1997-98 Instant Activity Archives

Week 22: Feb. 2-6, 1998

IA Name: Frogs and Lilly Pads

Grade Level: K-2

Equipment: Cones to mark off the playing area, Poly spots (enough for at least 2-3 per child), best NOT to use carpet squares for this if you are on a wooden or tile floor since students will be jumping from the spots.

Directions:

Mark off about a 1/4-1/2 the playing area with cones. Use plenty of cones so the children know where the "pond" ends. Then place plenty of poly spots inside this area. You don't want to have them to far apart because this age group can't jump long distances yet.

When the students enter the gym tell them that they are going practice being frogs today and that you have set up a pond for them to do this in. Explain to them that the poly spots are the lilly pads and that the only way you can stay dry from the water is to move from one lilly pad to the other by jumping like a frog.

On your signal ask them find a lilly pad (i.e., self space) to stand on. Make sure they are spread out when they first start-they need free lilly pads to move to. When you say go, they must travel from pad to pad jumping using the two feet takeoff to the two feet landing method. Tell them that good frog jumpers make it a habit to "look before they jump". This means they shouldn't jump until they see an open lilly pad. If there is more than one frog on a lilly pad they will sink! Remind them to keep their eyes up.

Safety Precautions/Teaching Tips:

It is crucial that you, as the teacher, position yourself in the area so you can see all of the "frogs". You may have to stop this activity to demonstrate "looking before you jump" because there is a chance that students will have a rough time practicing this.

Make sure your pads don't slide too much on the floor as to cause a student to fall. You might have to sweep before placing the pads on the floor.

Give feedback to students about their jumping and landing skills (i.e., nice arm swing, nice soft landing, etc.)

Submitted by Robert Campbell who is an undergraduate student in the Health and PE Program at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. Thanks for contributing to PE Central!

PE Central
P.O. Box 10262
Blacksburg, VA 24062

FAX: 540-301-0112

http://www.pecentral.org