Parachute Safety Sections

Skill: Run
Time Required: 15
Activity Type: Physical
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group
Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs
Play area: Gymnasium (large indoor space), Outdoor - Field
Safety Considerations: Remove any safety hazards and obstacles from the activity area.
Remind participants to be aware of their surroundings and to keep their head up.
Equipment: Parachute with different colours all around
Hoops
Foam Balls
Objective:
Participants throw the ball in the air with the parachute to try and make it land in their section.
Other Skills:
Coordination
Set up:
Have 5 or so less hoops than there are participants. Place these hoops all around the outside of the area.
All participants will start by holding the outside of the parachute, and have two hands at one section/colour.
Step by Step:
1. All participants will be holding the outside of the parachute. Each participant should have both hands at one of the colours and sections on the parachute.
2. Have a name, a colour, a number or a symbol for each section.
3. Place one foam ball on top of the parachute.
4. The participants will move the parachute up and down, making waves and moving the ball all around. The leader can have them run, walk or skip in a clockwise direction.
5. When the leader says "Low" or "Squat" or another word, then all the participants will bring the parachute low, and then when the leader says "High", "Lift", "Fly", or another word, then all together the participants will lift the parachute up in the air, so the ball goes very high in the sky.
6. The leader and participants will pay attention to where the ball lands on the parachute when it comes down. The leader will yell what section it landed in.
7. Any participant that is holding the section of the parachute where the ball lands is safe for that round.
8. The other participants all have to go run and stand in a hoop that is located behind them and on the outside of the activity.
9. Only one participant is allowed in each hoop.
10. Since there are fewer hoops than participants, there will be one or more participants that aren't in a hoop.
11. Those participants are either out for the rest of the activity, out for the next round, or have to do a set activity before they can join the activity again.
12. Or place beanbags or tennis balls around the outside area, and the last participant to pick one up and run back to the parachute, is out.
13. An example of an activity is that they have to run on the spot, do lunges, do burpees, do jumping jacks and so on until the next round ends.
14. If participants are out for the activity, then continue to take away hoops after each round.
Variations:
Place more than one foam ball on the parachute.
Have one participant at each section of the parachute. If the ball lands in their section, then all the other participants start to run away, and that participant picks up the foam ball. As soon as they pick it up, they say "Stop", and all the participants have to stop. The participant with the ball can then take 3 running steps in any direction. Their goal is to hit another participant below the waist with the ball (the other participants cannot move). If they hit them, the participant that was hit gets a letter, if they miss, the thrower gets a letter. Last participant to spell "Ball", or "Key", or "Pie", or any other word, wins.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.