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Big Hairy Spider- Hula hoops are laid out in a big circle with three or four flies (children) in each hoop. It is helpful to bring their attention to who in in the hoop with them and in the hoops directly in front and behind them. The BHS is in the middle in a hoop. I say, “The big hairy spider has (a number) legs” then they have to move that many hoops. If the flies are tagged they go to the "spider web" in the middle. When it is full (5 children) they escape at the end of the round and a new spider is chosen. I like to make math problems out of it 2+2 legs, 6-2 legs. The number should not be too large though a bigger number can give a slower child extra time to catch flies.
Blacksmith- Two blacksmiths in the center of the circle. The circle (link of chain) holds hands and chants while moving clockwise and in and out, “Now we form the magic circle. Made by blacksmiths way back when. If it brakes we need not worry, we can form it back again.” Then the circle stops, still holding hands, and the blacksmiths gesture hammering in their hand saying “Cling, cling, cling... clang!” (They chose how many clings). When they say clang the chain breaks apart and runs away. The blacksmiths then forge the links together again by tagging them. Once tagged the links stay with the blacksmith and tag 2 more people. When a string of 4 is made they split into 2s and chase other links until everyone is part of a chain.
Bowser the Hound - The class forms a circle with space in between the students. One child is Bowser the Hound and one is Reddy the Fox. Reddy runs in between the students of the circle in whatever path he chooses. Bowzer must follow that path exactly and tag him to win. If Bowzer takes a different path Reddy has "out foxed him".
Bunny Burrows- Six or so hula hoops spread out in the room. These are "burrows". Two children are foxes all the rest are bunnies. The foxes start in their den (off to the side) while the bunnies hop around (literally like bunnies) eating breakfast. Then I yell "Here come the foxes, 1, 2, 3" and the foxes chase the bunnies. The bunnies are safe in the burrows. But the burrows are small and only three bunnies fit at a time. A new bunny is always welcome but the bunny who has been there the longest must go. (I remind them to notice who is there when they get in). It is important to remind them not to push the bunny who needs to leave. When a bunny is tagged they go to the den. When there are less bunnies I have the burrows "flood" and remove them from the game. When there are only a few left, or the den is a little too rowdy, I end the round.
Classroom Cat and Mice- The cat hides behind the teacher’s desk. The mice (3-5 of them) scratch on the desk. when the cat hears she comes out and chases the mice back to their mouse holes (desks). The mice don’t have to go directly there. They may run up and down the rows of desks before they go home.
Colored Eggs- All line up on a line with one or two foxes in the middle. The foxes say "Knock Knock". The line says,"Who's there". "The little red foxes". "What do you want?" "Colored eggs". "What color?" Then the foxes say a color and if a child is wearing it they run across to the other line. If they get tagged they become foxes too. The foxes face the side with the most people (or are quiet) to say knock knock again. When there are more than 7 foxes start a whole new round with new foxes. For older students who played when they were younger it can be played with flag belts.
Dragon's Cave. The villagers stand on a line and take 3 steps towards the dragon's cave and say "Dragon, dragon in your cave so deep are you awake or are you asleep?" If you hear snoring or "I'm sleeping"... then they walk another 3 steps and say it again. When the dragon is awake he chases the villagers back to their village (the line). Anyone caught becomes a dragon. The dragon needs to be standing in order to catch anyone.
Drop Nut - A squirrel is collecting nuts for the winter and drops one. Her friend finds it and chases after her to give it back. The children sit in a circle and like Duck, Duck, Goose one child walks around the circle. That child has a "nut" (a stick, nut or later a silent scarf). The children in the circle must look strait ahead and not and the squirrel. They can turn around to check behind them when they see her past them and don't see the nut in her hand. If the nut is behind them they pick it up and chase her back to the empty spot. It is fun for the squirrel to walk around until the nut is discovered and then run.
