is lined up behind the black lines at each end of the gym.
  • When the music starts, students move in their preferred fashion, or the teacher can designate backwards, forwards, both knees on, etc.
  • The music starts and everyone tries to get to the opposite end without getting tagged. If they do get tagged, they flip the scooters over and kneel down with one knee up and one knee down. They are defrosted when someone gives them a high five.
  • After one to two minutes pick new “its”

 

 

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Jump Ropes

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K-2 Skills:

Short Rope – Every student has a rope and has personal space for jump roping.

Lay rope in a line in front of you in a straight line

  • Walk heel-toe from one end to the other while next to the line.
  • Walk heel toe backwards next to your  line.
  • Zig-Zag skier style (side to side) starting at one end, then turn around and return
  • Put one hand on each side of your rope and jump both feet back and forth.
  • Tightrope walker from one end to the other, then return

Lay rope in a circle in front of you

  • Balance on one foot and go as low as you can – then, as high as you can
  • Put one hand in the middle and see if you can move your feet 360 degrees around the circle
  • Leap into your rope on two feet
  • Leap in on one foot and out on one foot
  • Leap over your rope on two feet

Partners put your two ropes together and make a circle

  • Around the Lake Tag
  • Choose one person to be it
  • Try to tag your partner with a hand
  • Tag without going in “lake” or into the forest (rest of gym)
  • When tagged – count thousand one, thousand two, switch “its”

Before you jump rope… 

  • Thread the Needle (hand on both handles and jump over it)
  • Swing the rope and stop it with your feet.
  • When you’re ready to jump, just watch for the rope to be closer your feet Most people miss because they jump too soon.

Long Rope for K,1,2: Teacher is the rope turner

It works best initially if the teacher turns the long rope by hooking one end of the rope to an eye bolt on the wall.

  • Ocean Waves (Up and down ripple)
  • Snake Jump (Side to side ripple)
  • Blue bells (back and forth jump)

School: Long Jump Rope Activity 

3rd/4th/5th Skills

Novice:

  • Single Side Swing and Jump – Always keep a handle in each hand
  • Cue: left-jump-right – jump
  • Swing rope to right side – jump
  • Swing rope to left side – jump

Scissors – Forward Straddle

  • Cue: Left-Right
  • Jump to stride position with left foot forward
  • Jump and reverse position of feet

Straddle Cross

  • Cue: Apart – Cross
  • Jump to straddle position
  • Jump to crossed legs

Wounded Duck

  • Cue: Apart-Cross
  • Jump, toes and knees together, heels spread
  • Jump, heels together, toes and knees spread
  • Heel – Toe
  • Heel – Toe – Heel – Toe
  • Hop on left foot, touch right heel forward
  • Hop on left foot again, touch right toe backward
  • Repeat on opposite side
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Popcorn (Bouncers and Chasers)

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This game is from the Project Adventure Curriculum. Check out their website: http://www.pa.org/

Setup and Equipment:

  • Pail
  • Whiffle golf balls (simulated  popcorn)
  • Break the class in half. 1/2 = bouncers, 1/2=chasers. With four color teams: 2 teams are bouncers and two are chasers

Rules:

  • The game is set up in the center circle in the gym. An empty pail is set up in the center (absolute) of the circle. The “bouncers” sit on the black line that circles around the pail (about three feet from the pail).
  • The job of the “bouncers” is to sit on the center circle line in the gym and attempt to bounce the balls into the bucket. The attempt works best with one bounce. However, with younger students (K,1,2) you will probably need to make an exception to this rule.
  • The job of the chasers is to retrieve the balls that the teacher throws into the air and roll them to their classmates who are the “bouncers”. Chasers are not allowed to bounce balls into the bucket.
  • The game begins when all of the chasers circle around the teacher who has a full bucket of golf whiffle balls which are thrown at once high up into the air. (Note: A surprising number of students will like to stand close and have these balls land on their heads!)
  • Chasers may not run with the balls, but must roll them to their classmates in the center circle.
  • The teacher will time this activity.
  • When the last ball is bounced into the empty bucket, the time is stopped and now the class should change “jobs”.
  • The bouncers are now the chasers and vice versa.
  • The teacher will start this game in the same manner as before and time it again
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Ocean Week

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Warm up Activity: Shipwreck

Students are taught the following commands, then asked to follow them.

