Beach Adventure

Skill: Balance, Hop, Jump, Run, Throw
Time Required: 20
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 play area.
Remind participants to be aware of their surroundings and to keep their head up.
Remind participants to wait their turn at an adventure if another participant is already there.
Equipment: Hoops
Cones
Tennis balls or beanbags
Bin/bucket/box
Rope
Optional: sprinkler, spray bottles, water
Objective:
For participants to go through each beach adventure and to the designated activity.
Other Skills:
Coordination
Speed
Set up:
Please see the attached document for an example of the set up of each beach adventure.
Hot Sand: Set up hoops going two by two in a row and staggered. Participants will have to hop from one to the other like they're on hot sand. Or use cones, and participants have to hop from one cone to the next as quick as they can.
Surfer Jump: Set up two cones that are about 6 feet apart.
Water Skiing Balance: Set up two cones that are about 1-2 feet apart.
Cannonballs: Set up 3-4 hoops that are about1-2 feet apart.
Seagull Stole Your Food: Set up a bin/box/bucket and a bunch of tennis ball or beanbags 4-5 feet away.
Step by Step:
1. Please see the attached document for an example of the adventures and set up of the adventures.
2. The first adventure is Hot Sand. There will be hoops in two rows next to each other, spaced out and staggered, or cones spaced out and staggered. Participants have to hop from one hoop (or cone) to the other like they were on hot sand, so fast and on their tiptoes.
3. Once they get through the hot sand, they will go over to Surfers Jump.
4. Surfer Jump: There will be a set of cones that are around 6 feet apart. Participants have to lie on their stomachs between the cones, and yell "Wave" and then jump up on their two feet as fast as possible. As soon as they get up, they will lie back down, yell, "Wave" and jump back up. Each participant will do five surfer jump before going onto the next adventure.
5. After their five surfer jumps, they will run to the next adventure.
6. Water Skiing Balance: There will be two cones (or beanbags) around 2 feet away from each other. When participants get to this adventure, they stand at one cone, bend their knees and hold their hands out like they're holding a rope. Participants will jump from cone to cone two times (jump like they're going over waves). Then they will lift one leg in the air, and go one-foot water skiing. They will do two one-foot jumps from cone to cone, and then two jumps on the other foot.
7. Next they will run to the cannonball adventure.
8. Cannonballs: Participants will jump in the first hoop and crouch down like they did a cannonball; next they will jump up and land right into the next hoop like a cannonball. They will do a cannonball jump into each hoop. After the last hoop, they will run to the next adventure.
9. Seagull Stole Your Food: There will be a bin/bucket/box set up, with tennis ball or beanbags placed behind a rope that is around 4-5 feet in front of the bucket. The tennis balls/beanbags is the food the seagull stole from you, and now the participants have to throw the food in the garbage bin. Participants have to throw the garbage into the bin from behind the rope. If they miss, they go run and retrieve it and try again until they get it in. When they do get it in, they run to the start and begin the adventures again.
10. Competition: To make this a competition, divide participants into two groups. At each adventure, have two set ups side by side; one will be for one team and the other for the other team. Play for a set amount of time, or until one team has a set amount of garbage in their garbage can.
11. Once a participant completes the second adventure, the next participant can go.
12. Optional at the end of the adventure to have a sprinkler participants have to run through, spray bottles to spray the participants with, or they have to drink some water.
13. Don't forget the sunscreen!
Variations:
Use only some of these adventures, create other adventures, make the adventures easier or harder, and change them to best suit the participants.
Instead of running from station to station, they can pretend to be swimming to the stations.
Set up two separate beach adventures, instead of having them set up together.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.
Attachments: Download