Vivian Gussin Paley is a kindergarten teacher with a simple problem, classroom exclusion. During activities led by a teacher, we would never allow one child to say to another, “You can’t play!” Yet during free time, Paley comes to realize that such harsh declarations are tolerated without much question. In her mind she begins to concoct a straightforward solution—a new rule posted on her classroom wall: “You can’t say you can’t play.” But can such a rule really work?
You Can’t Say You Can’t Play is divided into four sections. First, Paley identifies and describes the problem: At play time, certain kids tend to become ‘the bosses’. They make up the game and get to decide who does and doesn’t get to play. Day after day (and eventually year after year), the same kids tend to become the bosses, and the same kids end up being excluded.
As you might expect, most conversations about children's health tend to focus on the word "healthy". You’re probably thinking, "Well…. duh!" But follow me for a minute, and I'll show you how – especially when it comes to children’s health – 'healthy' is kind of a lame word.
Why so? At best, people have a vague understanding of what it means to be healthy. Healthy is often taken to be self-evident. It’s obvious, like being awake or not awake. No further thought or explanation needed.
Well, such non-explanations have never been satisfying to me. The things we take for granted are often the best things to question. (Or so my anthropology spidey-sense tells me.)
When pressed, most people reveal a shallow, dichotomous understanding of health. You're unhealthy if something is wrong with you—if your breathing is labored, or your joints ache, or if you have colitis. In the absence of such things, congratulations! You (or your kids) are healthy.
Four things really trouble me about this way of thinking:
1. First of all, it turns 'healthy' into the default state. If nothing is afflicting you, then you're healthy. So if you can just avoid the correct things, you'll stay in the normal healthy state. No 'doing' required — just not doing.
2. It makes the process of being healthy unnecessarily vague and abstract. If the process of being healthy is to simply stay away from all this bad stuff, how am I supposed to keep that miles-long-laundry-list of bad stuff in my head at all times?
3. It sets the bar pretty low. "As long as I'm not downright miserable, I must be healthy."
4. The "healthy is merely not unhealthy" line of thinking somewhat robs healthfulness of its point. You're not seeking health for any positive reasons.
Being healthy is not pointless, and it’s not about avoiding things and hoping to end up "normal" or even just not miserable. Also, being healthy takes a lot of doing, and we would see this more clearly if we actually paid less attention to the word ‘healthy’ and more attention to the word ‘fit’. I don't necessarily mean fit as in strong, or the British slang fit which means 'attractive'. I mean fit as in "fit for [fill in the blank]".
As an example, earlier in my life I suffered a minor back injury, from which I'm now glad to say I’ve recovered. But for a time, I had gotten sort of complacent about it. My back had gone from worse to a little better, and I sort of accepted this would be how things were for the rest of my life. Then one day, something struck me.
By teaching karate, I've proudly helped to raise many children. But, if things with my back remained as they were, when I finally did have children of my own, I wouldn’t be able to run and play with them. I was not "Fit enough to play with my own children." You can bet that I woke right up out of my complacency.
Well, it certainly was a wonderful year. We're all very sad to see 2012 go... But hey, at least the posts won't go anywhere! So before we continue down the road of time, let's take a look at some of our favorite posts from the year past.
First, we have Karen's favorite posts.
Organizing for Art So That Your Classroom Won't Explode
Bull and the Teacup is a wonderful relay race game. It calls on students to exercise awareness and balance, and creates a strong sense of dramatic tension even amongst older students. Teams of about three are good, so you'll need at least six kids in class to play (two teams of three).
Break the kids up into teams, and have all the teams stand in lines on one side of the classroom (as you’ll see in a moment, it’s important that they stand for now and not sit yet). During Bull and the Teacup, each line will get one bean bag — ‘the teacup’. The students from each line will take turns crossing the classroom and then returning to their lines, keeping their team’s bean bag balanced on their head for the entire trip.
