Over the summer, my school went thru a major renovation to update the inside of our building, and it now looks amazing! Our recess and playground area is a different story. In order to make more room for students, part of the playground had to be used for the new building addition. Between loosing part of the playground to the new building and taking out playground equipment that was no longer up to code, we're left with a small area for our K-1 students to play.
The majority of our outdoor recess area is a grassy field. In order for us to make use of the playground we are left with, we had to get creative and think of activities our students could do in a smaller space while staying distanced from one another. We also kept in mind how items would be used. Would the equipment be touched by students' feet or hands? Are the items easily washable or are we able to disinfect them after being used? Once we decided how all that would work, we settled on three items that allow our students to be active, get the wiggles out, and still have fun at recess.
The Obstacle Course Boredom Buster Kit was exactly what we needed! Students can use most of the materials in the kit now, and we can let them use the rest later when it's okay for them to play within closer proximity to each other. The included hoops allow for students to make LOTS of obstacle course combinations using just a small amount of space. Several of my students asked me to place the hoops on the ground so that they looked like the tires our gym teacher has them jump through. We placed the included cones at either end to mark the start and stop and students bounced right on through.
On another day, we set up the small cones and the children practiced running through the cones in a zig-zag pattern. We gave them a soccer ball to dribble through the cones as well. I have watched my children use the cones to create start and finish lines for relay races, where only one student is on each team. The cones have been used as "base" when playing baseball, and to show the area that students are allowed to stay in that day.
Another option we wanted to make sure our students had was imaginative play, so we added in some Super Soaring Dancing Scarves to our playground rotations. Students have used these to dance with, observed how the wind moves, hide under and crawl under them, and have even used them as superhero capes! We have machine washed these on the gentle cycle several times in hot water and then line dried them and have had no problems with fraying. Students love that they can pretend with them or use them just to lay on while looking up at the clouds!
Finally, we wanted students to still be able to play near each other while still staying distanced. This 6 foot parachute was the perfect solution! Students can still do a cooperative activity but are able to stay far enough away from each other. My students LOVE putting a ball in the center of the parachute and popping it around like it's popcorn. They also decide which direction they will all move and walk the parachute around in that direction. They are careful to stay in their section of the parachute and we clean the parachute with our cleaning spray after each recess period.
We are working to make sure that our students are still able to play games and interact with one another at recess while staying distanced in our small playground space. Each one of these activities has been perfect for our children to get out and be active in our small space and work off some of the wiggles!
