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Name of Activity:
Monster Mash
Purpose of Activity:
To practice chasing, fleeing and dodging skills.Prerequisites:
The ability to make and change pathways (straight, curved, and zigzag) while moving in general space.Suggested Grade Level:
K-2Materials Needed:
Four hula hoops; cones (large and small cones are fine); 20 Bean Bags (more or less depending on class size); four pinnies; the "Monster Mash" song (from the Halloween Hits CD from Amazon.com); CD/boom box
Description of Idea
Before class, set up the playing area as follows:
Use the cones to form a very large rectangle in the middle of the playing area. This area represents the "haunted house". Scatter the bean bags (i.e. "pumpkins") inside the haunted house. Outside the haunted house, in all four corners, place the "trick or treat bags" (the hula hoops).
Explain to students that this game requires them to use their chasing, fleeing, and dodging skills. They will have to use "quick moves " and change their pathways in order to not get caught! The game goes as follows (demonstrate with a few students if need be):
There are four "taggers" in the haunted house -- these are the "ghosts and goblins" (they wear the pinnies). Ghosts and goblins can only move throughout the haunted house. Everyone else is a "trick or treater". Trick or treaters move (jog, skip, etc.) around the outside of the haunted house while the music is playing (they need to move throughout the whole space, not just move in a circle around the haunted house). When the music stops, trick or treaters enter the haunted house and try to grab a pumpkin. If a trick or treater successfully grabs a pumpkin without getting tagged by a ghost or goblin, they then place the pumpkin in a "trick or treat bag" (a hula hoop).
If a trick or treater does get tagged by a ghost or goblin, they are "stuck" in the haunted house. They must sit down and place their foot on their knee. To re-enter the game, a trick or treater who is not "stuck" must tag the foot of a "stuck" player. If a trick or treater is tagged while capturing a pumpkin, they must put the pumpkin back in the circle and sit down in the captured position.
Once the music comes back on, all of the "unstuck" trick or treaters must leave the haunted house. Those who are "stuck" stay this way until the music once more stops, and the trick or treaters once again come into the haunted house. When all the pumpkins are in the trick or treat bags, the game is over. Take a moment to discuss students' use of pathways as a way to avoid getting tagged, then begin the game once again.
Assessment Ideas:
Observe students' ability to change pathways, so as to avoid getting tagged by others (or running into someone). Reinforce this concept throughout the game. If students have difficulty in moving to avoid others, you may need to revisit the skills of moving quickly and changing pathways (without playing a "game" such as this, where their focus is on retrieving an object rather than changing pathways).
Teaching Suggestions:
Stress safe tagging and watching where you are moving!
Previous Comments:
| Patricia |
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| Stephanie Wilds |
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| Trish |
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