GRADE

TOPIC

UNIT

PreK

Striking a Balloon w/Hand

Games

Equipment Needed

Music player, Music, Control Cones, Safety Rules Poster, Stretching Station Cards, PowerPoint: Striking with Hand – Week 21, Hoops, Balloons – one per child, spots.

Content Standard Benchmarks or Common Core Standards

Learning Goals, Objectives, Expected Outcomes

Psychomotor

1. Look at the balloon when they strike it with their hand.
2. Hit the balloon with their hand at least two times consecutively.
3. Tap a balloon in the air with selected body parts (head, hands, elbows, knees, feet, shoulders, and arms).
4. Demonstrate the concept that in order to send the balloon up in the air it must be tapped on the bottom.

Cognitive

1. Discuss the concept that in order to send the balloon up in the air it must be tapped on the bottom.

Affective

1. Have Fun
2. Work safely among all the students and other equipment.

ACTIVITY

PROCEDURE AND TRANSITIONS WITH MODIFICATIONS AND OR ACCOMMODATIONS

SETUP DESCRIPTION OR DIAGRAM

Entrance Routine

Part 1

Warm-up/Review

10 Minutes

Hoop Games

Cooperative Musical Hoops

Begin with enough hoops for all the children.  Everyone starts inside their own hoop.  When the music plays, everyone travels around inside the boundaries.  When the music stops, everyone freezes.  When the teacher plays the drum or says go, everyone runs to get inside a hoop.  Do this a couple times.  When the children are all stopping, and waiting for you to say go, or play the signal to get to a hoop, then move onto the next step.

Remove one hoop each time the music stops.  NO ONE IS ELIMINATED in this game.  As the hoops become less and less, the cooperative part comes in because the children must help everyone, by calling out and making room, get inside a hoop before the music can begin again!  It gets really fun or funny as there are less and less hoops and more and more children fitting into the hoops that are left.  Stop and start the game over after you get to one hoop!  (each child only has to have a body part inside the hoop to count.

Hoop trains

Everyone begins in their own hoop.  As you travel around inside your hoop, look for someone to link up with.  continue to hold your hoop with one hand and hold the new part of the train with your other hand.  See how many cars we can get linked up before the music stops!

Play something fun, like train music!

Cooperative Hoop Bubble

When the music starts, everyone in their own hoop, begin traveling around inside their hoop bubble.  When the music stops, everyone freezes and drop the hoop to the ground.  Look to see someone standing close to you.  On the go signal, find a bubble to join with.  Joining a bubble involves combining the hoops, children getting inside the hoops together and then traveling around together the next time the music begins.  Continue to travel and combine bubbles until the children cannot fit more inside the hoop.  As the children travel remind them that they need to find a way to travel that is safe for everyone in their bubble.

Transition

When I say go, put your hoop away, get a balloon and find an own space.  When you get to your own space; Show me how you can keep your balloon up in the air by tapping the balloon with your hand.

(Demonstrate tapping or show a video of the activity to aid your English Learners and you Visual Learners)

Part 2

New skill or concept

5-10 Minutes

• GD Question: What do you look at as you tap the balloon? (The Balloon)
• Command:  Look at the balloon when you tap it. It’s just like catching, except you don’t hold on to the balloon, you tap it back up!

Question 2

• GD Question:  If you want the balloon to go straight up into the air, staying above your own space, where should your hand hit on the balloon? (Bottom)
• Alternate: Hit your balloon on the top.  Where does the balloon go?  Right, Down to the ground.  Now hit on the bottom.  Where does the balloon go?  Yes, it travels up above your own space.  Now hit the balloon on the side.  Where does it travel to?  That’s right, it goes away from your own space. Which one worked best for keeping it up in the air above your own space?  You bet, hitting it on the bottom!
• Command: Keep your balloon in your own working space by tapping it right on the bottom to send it straight up in the air.

Question 3

• GD Question: How can you make your balloon float for a longer time? (Hit it harder, with more force so it goes higher up, taking it longer to come down.)
• Alternate: Try hitting your balloon really soft.  Does it go up very high?  Does it take very long to come back down?  Now hit your balloon really hard.  Does it go up higher?  Does it take longer to come down?  So if you hit your balloon harder, it goes up higher and takes longer to come down.
• Command: If you want your balloon to stay up in the air longer; swing your arm harder, and hit the balloon with more force or power.  It will make the balloon go higher up into the air, taking it longer to come down.