  • All Aboard: Go to center circle in gym
  • Crows Nest: In center circle – jog in place, while “climbing rope”
  • Captain’s Coming: salute the teacher
  • Dance on the Deck: Do right/left arm swing with a partner
  • Crew Overboard: One partner lay on floor, the other partner pulls up with one arm – switch
  • To Your Cabins: Go to gym homes
  • Lifeboat: 3-4 students sit with feet in each others laps and row forward
  • Periscope: Lay down with one foot straight up and turn different angles
  • Swab the deck
  • Radar: Both arms up with elbows out and forearms and hands straight up – rotate from side to side with a “beep-beep” sound
  • Go to:
    1. Bow – Yellow Wall
    2. Stern – Red Wall
    3. Port – Green Wall
    4. Starboard – Blue Wall

Partner: Shipwreck

Everyone gets a partner. There may be group of three if needed. count down in 5 seconds

Students are taught the following commands, then asked to follow them.

  • Captain’s Coming: Salute your partner in sync.
  • Swab the deck: Sing or whistle the Song: It’s a Pirates Life for me
  • All Aboard: Horn Sounds (Sea Cruise) Everybody goes to the deck of the boat (middle of the gym) and balances themselves when the wave hit the boat.
  • Dance on the Deck: Do right elbow swing with a partner. Then switch and do left elbow swing.
  • Crew Overboard: One partner lays on floor flailing in the water. The other partner looks far below the deck and throws life preservers until they finally get one, then they are pulled up by the rope. Switch roles.
  • Birdy on a Perch: One person get down on one knee, while the other sits on the propped leg and acts like a bird. Song: Rockin’ Robin
  • Lifeboat: 2 sets of partners sit on the floor,  students sit with feet in each others laps and row forward while singing
  • Whirlpool: One partner puts their arms in front and makes a circle. The other partner spins inside the circle.
  • Periscope: Lay down with one foot straight up and turn different angles
  • Swab the deck
  • Radar: Both arms up with elbows out and forearms and hands. With a partner, try moving your arms in opposite directions.Rotate from side to side with a “beep-beep” sound

Warm-up Game: Predator vs. Prey (Floppy Fish) Tag

Parachute Games and Activities

  • Grip: Roll the chute under your fingers for a firm grip.
  • Do not use the handles (if you still have some that haven’t ripped off yet).
  • Cue: Shoe tops, Lift up, pull back, then, follow the  teacher’s  signal.

Ocean Waves:  Shake the chute

  • Big Waves: Students make big waves while music is playing, and freeze when music stops.
  • Elevator: Use large movements to make big waves. Use small movements 
to make small waves.
    Pull the chute as tight as you can at  ground level. On “elevator up”, lift the chute overheard while keeping it tight. On “elevator down”, lower the chute to starting position.
  • Popcorn Variation:Place 6 whiffle balls  on the chute. Shake the chute and make them rise like 
corn popping. This can also be done with foam or soft rubber balls.
  • Popcorn: Throw out beach ball, tennis balls, rubber chicken and rope (snake) and have the students shake the chute, popping them up in the air.
  • Variations, the stop and freeze:
  • Jump up and down with both feet off the ground
  • Jump on one foot, then other foot

Bounce Me: Divide class into teams, one on each side.

  • Make waves to keep a ball up.
  • The object of this game is to bounce the ball off the chute to go over the heads of the other team.

Ball Surfing:

  • Try to get a beach ball rolling all the way around the chute. Keep it as near to the outside of the chute as you can.

Housekeeping: One group throws the balls on while the others try to bounce the balls out of the parachute

Touch the Sky!

  • Try to work together to get a ball to touch the ceiling of the gym. Try a variety of balls to see what works best.

Merry Go Round: Students move around in a circle, while holding onto the chute.

  • Start the Music.
  • Students move in same direction with left hand holding chute.
  • When the music stops : freeze, change hands the hand that is holding the chute.
  • Turn then get ready to move in the opposite direction.
  • Locomotor Movements: Skip, Slide-step, gallop, grapevine,  move like a dolphin, a fish, a shark, etc.

