VAHPERD Ideas Worth Sharing Part 2: Chicken Football

Last week I shared part one of my VAHPERD Review Series and this week I'm back to share another favorite! I can't wait to use in my classroom, especially as I move in to football lead up games after Thanksgiving Break. Like Crazy Kickball, this game was taught during the "Best We've Ever Seen" presentation. Unfortunately the original source of the game was not cited when presented, but we share free tools and ideas in the PE community all the time, so thank you to the creator of this awesome lead-up game. The name sounds a little strange, but this game is great for teaching so many football concepts!

This game is a great lead-up game for football because it works on moving up and down the field, while downs and yardage can easily be incorporated to advance the concept for middle school students. 

Equipment: 4-6 chickens or other item (footballs were not recommended because students tend to throw them and you may need more than 4-6 depending on your class size)

Recommendations: No more than 3-4 team members per group to avoid to much wait time.

Directions: Start with two groups facing each other on opposite sides of the "field" and the chicken in the middle. When groups start, the first member in line for each team will run to the center and rock, paper, scissors. The winner of one round will pick up the chicken and try to run into the opposing teams end zone. The non-winner must return to the end of their line. The next person in line of the non-winning team can run out to meet the winner with the chicken as soon as their teammate is defeated. Once they meet, the member with the chicken drops it where they are and they must rock, paper, scissors again. The winner picks up the chicken and runs to their opponents end zone. This process continues until someone scores. After a score, the chicken is placed back in the middle of the playing area.

Adaptations: This game is great on its own, but if you want to adapt it to have more substance it is absolutely possible. Talking to students about downs and distance, turnovers, and scoring drives can all be incorporated with ease as students move through this game. You can also use other equipment instead of the chicken.

I hope that this game is a hit for you in your classroom! Stay tuned next week to learn all about music in the classroom, as well as a tutorial on how to set the pacer to YOUR OWN MUSIC! My mind was completely blown by this concept and I know yours will be too.

VAHPERD Ideas Worth Sharing Part 1: Crazy Kickball

The Sassy PE Teacher is finally back in action! I truly tried to keep up with my store and blog during cross country season, but it simply was not possible.

I apologize for the hiatus, but I am excited to refocus my efforts and share some truly incredible ideas thanks to fellow professionals in my beautiful home state of Virginia!

The Virginia Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance held it's annual conference in my hometown of Midlothian, VA from November 11 - 13 and it was an action packed weekend! I've been to many VAHPERD conferences, as well as SHAPE Southern District, and the SHAPE National Conference, but this conference was truly spectacular. I left with so many new ideas, knowledge, and research. My plan is to share many of them with you all over the next few weeks.

First up in my VAHPERD series is a game that I can't wait to implement in my own classroom! It is a new twists on an old classic and was featured during a session titled, "The Best We've Ever Seen."

Also known as "Fitness Kickball"

This game is similar to traditional kickball in the sense that there are two teams, one of which is kicking while the other is defending the outfield. This is also where the similarities end so be prepared to move and lose track of the score,

Equipment: You need three balls, five cones, and a bucket or tub large enough to fit three playground balls in. The setup is identical to traditional kick ball, except for the tub directly next to the pitcher.

Recommendations: Always have the teacher pitch. Anyone who has played kickball before knows this is the cardinal rule!

Directions: Start the game with the three playground balls inside the tub. One at a time and at 3-4 second intervals, pitch the balls to the kicking team. {You can vary the rules on how students have to kick for your classroom, but a general rule of thumb is to ensure the ball moves forward (bunts count).} Once the ball has been kicked, students are trying to run the bases one time as quickly as possible. When they return to home base, they move to the end of the line. Don't worry about this line part, it moves very quickly... The fielding team is trying to collect all three balls into the tub at the same time. Once they do this successfully, the teams will switch roles and continue play.

Like all games there are certainly pros and cons to this one. What I love about this game is that it gets kids moving! Unlike traditional kickball when only one student is running at a time, this version allows kids to constantly move on both sides of the ball. Student interest and involvement is off the charts with this as well! Cons of this game revolve around the lack of standards content. You can definitely argue that fitness concepts can be incorporated, but without adaptations this game will not be content focused and therefore shouldn't be played on a regular basis.

Adaptations: Now, the good news about the cons is that we can make some small changes to incorporate standards. Incorporating health standards into PE content is an excellent way to make fun games more educationally focused. Tell students that the playground balls are oxygen, the kickers are arteries who have to send the oxygen through the body, while outfielders are veins who need to take the carbon dioxide back to the lungs {the tub} to be dumped so blood can be oxygenated. All of a sudden, your students are learning about the circulatory system while improving cardiovascular endurance in a fun, engaging way.

I hope that this game is a hit for you in your classroom! Stay tuned next week to learn all about Chicken Football, an exciting warm-up game that teaches basic football movement, cooperation, and critical thinking.

Classroom Favorite's: Treasure Island

I don't know about the rest of you, but it just won't stop raining here in Virginia! Thankfully, my class was in health last week so the rain didn't have a huge impact, but now we're back in PE and the rain is really messing with our spring sports rotation. What can we do that is still educational, fun. and engaging for students while accommodating three classes in the gym? TREASURE ISLAND.

This game focuses on cooperative skills such as communication, teamwork, non-verbal communication and cues, as well as critical thinking. Students ask to play all the time as it is a class wide favorite and all ages (elementary, middle, and high school) can benefit from this activity.

Equipment is minimal and can be easily manipulated depending on your class size and equipment availability.

Equipment Needed:

• Cones (Optional)
• Hula Hoops or Mats
• Pool Noodles
• Jump Ropes
• Poly Spots
• Scooters

You can easily substitute any of these items for other equipment you have in your school. If you want the game to last longer, you can also add more types of equipment to this list.

Activity Directions:

     Students will attempt to get their entire team from one side of the gym to the other. That must use all of the equipment to get across and no part of their body is allowed to touch the floor. If they touch the floor, that individual must go back to the starting point. The mat (or hula hoop) in the middle acts as an island. They are allowed to stand in the island to assist teammates in crossing, but the island cannot move. Once the group has made it across once, they must select one of their items to give up. This should be a team decision, not just one or two people. They will then attempt to make it back across. Once completed, they will repeat the process of giving up an item and returning across until they have only one item left!

There are a few rules to remember as we move through this activity:

• Students should not be allowed to stand on top of scooters! Bottoms, knees, and bellies only.
• Honesty is key when acknowledging that a body part has touched the ground.
• Students are allowed to pick which piece they would like to forfeit.
• Encourage students to be creative while adhering to the game rules.

     Below you will find some of my favorites from my own classroom. I love how creative the kids can get with trying to make it across. We've seen "rockets" and jump rope balance beams, pull systems and rope lassos. There is never a dull moment in treasure island!

     I hope you are able to utilize Treasure Island in your own classroom with as much success as I have in mine! It's a fun game that works on so many different social and cooperative skills... The kids won't even realize they're learning.