Tap the balloon with (part) and still send it straight up in the air and keep it in your own space. (Teacher names the different parts the children are using to tap the balloon. Encourage a variety of parts.) If you are using other body parts besides your hands, then that body part must tap the bottom of the balloon, to make it go up above your own space.

Body Parts to try when hitting the balloon up into the air.

Head, hands, elbows, knees, feet, shoulders, arms, back, chest, stomach, Bottom

(To the children:)

Remember when you were catching the ball, what did you have to do if it didn’t come right back to you? You must be ready to travel to get under your balloon just in case it does not come straight down.  Be sure to look where you are going so that you don’t hurt anyone as you travel to get your balloon.  Make sure you are in a safe own space before you start hitting the balloon up in the air again.

Once your children are able to tap the balloon two times in a row (or more), move onto part three.

Challenge:

• Alternate sides of the body with each hit.  (i.e.: right hand then left hand)
• Count the number of hits before the balloon touches the ground.

Transition

Part 3

Practice

20 Minutes

• Tap the balloon with body parts on both sides of your body. We want both sides to have equal turns in tapping the balloon.
• See if you can keep your balloon in the air until I count to 15. Ready go…. (Teacher counts out loud to 15.)
• Try to tap your balloon with one hand and then the other hand.
• One elbow and then the other elbow;
• One knee and then the other knee. (Teacher may select other body parts or let the children choose. Have them alternate body parts and sides of the body.)
• Can you tap your balloon a little higher but still keep it in your own space?

Tap n’ Travel

• As you tap your balloon, travel inside our boundaries.  Look at where you are going and at the balloon while you travel and strike the balloon.
• Travel in different ways while striking the balloon.
• Walk, Run, Gallop, Slide, Jump and Hop.  High, Low and Medium.  Backwards, Forward and Sideways.
• Travel as fast as you can while striking it under control.
• Travel as slow as you can while striking it under control.

Creative Balloon Striking

• Count the number of different body parts you can use to tap your balloon in the air. Each time you tap the balloon, say the name of the body part you are using.
• Let’s create a tapping sequence with our balloon. Think of two different body parts you like to tap your balloon with.  See if you can give each body part a turn tapping the balloon while you keep it up in the air.  Try not to use any other body parts except those two.
• Think of two different parts to try.  Practice tapping the balloon with only those two      body parts.
• See if you can keep the balloon up in the air by repeating the tapping sequence with the three body parts in order. An example of a sequence might be; hand, knee, and head.
• Share your sequence with a partner and see if they can remember what three body parts you used in your sequence. (If they are getting quite good at a sequence of three, you may have some go to sequences of four to five body parts.

Tap n’ Travel Continued

• Hit the balloon at different levels while you travel.  Travel in a low level, listen for me to call out a new level.
• Travel in a high level and tap your balloon when the music plays.  When the music stops, freeze and think of a different level to travel in and tap your balloon, when the music starts to play again.
• Travel in different directions while you travel.  Travel in a forward direction, listen for me to call out a new direction.
• Travel in a sideways direction when the music plays.  When the music stops, freeze and think of a different direction to travel in when the music starts to play again.

Balloon Tappin’ Tricks

• Hit the balloon against a wall repetitively.
• Hit it to the same spot each time.
• Hit it to a different spot each time.
• Hit the balloon into specific shapes or colors drawn or taped on the wall.
• Hit it against the floor repetitively.
• Hit the balloon into the hoops or on the poly spots (on the floor)as you travel around inside the boundaries.
• Tap your balloon up into the air, keep tapping it while you travel to the poly spots that match your balloon.  When you get there, tap your balloon down to the poly spot.
• Tap the balloon down to the poly spot 1 time, and then start tapping it up to the air while you travel to the next poly spot.  (Continue the activity, changing the number of taps down to the poly spots)

Transition

Part 4

Stretching & closure

Taking it Home

5 Minutes

Choose 3 stretches to do with the class.

Review

Tell me the names of the body parts you used to tap your balloon.  (Head, hands, elbows, knees, feet, shoulders, arms, back, chest, stomach, Bottom)

What did you look at when you were tapping the balloon?  (Balloon)

What about when you were traveling and tapping the balloon? (Looking for open spaces and the Balloon)

Closure