If the bean bag falls off at any point when they're walking, the teacup is broken. They have to pick up the bean bag right away, walk back to their line, hand it to the next person on their team, and stand in line again. If they successfully cross the classroom and return to their line without 'breaking the teacup', they let the next person in their line take the bean bag off their head, and then sit in the very back of the line. That way anybody who’s still waiting to make the trip successfully is standing, and anybody who has already made the trip with success is sitting. The first team to have everybody sitting wins.
But this isn't just a game of ‘balance’ the teacup - it’s Bull and the Teacup. That's where the instructor comes in. As the students try to cross the classroom, bean bag balanced on their head, the instructor throws dodgeballs at them. If a student gets hit with a dodgeball, in that case the teacup is also broken, and the student has to return back to their line to try again.
This is a big part of what makes Bull and the Teacup so much fun. Only half the time will the instructor actually hit the kids with a dodgeball to ‘break the teacup’. The other half of the time, the bean bag simply falls off the student's head while they are trying to evade an incoming dodgeball.
Here are a few tips for the instructor to keep in mind:
If you run right up to the kids, it’s too easy to hit them with the dodgeballs. Keep some distance to make it clear you don’t have a wildly unfair advantage.
Kids are allowed to slow down, speed up, or change course slightly to avoid getting hit, as long as they stay relatively within their lanes (no zig zagging all over the classroom or crossing paths with other players).
Bounce dodgeballs off the floor; like skipping a rock over water, it slows the dodgeball down a bit, allowing the kids to try and respond to the pending disaster, or just anticipate their doom.
Remember that, in order to be successful, a student has to get all the way across the classroom and all the way back without breaking the teacup. Make sure to hit some kids with your dodgeball at the last second (just before they return to their line). The sudden taste of defeat — just when victory was so near! — keeps the game unpredictable and often induces spontaneous laughter, even from more mature kids.
For older kids, it’s okay to gently lob the ball towards their face. This will cause them to move their head, making it more likely that their bean bag will fall off. If it does hit them, it shouldn’t hurt if it was gently lobbed. (Otherwise you should probably look into getting some more benign, versatile dodgeballs.)
Things I like about this activity: As kids grow older, certain games like Zombie Tag and Squid Monster lose their luster. They’re too simple for older kids, and rely too much on imagination for their thrill. Not so with Bull and the Teacup. For starters, it's far more physically challenging, requiring greater awareness, dexterity, and balance. It's also got the added drive of competition. It's a relay race, and you want to beat the other team! But victory is far from certain. It may look as if someone has made it all the way to safety, when suddenly a barrage of dodgeballs comes their way. Becuase of this, the kids never know who will really win. Heck, you never even know when the game is almost over! Instructor’s can keep this game short by taking it easy and letting kids slip by, or prolong it by “smashing” teacups left and right.
There are a million things you can do with your family during the holidays, so why would you settle for anything but the best? Here are some nifty ideas to make your family time fantastic.
Movies
A lot of people go straight to the oldies for their holiday movie choices, such as It’s A Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street. While these are classics, keep in mind they can be pretty slow movies, especially for younger kids.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
A more recent classic truly geared towards children, this one should be on a lot of people's minds. It's charmingly animated, and deliciously musical. Plus, since it's closely based on the original Dr. Seuss book, you can read How the Grinch Stole Christmas as a precursor activity. The movie also sports the conveniently short running time of only 26 minutes.
It's true – we’re Muppet fans, and this retelling of the classic Charles Dickens tale is uproariously funny, while surprisingly retaining the darker tones of the original story. A kids movie with good comedy, emotional range, and starring Michael Cane? Count us in.
This is a more recent one worth a look. It tells the story of a modern, high-tech Santa operation, complete with a ‘Star Trek’-like sleigh. But all the modern mojo overlooks one little girl, Gwen. So it’s up to Santa’s nerdiest son (clad in his ugliest sweater) to fire up the old-fashioned sleigh and save Christmas.
Party Ideas
Cookie Bake
Invite your friends to gather up their favorite cookie recipes and head over to your place. You'll have fun mixing dough and listening to Christmas oldies while cranking cookies through the oven. Most cookie recipes I've encountered only take 10-to-20 minutes in the oven, so in a party that's a couple hours long, you should be able to make somewhere between eight and ten batches of cookies. If there were only 8 cookies on a tray, and two trays in each batch, you’ll end up with over 200 cookies! That’s cookie madness!