Color Chase

Crawling Under:

  • Students grip the parachute with their both hands, while on their knees. Shake the chute to make ocean waves.
  • Teacher calls out one of the colors of the panels of the chute.
  • Everyone with that color being called will let go of the parachute, crawl underneath and find a new panel (same color) to hold onto.

Crawling Over:

  • Same as crawling under, except this time crawl on top of the parachute.

Panel Color Exchange

  • Teacher says, “Shoe tops, 1,2,3, lift up, pull back”.  Hold high enough for students to run under.
  • As players lift chute overhead a color group is called to exchange places under chute
  • Remind students before they go under that it is easier to go all the way through, then find your color panel.
  • Continue until all color panels have been called.

Climb the Bubble (Color panel style)

  • Teacher says, “Shoe tops, 1,2,3, lift up, pull back”.
  • Teacher calls out one of the colors, they will crawl forward and try to climb the bubble and deflate the chute.
  • Everyone else will, snap the chute down, put their knees on top of the chute, trying to keep the bubble filled.
  • Continue until all color panels have been called.

Mushroom

  • Grip: Roll the chute under your fingers for a firm grip.
  • Cue: Shoe tops, the  teacher leads the students while saying, “Go Ducks”,  – Lift up and pull back,  (note: when you see the chute is filled with air).
  • Then, students march 8 steps forward and 8  steps back with the music.
  • Variation: Everyone runs to the center and the chute will fill up with air and you’ll have a mushroom.

Igloo

  • Grip: Roll the chute under your fingers for a firm grip.
  • Cue: Shoe tops, Lift up, pull back, pull back, pull back.
  • When the teacher sees that the chute is pulled back well:
  • Cue: Go under and immediately sit inside the chute, while keeping the chute tight.
  • Once inside, the teacher can let the class scoot forward and the chute will get taller.
  • Panel color exchange: When the teacher calls out a color, people sitting on that color can get up in the middle and exchange places, with other people with the same color.
  • Rocking Chair: One half of the chute leans forward, while the other half leans back, so that there is a rocking chair motion under the igloo.

Circular Sit-ups: One half does sit up forward, while the other half does the down position of the sit-up.

Swooping Cloud: This one works best outside. Everyone lifts the parachute up and then half of the people let go, while the other half try to run with the chute.

Mousetrap

  • Kids stand around parachute and hold it high above their heads (a very taut parachute is needed so have the kids take an extra step or two backwards).
  • *When a number is called, those students become the mice.
  • *They must crawl under the parachute, trying to crawl out between the students still holding the chute and back under the chute as many times as they can.
  • *When you blow the whistle, students still holding the chute pull it quickly to the ground to see how many mice they can trap.

Alligator

  • Students lay down on floor and pull parachute up to their chin.
  • They must have their legs straight out under the chute and legs together.
  • They pretend to be asleep with eyes closed.
  • Teacher walks around and taps one student on the shoulder–this student becomes the alligator.
  • Alligator crawls quietly under parachute in order to “eat” other students.
  • Alligator “eats” by quickly pulling the feet of another student. When a student is pulled under, they must SCREAM as loud as they can to warn others, and then they also become an alligator
  • Continue until all students are alligators, then start over.

Space Ship

  • Pull down together to the top of shoes.
  • Lift up chute.
  • On “Go”, everyone should let go of the chute together.
  • If done properly, the chute will hover off the ground like a space ship.

Shark Attack:

  • Class sits with legs underneath parachute.
  • One panel color will be the lifeguards. They will stay outside of the parachute and try save students that get pulled under by the sharks.
  • Another panel color will be the sharks under the parachute. Give each shark a frisbee to hold above their head under the chute.
  • When someone is pulled under the parachute by the shark, they will exchange the frisbee to the new shark.
  • The “old shark” will replace the person they pulled under on the outside of the chute.

Parachute Volleyball

Setup and Equipment:

  • Parachute
  • 15-20 beach balls or soft foam balls
  • 1/3 of students hold the parachute
  • 2/3 of the class spread out in general space around the parachute.