England Ireland Scotland Wales -hand clapping game- England (face partner hands in prayer position but pointing at partner, touch the back of the left hands as they pass from the right to left side),Ireland (touch the backs of right hands as they pass) Scotland (touch back of left hands and don’t pass but stay touching) Wales (leave left hands touching but pull away your right hands then clap your own hands,backs of lefts still touching) Inside (lefts back still together right hands clap above the lefts) Outside (right hands clap below left hands) donkeys tails (jump and both of your hands smack your back pockets)
Ferryman- The children all line up on one side and sing "Ferryman may we cross your river. Ferryman may we cross your sea". The Ferryman (usually me) says, "You may cross my river if you... like me." Showing a body movement (walking like a duck, hopping, etc.) if the child is doing this movement they are safe from you. They can choose to run across. If they are not doing what you said they can be tagged. They can go back to doing the action if you are close to them and run again when you are somewhere else. If they get tagged then they become "river weed" and they are rooted in place. They can then tag children from their spot even if they are doing the prescribed motion.
Farmer and the Crows- Once a farmer had a beautiful garden that crows came and damaged. In her frustration she learned a spell to turn them into scarecrows. The unchanged crows were afraid of the scarecrows at first but eventually realized that they were their kin under a curse. This acknowledgment broke the spell and freed them. The farmer tags the crows. Once tagged the crows stand with legs and arms apart. Two other crows can free them by holding each hand and saying “Spell Unbound”. We begin the game moving in a circle saying the verse “Farmer toiled, food she grew, crows they came, to eat some too, magic chained to the ground, crow friends came spell unbound. Caw Caw Caw!
Farmer Brown- Children sitting in a circle. One child (Farmer Brown) in her mind picks a child to be her sheep then walks around and knocks on a farmer’s door (taps on back) Farmer asks, “Have you seen my sheep?” “What does it look like?” “It has... (something about the person chosen) That farmer then takes a guess at who the sheep is. If they are wrong then Farmer Brown goes to another house. If they are correct then the farmer that guessed chases that sheep around the circle and back to its spot (Brown stays out of the way). An extra challenge is to turn back as you hear clue and try to guess.
Fisherman The children form a big circle at least 10ft from me. I tie an old ball in a cloth to a jumprope and spin it around me. So that I am the center of a 15 ft circle with the ball skimming the ground I say "I am a fisherman brave and strong I'll catch me a fish, and it won’t take long. Hmm what kind of fish am I going to catch today? (children call out a fish). My bucket holds three fish, when the fourth fish is caught, the first fish flops out and returns to the pond. This has also been called jump the shot or bola. Those caught get in the bucket ( I use a mat to sit on, and the first fish slides along as the others are caught, until finally she pops out.
Good Afternoon Old Man - The old man has a cane and is blindfolded. The circle forms around him and moves clockwise while everyone is very quiet. Then the old man slowly spins around and points at someone. That person steps forward, takes the end on the cane and says in their strangest voice, "Good afternoon old man". Then the old man tries to guess who they chose. If they don't guess correctly they can have the person say it again or you can have them spin and select a new person to guess.
Islands- Markers (dots) set around the room. The children are instructed to move about in a special way when I yell "storm!" they have to find the nearest "island" (dot) and put their toe on it. Many children can use one dot. The movements are water based; dolphins, crabs, sailboat, speedboat, etc.
Jack Frost- The children from a village at the base of a tall mountain would call up to Jack Frost in hopes that there might be snow. The children knew that he and his arctic fox friend liked to play with his ball of snow. The game is played with the children lined up on one side of the play area and Jack and his fox in the middle. The children call out “Jack Frost, Jack Frost, won’t you come and play with us?” and he answers, “Not until my ball bounces (a number) times”. Jack throws the ball up and the children have to wait until the ball has bounced that many times before they are allowed to run across, trying not to be tagged by Jack. The fox’s job is to retrieve the ball, no one else may touch it. If they are tagged by Jack they wait in the middle with a hand out to be saved by someone on their next way by.
Lions and Leopards- Two people hold hands making a bridge while everyone is in a circle that moves under the bridge. They chant and step in beat, “Lions and leopards, lions and leopards, hunting at night. Lions and leopards, lions and leopards, hunting at night. Lions and leopards, lions and leopards catch the game”. On the word “Game” they bring their arms down and whoever is caught in between (like London bridge) joins them. Then they say it again and catch the next. As the hunters grow in number they can catch more people at a time in their trap.
Loving Zero- One child skips around the circle while we sing;”Circle round the zero, find your loving zero, back back zero, side side zero, front front zero, tap your loving zero”. At “find your loving zero” the child stops behind someone and together they do what the song says ending with the original skipper tapping the zero on the shoulder and taking their place as the zero then become the skipper.