When you're done, you can trade cookies with your friends and then put them in a pretty box to give away as Christmas gifts.
Vintage Holiday Cartoons
There sure have been some good cartoons released in the last couple decades. And yet, there's something special if you dig back a little deeper. Whether the curious tale of a broken sailor doll, or the rhyming limerick of silly Santa's workshop, cartoons from the mid 1900s have a certain undeniable appeal. Maybe it's the detailed animation, maybe it's the delightingful orchestral musical scores. If you look in the right places, you can even find classic episodes of timeless characters (Mickey, Donald Duck, Popeye, etc.). These days, many of these cartoons are available on YouTube.
Have the whole family put on pajamas (morning or night), put these old guys up on the TV, and rejoice together. (Note: It may be a little heavy for your Christmas preferences, but this could also be an opportunity to discuss changing attitudes toward racism. Depending on the old cartoon in question, there are some whoppers.)
Puzzle with Radio
A TV's not the only thing for the family to gather around. Put a pot of tea on the stovetop, a puzzle on your kitchen table, and click on the radio. Christmas tunes are always appropriate, and with Pandora and all the podcasting these days, you'll never hurt for options. (Bonus points if your puzzle has snow pictured in it.)
Board Games
I like to joke that every time a family busts out monopoly, an angel cries in heaven. I guess if you really love Monopoly that's okay, but there's a whole world of great games out there. You don't need to be beholden to the bland and traditional. Try the following:
If your children are old enough, this game is downright amazing. In a race against disease, everybody gets to play the hero. Better yet, everybody plays against the game, winning or commiserating together.
Settlers (2-4 players)
Settlers has really blown up in popularity the last couple of years. If you haven't yet, you owe it to yourself to try this one. It could be classified as semi-cooperative. One player certainly wins at the end, but all the players need to work together, hashing out trades, in order to advance the game. The result is some fun haggling, and an atmosphere more amicable than, say, Monopoly.
Carcassone (2-4 players)
Another board game breaking into the mainstream, Carcassone asks players to take turns laying tiles, creating an ever-expanding landscape of green pastures and cobblestone castles. Players sometimes interfere with one another, yet on the whole Carcassonne is a beautiful game that’s competitive without feeling aggressive.
Video Game
Parents are more and more interested in playing video games with their kids, as they should be! Video games can unlock whole new worlds of fun. Someday I might pull out my old Nintendo 64 for my kids, but in case you don't have such a dinosaur laying around, here are three sure, modern winners to play with your kids:
Minecraft (Xbox 360) (2 players)
It's a strange and wonderful world we live in when a little indie game can be a blockbuster in its own right, yet Minecraft has certainly earned that honor. Take control of the little blocky man, and go about transforming his little blocky world. Gather some wood and build yourself a house. Gather some gravel, and make a path from your front door to the nearby river. Gather dirt, then build an entire mountain. It's your choice! Much likes Legos in videogame form, the only limit is your imagination.
The only thing more fun than taking control of Mario or Luigi, is taking control of Mario AND Luigi AND two toadstools and running amok in this four player farce. Jump on turtle shells, jump on each other’s heads, and accidentally fall to your doom—only to be resurrected in a little bubble.
Unlike the old-school games which could be brutally challenging, the current installment provides some of the same nostalgic fun, without the punishing difficulty.
The premise sounds downright silly. After all, why would I want to play a Lego man in a video game? But you know something, these games are fun from start to finish.
Take control of Luke or Leah, Obi-Wan or Anakin, and work together through some hilarious Lego hijinks. You can't really die, or even lose your progress, you just lose your hard earned Lego coins. It’s a bummer to lose those shiny goodies, but their relatively minor importance liberates you to have fun exploring and experiment. And what’s more fun than exploring and experimenting in places like the Death Star or Naboo?