Guidelines

  • The class is divided into 3 teams.
  • All students hold on to the parachute, alternating order so that no player from a team is next to another player from the same team
  • Two teams then let go of the parachute and take 2-5 steps back away from the parachute so that one team is holding the parachute with the balls on the parachute when the game begins
  • When the music starts, the team holding the parachute begins to shake the parachute to get the balls on the floor.
  • The other two teams use the bump or set pass to hit the balls back on the parachute.
  • If a ball touches the floor the team holding the parachute gets a point. If a ball touches the floor it remains there.
  • Teams rotate after a minute or so.

Twister – One person in the middle of the chute

  • People on the outside of the chute, twist the chute up, then pull and untangle the chute and give the person in the middle a fun ride.

Air Conditioner – Cool Down –

Everyone stands around the chute:

  • When you call a color, that group crawls under the parachute, lies down on their backs with feet crossed and hands covering eyes.
  • Kids that are still around chute make fast waves to “cool them off”.
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Tunnel Ball

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This is a game that can be played at recess

Equipment and Setup:

  • One foam ball or playground ball for a group of five to eight students.
  • The group sets up in a circle with legs wide apart and feet touching.
  • The space between each player’s feet is a goal that they defend by using their hands only.
  • Bend your knees and get low with the palms of your hands facing the middle of the circle and your fingers pointing down.

Guidelines:

  • The game starts when one player sets the ball in front of them and taps it with their hand in an attempt to get the ball through another player’s legs.
  • The ball may only be tapped with their hands. No stopping the ball and rolling it.
  • You may not reach over in front of another player’s “goal”.
  • If a ball travels outside of the circle, the player that touched it last should retrieve it and start a new game.
  • Variation One: Use two or even three balls if it is a larger group.
  • Variation Two (Doggy Style): Turn around so you are facing out. Position your feet, so you have to hit the ball through your legs backwards.

 

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Air Strike

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Setup and Equipment:

  • Every safe/ small ball you have . Two towers (made out of mats) set up fifteen feet from the half court line on each side. The stiff and  light mats with  eight to ten folds in them work best.
  • Divide the class into two equal teams.

Guidelines:

  • The object of the game is for the teams to destroy the other team’s tower by throwing all of the balls into it.
  • Students are not allowed to cross the half court line and must throw one ball at a time.
  • Students cannot peek in or enter the tower at any time during the game.
  • Students can play defense by blocking the throws at the line or at the mat.

 

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Crows and Cranes

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Setup and Equipment:

  • Divide class into two teams.

Guidelines:

  • Have each team line up facing each other about 6-10 feet apart.
  • One team is the “crows” and one team is the “cranes.”
  • The teacher calls one of the teams.
  • The team’s name that is called has to run back to the end line without getting tagged by someone on the other team. If they get tagged, they join the other team.
  • If “crows” is called, cranes are chasing the crows. If “cranes” is called, crows are chasing the cranes.

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One Base

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Setup and Equipment:

  • Two or three  foam  balls, two cones: each one placed 10 feet from the baseline on each side.
  • Two teams: a running team and a defense team

Guidelines:

  • The running team starts behind one cone in the gym. This area is their “base.” They must run from their base to the other cone in the gym and back without getting hit with a ball.
  • If they get hit, they stand against the wall.
  • The defense cannot move with the ball. They have 3 seconds to either throw at a runner or pass to a teammate who is closer.
  • Emphasize teamwork! Teams that work better together and pass the ball well will be more successful. Switch teams every 2 minutes.

Recommended for 3rd, 4th, 5th

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Circle of Power

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Setup and Equipment:

  • Foam balls, stackable mats set up vertically at each corner of the basketball court lines, stopwatch
  • Two teams: a running team and a throwing team.

Guidelines:

  • The running team starts in one corner of the gym. Their goal is to complete as many laps as possible in the allotted time (usually 1 or 2 min.). For every lap each team member completes, they get one point for their team.
  • If they get hit with a ball (must be a direct hit, no bounces or deflections, *headshots don’t count), they must stand against the wall, out of the way of the runners. They can get back in only if they catch a ball that the throwing team throws.
  • The throwing team stays in the middle circle to throw at the runners. They may leave to get a ball, but must return to the circle to throw.
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