Instant Activity

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Name of Activity: Baby Koala Rescue

Purpose of Activity: To practice balancing in a crouched "crawl position" on knees and hands through weight transfer and the use of good personal space in order to move from one end of the room to the other with a stuffed animal on each student's back. Crawling also incorporates an ipsilateral movement of left arm and right leg simultaneously and then right arm and left leg at the same time, before or after.

Suggested Grade Level: K - 2

Materials Needed: A medium-sized stuffed animal or bean bag for each student, a large area of open personal space.

Description of Idea

Assessment Ideas:

Test students with smaller or larger stuffed animals, have them practice crawling sideways and backwards also without dropping the stuffed animal on their back. Ask if students understand the trick to keeping the stuffed animal from falling off. The answers can include, keeping his/her back straight or level to the ground, using a good pace and knowing it is not always about speed or racing, trying your best not to let it fall because it is more difficult to restart by yourself - for example, putting the stuffed animal on your own back.

Adaptations for Students with Disabilities:

Practice balancing the stuffed animal somewhere else on his/her body, such as on the lap, on a knee, on the head, or on the shoulder. In some of these cases, the stuffed animal may need to be smaller, and the distance of the activity can be shortened to half court or half the length of the room.