Oh, and did I mention that in the game you get to assemble things out of Legos… using force powers!?
Ongoing Projects
Gingerbread House
An old standby, there are million new twists to this one. It may end up delicious, it may not, but in the age of inspirational Internet, building ginger bread houses has never been so fun.
Decorate with Legos
(Yes, for those keeping track that’s three semi-Lego related activities on this list. What can we say? They’re awesome.)
Separate Legos into mostly white, green and red, then build some Christmas atmosphere of your own. Just imagine: Adorable sleighs and cozy little winter cottages are well within your reach. Just make sure to have a few prominent places around the house to display you and your child’s creative work.
The ‘Hide Santa’ Game
Christmas magic should feel pervasive during the holidays, so why not make that pervasiveness into a game?
Get a little Santa doll, and take turns hiding him around house. Don't put him where he is hard-to-find. Instead, put him where he's sure to be found at an unexpected time. Think of it as less of a game of hide and seek and more game of, "Surprise! Look where Santa is!" In the refrigerator, peeking out from amongst the books on the bookcase, under a pillow. To make it even less competitive, treat it like a Secret Santa: Each person has a person for whom they hide the Santa, and a person who hides the Santa for them. Mom hides it for oldest son, oldest son hides it for sister, sister hides it for Daddy, and then Daddy hides it for Mom again.
Gingerbread projects hold a place dear to my heart. Early in my teaching career, my beloved colleague and I tackled a full-scale gingerbread project. Each house was made from scratch, was twenty or so inches tall, and we made fifty-eight of them — one for each kindergartner in our two classes.
My co-teacher had the recipe, complete with all the directions for mixing, rolling, cutting, baking and building the houses. Doing so many houses required tons of organization. We corralled parent help, calling for equipment, ingredients and volunteer time. When the day came, there were mixing stations, rolling stations, dough-cutting stations, baking stations, plus assembly and decorating stations. If you could go back and just see it, you’d swear we were busier than Santa’s workshop.
If you're inclined to take on such a mammoth project, my hat is off to you. I still treasure that teaching memory, but in the years following I reverted to simpler projects, and the little tricks and ideas I learned along the way may be of interest to you. So without further ado, here are some of my best gingerbread baking tips and ideas:
And if you do, be as accurate as you can with your cutting. Nothing is as frustrating as trying to glue the whole thing together when the pieces don’t fit well. Here's a scratch recipe.
2. Make a themed gingerbread house.
There is something lovely about the traditional gingerbread house, and at the same time it's possible to spice things up with a theme. For instance, check out these cool houses inspired by Harry Potter, Tron, and the hobbit hole from Lord of the Rings. If you don’t want to reach quite that far for a theme, consider just picking out a color theme such as red or purple. Encourage your kids to contribute ideas and pick a theme they are enthusiastic about.
Using a mold might be too time consuming with a large group. The one I had needed two cycles in the oven to get all the pieces for one gingerbread house, but it was great for use with my own kids. Children still get experience in how to mix and handle dough, and you can help them to press or roll the dough into the mold. The produced gingerbread may not be as unique as hand-cut roofs and walls, but in the end, each child decorates their house uniquely anyway. When it comes to the construction phase, this method all but eliminates the frustration of puzzling together mismatched pieces.
This is a great way to go if you have no particular attachment to making the gingerbread. It’s a super quick and easy holiday activity, especially for younger kids who have limited motor skills. With kindergarteners, I would have the kids save their pint-sized milk cartons from lunch, wash them out with soap, and dry them overnight. The next day I’d make frosting with the kids and help them use it to stick graham crackers to the cartons. Using this method, kids could usually decorate with candy on the same day (instead of waiting for the frosting to set as you usually must with more elaborate houses). After allowing the houses to dry overnight, just bag them in plastic or paper bags and send them home as a holiday treat. You can even extend the project by having the kids connect or stack multiple cartons for larger structures.
This one's so simple it can be a single day activity: Flip a sugar cone, and use frosting and candy to decorate. Use white frosting to make a cone-shaped house. Hey, houses can be cone-shaped, too! Nothing wrong with using your imagination... Still not sold? Use green frosting to make it a Christmas tree.
