Spy Ring

Skill: Balance, Jump, Run
Time Required: 25
Activity Type: Physical
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group
Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs, 13+ yrs
Play area: Gymnasium (large indoor space), Outdoor - Field
Safety Considerations: Remove any safety hazards and obstacles from the play area.
Remind participants to be aware of their surroundings and to keep their head up.
Remind participants holding the rope that is on the mat, to keep it on the mat and to not lift it up at all.
Remind the rollers, that the participants have to be hit below the knees.
Equipment: See document attached for set up and equipment required:
2 buckets for tennis balls (or use hoops)
2 mats or blankets
2 skipping ropes (or ropes)
2 ropes or pylons for throwing lines
8-15 pylons and 8-15 tennis balls or beanbags
3 more pylons
Dodgeballs
Adventurous spirit of a spy
Objective:
For the spies to bring their clues (tennis balls) to their headquarters by going through a series of obstacles.
Other Skills:
Log Roll
Underhand throw
Coordination
Set up:
Please see attached document for set up. Place all the different spy obstacles in a ring formation (circular).
Divide the participants into two equal teams (or could have 3). One team will start as the spies, the other will be the obstacles.
Put a bucket of tennis balls, which will be the "clues", at the start. Next to the bucket, place a mat or blanket with two ropes.
Place another mat/blanket a couple feet to the side of the first mat. Place two throwing lines (rope or pylons) around 8 feet away from the top and bottom part of the mat. Place dodgeballs behind each line.
Under that mat and to the side, place 8-10 pylons with tennis balls on top close to each other. Make sure the dodgeballs will not roll and hit the pylons and tennis balls.
About 5-10 feet to the side of those, place a pylon, and then place two pylons to make a net 10 feet or so to the side of the first pylon.
Have a bucket behind the net for participants to put their clues into.
Step by Step:
1. Have one team start as the spies, and the other as the obstacles.
2. Have two participants from the obstacle team take the first rope and stand on both sides of the mat holding the rope about 2 feet off the mat.
3. Have two other participants from the obstacle team take the second rope and sit down across from each other. That rope will stay touching the mat, and they will move it side to side to make it wiggle or slither like a snake.
4. Have 6-8 other participants from the obstacle team to stand behind both throwing lines in front and behind the second mat. They will each have a dodgeball, and they will roll them across the mat to the other side. They will continue doing this, even when there isn't a spy running across.
5. Have the spy team all start at the beginning bucket with the tennis balls.
6. These tennis balls are the "clues", and they have to go through all the obstacles in order to bring the clue to their headquarters (the bucket or hoop at the end). Once all the clues are brought to headquarters, the mystery will be solved!
7. First participant in the "spy" team will start going through the first obstacle in the "ring" of obstacles.
8. They will grab a tennis ball and run to the first mat. They will have to log roll (sideways roll) under the first rope, then stand up and jump over the slithering snake (rope on the ground).
9. Once they jump over the slithering snake, the next participant in the spy team can go.
10. After the first mat, the spies will run to the second mat where there will be dodgeballs rolling over it from both sides.
11. They have to run across the mat/blanket without getting hit by a dodgeball. If they are hit (below the knees), then they have to go back to the beginning of the course with their clue.
12. The obstacle team's throwers, can collect a ball that was rolled, but can't roll it until they are behind their throwing line.
13. When a participant gets through the rolling dodgeball obstacle, they will run to the pylons with tennis balls on top. They have to maneuver through these very carefully without knocking a tennis ball off a pylon. If they knock a tennis ball off, they will put the tennis ball back on top and go back to the start (or have them to 10 jumping jacks and try that obstacle again).
14. After they get through the pylon and tennis ball obstacle, they will run to the next pylon, and roll their tennis ball through the net. If they miss the net, they go and collect their tennis ball, run back to the pylon and roll again.
15. When it goes through the net, they pick it up and put it in the headquarters bucket/hoop.
16. They go to the starting bucket, take another "clue" and start again!
17. Play for a set amount of time or until all the clues have been brought to headquarters.
18. Switch roles.
Variations:
Could make the obstacles in a straight line instead of in a circle (ring).
Create different obstacles for the spies and different roles for the obstacle team.
Have beanbags on the pylons instead of tennis balls.
Have the "clues" be beanbags, and they have to toss their beanbag in a hoop a the end of the course.
If there are a lot of participants, could add more obstacles, and two teams could be the obstacles while one are the spies.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.
Attachments: Download