Other Skills:
Could have: Stork Stand
Flexibility
Endurance
Locomotor, stability, and manipulative skills

Warm Up

1. Participants walk quickly around the activity area.
2. When you call out "Get Down", participants quickly crouch down and then get back up and continue walking.
3. Challenge participants to get up as quickly as possible.
4. For variety, choose participants to identify different ways of travelling (e.g. hop, skip, walk backwards).
(From Ophea, H&PE Curriculum Support Documents, Junior, Appendix B, 2000.)

Steps

Activity 1: Static Balance - Participants try a variety of static balances. In between each of the balances, participants lap the activity area using different movements (e.g. brisk walking, marching, hopping).

Knee Scale: Kneel on one knee and extend the other leg back

Straddle Sit: Sit with legs straddled

Bridge Arabesque: Stand on one foot, extend the other leg back, extend arms up and back

V-Sit: Sit balancing on behind, extend legs out in front and arms out to the side

Tuck V-Sit: Same as V-Sit except legs are in a tuck position

Shoulder Balance: Roll back on shoulders and extend legs up straight in the air with the hands holding the hips

Tuck Shoulder Balance: Same as Shoulder Balance except legs are in a tuck position

Squat Balance: Squat down with arms extended out straight in front

Front Support Balance: Push-up position

Front Scale Balance: Arms out to side on one leg, back leg extended on one plane

Splits: From a kneeling lunge, straighten front leg sliding it forward as far as you can attempting the splits (supporting body weight with arms).

Activity 2: Group Balance - Participants move around the activity area in a variety of locomotor activities. Call out a number from 1–5. Participants form groups of that number and must create a balance in which all members are linked, and hold it for 3–5 counts.

Activity 3: Moving Shapes - Participants move throughout the space. When you call out "freeze", participants create a balance and hold that balance for 3–5 counts. Continue, and have participants create a sequence of their 3 favorite balances with a physical activity interspersed between each one.

Cool Down

1. Participants walk around the activity area in pairs, quietly discussing topics you give them (e.g. your favorite way to be physically active with your friends).
2. Give them a new topic to discuss every 30–60 seconds.
3. Encourage participants to gradually slow their walking speed.
4. Lead, or have a participant lead, a stretching routine.

In the warm-up, instead of calling out "Get Down", reinforce concepts learned in class and have participants "get down" when they hear key words (e.g. call out cities and participants "get down" when they hear a capital, or call out numbers and have participants "get down" when they hear a multiple of 6). When forming groups, no participants can be refused by a group unless the group has the quota for group members as established by the teacher. For support documents, sample stretching routines, and additional ideas visit: www.ogf.com.

Adaptations (General):
Consider that participants with disabilities may have difficulty balancing. Modify activities based on the capabilities of the individual.

Adaptations (Mobility Impairment):
Not every participant will be able to crouch or return to their feet quickly, so take this into consideration. Encourage participants to identify ways of travelling that work well with their given disability and that could be practiced by the entire group (e.g., on their stomachs or while blindfolded)

Adaptations (Deafness/Hearing Impairment):
Remember that participants who are deaf or hard of hearing may not be able to hear your voice. Consider using hand gestures, sign language, or printed instructions.