Far from gingerbread architecture, this is more like gingerbread sculpting. Just mold gingerbread into tiny house shapes, bake and stick them onto cupcakes. These make great gifts for family and friends.
No matter which project you pick, here are some additional all-purpose tips:
Plan ahead. If you make gingerbread, or even just do a graham cracker house, make space for cooling/drying. More detailed projects take multiple days to accomplish, and you will need a counter top or shelf for storing the pieces in their various stages.
Try making tile roofs out of M&Ms, Skittles or Sweet Tarts.
Take pictures of each child’s house, so they can have a record of what they made. This will make it much easier to let go and eat the product.
If you’re teaching or home-schooling, use the experience to generate a writing activity. Before and after the activity, have the kids write down “how to directions”. Their directions should be much better after they participate. Or, for a creative writing exercise, have each child write a story to go with their house.
That's it for my tips. Do you have any? Let us know in the comments, and may your gingerbread houses always be merry!
Born in the same year as Piaget, Lev Vygotsky had a stellar, if tragically short, career. He died at age 37, leaving behind a substantial amount of unpublished work. Recognized early as a genius, by the time he was a teenager Vygotsky’s family and teachers marveled at his extraordinary intellect and vast memory. Naturally, those around him began to expect great things from Vygotsky.
However, due to political circumstances in Czarist Russia, the place of his birth, Vygotsky found himself in a frustrating situation. Only three percent of all university openings were allowed to be filled by Jews. With so much competition for a very small number of slots, you can imagine only those with exceedingly high entrance exam scores were admitted. But no sooner had Vygotsky achieved these scores, than the game was changed. Suddenly the government decreed that the three percent would instead be chosen by lottery. Vygotsky was grief-stricken, but in the end luck won him a lottery placement at Moscow University. Even after his admittance, as a Jew he was discouraged from studying his favored academic subjects. Philosophy or history might’ve jump-started an academic career, but the laws of the time would have barred him from holding a paid government position such as teaching. So instead of pursuing his primary interests, Vygotsky began studying law.
While enrolled at Moscow University, Vygotsky also went to classes at Shaniavsky People’s University, a free university established by professors who had been dismissed from teaching because of their opposition to the Czarist government. At Shaniavsky, Vygotsky encountered the writings of Hegel and Marx. In 1917, Vygotsky graduated from both universities.
As humans, one of our favorite things is to become better at something, and children are no different. But as we all know, it takes time and effort to become good, to really master something. One way that many educators make that path easier to walk is by breaking it up into different skill levels. Whether it's music lessons, swimming, or karate, different classes for skill levels is common. And yet, are we educators really making the most of it? If you’re a program director or curriculum designer, here are four tips to make sure you are getting the most out of it:
1. Make each skill level meaningfully different
Kids won’t feel like they’re getting better, or feel motivated to reach the next level, if all the skill levels feel essentially the same.
So how then to make the different levels feel different? First of all, you don’t need to pretend that the ‘other skill levels’ don’t exist. Quite the opposite, you should mention the higher skill levels frequently. The best way to do this is to frame the higher levels as positions of leadership, a goal to be aspired to. In turn, you should always. This can be easier than you think. In my white and gold belt karate classes, I say things like, "Who's sitting up like a future green belt?" or “Wow, look at how focused Timmy is! I bet he’s on his way to to the intermediate class.”
Kids should also know up front that more will be expected of them at each new skill level. And because of that, it's appropriate to give higher skill levels more freedom and responsibility. For example, in my intermediate class I let the kids run more often during games. Why? They’re older, more coordinated, and they’ve proven to me they can do it and still look out for one another’s safety.
2. Have a test to advance
When moving from one level to the next, have a test for advancement with specific, non-wishy-washy requirements. This works out much better than just moving kids along when they reach a certain age. Instead, if age is an important consideration in your program, take age into account when setting your goals.
