Starting from Physical Education
These activities will strengthen students' physical literacy, allows them to practice good sportsmanship, and explore environmental concepts through gamification.
Ant Colonies
Curricular Competencies
Physical Education
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Develop and demonstrate a variety of fundamental movement skills in a variety of physical activities and environments
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Apply methods of monitoring exertion levels in physical activity
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Develop and demonstrate safety, fair play, and leadership in physical activities
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Identify and explain factors that contribute to positive experiences in different physical activities
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Explain how participation in outdoor activities supports connections with the community and environment
Science
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Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
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Observe objects and events in familiar contexts
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Experience and interpret the local environment
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Express and reflect on personal experiences of place
Language Arts
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Create stories and other texts to deepen awareness of self, family, and community
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Communicate using sentences and most conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation
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Gather students outside in a natural area that has good hiding spots. Outline boundaries.
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Pick one student to be the "royal ant". This ant will go and find a hiding spot while all other ants close their eyes.
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When the teacher says go, students will search the area for the royal ant. Once they find the royal ant, they join them in their hiding spot.
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The game is over when the last ant finds the royal ant.
Extensions:
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Pick two "royal ants", have them hide in two different spots. Have all other ants find a royal ant to hide with. Whichever royal ant has the biggest colony wins!
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Sit in a spot where an ant would hide, journal (write and draw) what the space is like. How would an ant feel in this space? How are ants similar/different to humans?
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Draw from the perspective of an ant. How would the world look different from how you see the world?
Go Nuts
Curricular Competencies
Physical Education
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Develop and demonstrate a variety of fundamental movement skills in a variety of physical activities and environments
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Apply methods of monitoring exertion levels in physical activity
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Develop and demonstrate safety, fair play, and leadership in physical activities
-
Identify and explain factors that contribute to positive experiences in different physical activities
-
Explain how participation in outdoor activities supports connections with the community and environment
Science
-
Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
-
Observe objects and events in familiar contexts
-
Experience and interpret the local environment
-
Express and reflect on personal experiences of place
Language Arts
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Create stories and other texts to deepen awareness of self, family, and community
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Communicate using sentences and most conventions of Canadian spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Math
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Develop, demonstrate, and apply mathematical understanding through play, inquiry, and problem solving
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Visualize to explore mathematical concepts
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Materials:
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hula hoop
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Gather students outside in a natural area that has an abundance of one kind of natural object (e.g. pinecones, chestnuts, rocks, etc.).
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Explain the game boundaries and what you will be using as "nuts" (the small objects that are being hidden and collected. E.g. chestnuts or pinecones).
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Split the group into two teams, squirrels and jays. Explain that there will be one area (hula hoop in the middle of the playing area) where all the jays will put the "nuts" once they've found them, also where the squirrels will take from to hide them.
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The squirrels are hiders, they take the "nuts" and hide them around the area. Meanwhile, the jays are trying to steal the nuts, their job is to find the "nuts" the squirrels hide and put them in one open space.
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Play for 10-15 minutes.
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When the time is up, gather both squirrels and jays. Have each team count the number of "nuts" they found.
Extensions:
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Write and draw about the relationship between squirrels and jays.
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Sketch an area where a squirrel may hide nuts in their habitat.
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Use the "nuts" as math manipulatives.
Animal Tag
Curricular Competencies
Physical Education
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Develop and demonstrate a variety of fundamental movement skills in a variety of physical activities and environments
-
Apply methods of monitoring exertion levels in physical activity
-
Develop and demonstrate safety, fair play, and leadership in physical activities
-
Identify and explain factors that contribute to positive experiences in different physical activities
-
Explain how participation in outdoor activities supports connections with the community and environment
Science
-
Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world
-
Observe objects and events in familiar contexts
-
Experience and interpret the local environment
-
Express and reflect on personal experiences of place
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Materials:
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pinnies
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cones
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Bring the group to an open space: outline boundaries and review respectful tagging. Split into two groups, give each group an animal (students can give suggestions or teacher can choose). Each group will wear different coloured pinnies (e.g. deer wear red, rabbits wear yellow).
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The goal is to turn the other animal group into your animal by tagging them. If tagged, students will change pinnies to match the animal group that tagged them.
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The game is over when the class is all one animal.
Extensions:
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Think of actions or sounds to symbolize the animal groups. Play the game using these actions instead of using pinnies.
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Add different animal groups for a greater challenge.
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Discuss: how are these animal groups related in the real world? What are your connections to these animals?