The test should be challenging, yet reasonable. The way I accomplish this is that in my beginner karate classes, for a five-week cycle, I work on "one piece of the bigger pie".
Then, to get to the intermediate level, I test my beginner students on “the whole pie”.
This way, the test material isn’t really "new", but the test itself is still uniquely challenging. As an added bonus, kids will feel great when they pass such a test, and that’s a good vibe to have just before they make the jump to a new and more difficult class.
3. Have a concrete representation of level
For martial arts programs, you probably already do this, because you probably have belts. I cannot stress enough that every program, not just karate, should have some kind of concrete recognition for ‘leveling up’. If it’s all you can muster, a diploma is okay, but words on paper are still pretty abstract. Instead think of The Boy Scouts, and how successful their merit badge system is. There’s something about the way you can hold it in your hands, the picture on it, and the way you can wear it for the world to see. The physicality of it and the social acknowledgement just makes it feel more real.
So when your kids advance, give them something they can really hold or wear with pride—whether it’s a pin, patch, belt, etc. To make these insignia extra meaningful, have your instructors wear them also. This sends the message that, "Yes, we are the higher skill levels, but we're all working our way up the same ladder, trying to be our best."
4. Have built-in review
A master musician doesn't forget their beginner scales. Whatever your program is, it’s probably similar in that "advanced" kids aren't supposed to forget the stuff they learned as "beginners". Hopefully the more advanced curriculum requires the kids to regularly apply their basics—otherwise, why did the kids learn it in the first place? But even so, it's never a bad idea to really revisit sound fundamentals.
Revisit these basics in a structured way, with a specific time and format for how you will review them. If you plan to just, "Review whenever you have time", that time will never come. Learning environments are usually hectic places, and this means you can't wait for the perfect moment when you don’t have anything else to do. Set aside just a little bit of time, and it will go a long way.
Do you have more ideas about setting up a multi-skill-level curriculum? I'm always on the lookout, so please share in the comments.
Have you ever had to buy a new car? Maybe puzzle over all the best features? Even after you think of everything, the best new car you can buy will never measure up to Mr. Popsnorkel’s brand new car, the Tooth-Gnasher Superflash! When the Popsnorkels go for a test drive, it’s anything but an ordinary trip down car-sales lane. If you like books that take an unexpected turn, spur children’s imaginations, and create a delightful enthusiasm for reading, then Tooth-Gnasher Superflash is a book for you!
“We love this car!" shouted the five little Popsnorkels. "Buy it Daddy, buy it!”
Mr. and Mrs. Popsnorkel, and their five little Popsnorkels, are in the market for a new car. Their old car, a green Thunderclap Eight is just plain worn out, so the reader gets to follow the Popsnorkels to the local car dealership, where the family shops for a Thunderclap replacement. The five little Popsnorkels are immediately drawn to the Tooth-Gnasher Superflash! It looks like your typical, shiny new car with a glass bubble top, pointed nose and aerodynamic shape. Mrs. Popsnorkel is completely taken by it’s powder blue paint color. Being the most practical of the bunch, Mr. Popsnorkel curbs his enthusiasm and insists on a test drive.
At first, the salesman demonstrates the Tooth-Gnasher’s seemingly normal abilities, but then Mr. Popsnorkel takes the wheel. To the salesman’s amazement, Mr. Popsnorkel gets the car to perform in a way “it’s not supposed to behave”. Mr. Popsnorkel investigates the dashboard and finds one new button after another. As he pushes them, the Tooth-Gnasher Superflash transforms into a big blue dinosaur, a galloping blue elephant, and a gigantic blue turtle before finally taking a turn as a fat flying chicken. ‘Yay!” cry the five little Popsnorkels repeatedly and in unison, more and more enthralled each time the car takes on a different persona. Mrs. Popsnorkel still can’t get over the lovely blue color.
Tooth-Gnasher Super Flash is rendered in cartoon-like line drawings. It’s colors are pale, with a hand-shaded appearance. Pinkwater’s illustration style complements the imaginative theme of the story. In their excitement, the little Popsnorkel children are transformed, from silly little characters crammed into the Tooth-Gnasher’s backseat, into twirling half circles of energy with heads! The drawings mimic the energy of characters' excitement, especially the children. The language is playful and succinct, repetitive without becoming boring. It all adds up to a genuinely humorous depiction of the Popsnorkels’ search for the perfect car.
“Um, would it be alright if I drove the car for a while?” Mr. Popsnorkel asked Mr. Sandy. Mr. Sandy pulled over to the side of the road and got out and opened the door for Mrs. Popsnorkel, who got in the front seat with Mr. Popsnorkel, who had moved over behind the steering wheel. Mr. Sandy got in the backseat with the five little Popsnorkels. "Yay!" shouted the five little Popsnorkels. "Daddy’s gonna drive the Tooth-Gnasher Superflash!’ "
I used to incorporate this story into a much more practical and grounded unit on transportation. The kids loved re-reading this story and revisiting these quirky characters and their car. Tooth-Gnasher Superflash stood in whimsical contrast to other books which focused on the utility of buses, planes and trains.
And the ending is the perfect jumping off place for lots of discussion. Eventually Mr. Popsnorkel is duly impressed, satisfied that the Tooth-Gnasher will be an adequate replacement for his old Thunderclap Eight. But as he drives away from the dealership, he remarks, “It’s a nice car alright, but, you know, it can’t do even half the things our good old Thunderclap Eight could do.” So we are left wondering, what exactly on Earth could the other car do???
Today's activity is a nifty warm-up which requires no materials and is fast to teach. The game begins with the kids jogging in place. It's important that they jog in place and not run, because they'll be doing so continuously the whole time you play the Color Game. If they run in place or sprint in place from the start, they'll get exhausted too quickly.
As the kids jog in place, they also need to listen closely to the instructor. If at any time the instructor says a color, the kids stop jogging, fall to the ground, and then pop back up jogging in place once again. This is a great way to teach your front falls. In the martial arts, when you front fall you kiai. If you’re not in a karate program, to maintain the high energy of the drill, teach the kids to shout something every time they drop. (For instance, they could shout the color they heard.)
For very young kids, it's okay to say, "Touch your bellybutton to the floor." That way they understand the need to go all the way to the ground. Otherwise, little kids will sometimes do a quick bend forward without actually going to the ground.
As the kids jog in place and listen for a color to be called, the instructor should call out different colors and use tricks to keep the kids listening attentively. Here are a few ideas to make the Color Game challenging and unpredictable:
Mix in words that rhyme with colors. Shout 'hello!' instead of 'yellow'. Other examples include the word 'who' instead of 'blue', and 'back' instead of 'black'.
Call out patterns, which often make you think of colors, but are not actually colors themselves. Good examples include ‘plaid’ and ‘polka dot’. Be aware—this one could trick a lot of adults!
Disguise the color by putting it in the middle of a sentence. For example, in karate I will use the phrase, "Wow! You guys were fast on that last one. You're going to make awesome black belts one day!" If the students are listening closely, they should hear the word ‘black’ in there and do a quick drop to the floor. In a non-karate setting, you could use something like, "Whoopsy, Jimmy! It looks like your blue shoelace is coming untied!" If none of the kids catch the color, repeat the sentence more slowly and emphasize the color word with your voice intonation and facial expression so that they catch on.
So that the kids aren't just listening for colors, you can add the rule that the word "sprint" makes them run in place as fast as they can, burning up the floor! Then the kids continue sprinting until the next time you say a color, at which time they do their normal drop to the floor and return to jogging. The addition of “sprint” also makes the workout much more intense.
Tell a story peppered with mentions of colors. I will sometimes tell a story that you could call "A Walk in the Woods", which involves crossing a blue river, and seeing some green trees and a black bear.
Things I like about this activity: The Color Game is a high-energy warm-up. The kids get a nice, thorough workout at the start of class, and it also challenges them to exercise their good listening skills. For the youngest of kids, the Color Game is also a good game to help practice color word recognition. Lastly, when you use storytelling during the drill, it also engages the kids' imaginations.
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