Magic Hills -Hula hoops are set out around the room and a witch casts a spell on all the children that when they hear a bell they must go to the closest magic hill (hula hoop). Then the witch casts another spell turning them all into ... (Bats, Toads, Ghosts, Dry Leaves). Then the bell rings and the go to a hill for another spell. This can be adapted for other seasons (the fairy queen in Spring- birds, flower pedals, Jack Frost- winter sports)
Magic Hills - A wise medicine woman has an apprentice that gathers the herbs she needs to make her magic. Different spells need different colors. Hula hoops are set out around the room all the children start in the hoops. The wise women says the magic color needed. "The magic color is ...". Those children must leave the "hill" they are on and run to another while the apprentice(s) chase them. If tagged they sit out until two others are caught and then go back in (so there are only two or three out at a time). Second grade ran strait to the new hoop. Third grade liked to play chase so I would give them a moment and then yell another color. Once that second color is called those with the first needed to find the closest hoop unless they were wearing the new color too.
Mother Bird- The mother bird (me or a child who cannot participate) sits in her nest and all the fledgling birds are in the woods (on a line across a running space) Each of them have been assigned one of four kinds of birds (that match the colors of my juggling scarves) bluebird, robin, chickadee, and parrot. The mother bird calls one kind back to the nest because she sees the bird catcher coming (they don’t seem to notice that one mother has many types of babies). Those birds run to the nest. On the side there is a bird catcher who comes out at the call and tries to tag the birdies. If they are tagged they go off to the side where there is a “bird cage”. If they are not tagged then I send them back to the woods and tell them it is safe the bird catcher is gone. I call each kind of bird and then empty the bird cage and pick a new bird catcher.
Musical hoops - Hula hoops are laid out in a big circle. I play my flute and while they hear music they skip around the circle. When they hear the music stop they find the closest hoop and stand in it. As the game continues I take away a hoop each round. It is fun to see how few hoops everyone will fit inside.
Neighbors- Children seated in a circle (sitting on place markers). One child standing in the center says “I like my neighbors who...” and then something about her neighbors such as likes pickles, has a sister, is wearing blue. The children who fit that description get up and change places. The child in the middle claims an empty spot and a new child is left in the middle.
Old Witch - like mr Fox. Children on a line. "Old witch old witch who lives in a ditch and combs her hair with a hickory switch What time is it old witch old witch what time is it old witch?". "It's (a time 1 through 11)". They take that many steps toward her and say the verse again. When she says midnight she chases them back toward the line.
Posture Tag- All players have beanbags balanced on their heads. the ones who are “It” have a red bag the others blue. The “Its” walk as quickly as they can to tag the others. If the beanbag falls off the “It” while he is chasing someone that person is free to go while the beanbag is put back on. If it falls off the one being chased or if they are tagged they switch beanbags and become “It”.
Scrambled Eggs - 5 children stand in front of the class and are looked at carefully. Then the class looks away while they change things, then class looks and tries to figure out what has changed.
Statues The night watchman falls asleep and the statues come to life and play.
I ring the bell (the clock chiming wakes the watchman) and they freeze. If I see them moving, they run into each other or are too loud they sit on the mat for one activity round. "Now you will be" and they act out what I say until I ring the bell. (skip, swim, bike, horses, basketball, dance, frog, monkey, lion, crab, octopus.) can be played with a ball rolled and the statues have to not move even if the ball is heading at them. If bumped they are out a round and can help pick the next activity.
Tall trees in the forest -Centering verse. Tall trees in the forest (tiptoes with hands high), fir cones on the ground (curled up in a ball) tall trees in the forest (same) fir cone all around (arms and legs spread wide) tall trees in the forest standing just so (feet together with arms crossed body still).
Tap Jack- Tap Jack is so shy he taps someone and runs away. Like duck, duck, goose (sitting in a circle) a child taps one person on the shoulder and runs away. The person tapped runs the other way when they meet they stop and shake hands and say good morning. Then they run back to the empty space. if the person tapped gets there first they can choose to be Tap Jack or not. If Tap Jack is first the other child is the new Tap Jack.
Through the Forest- One person is the wolf and turns his back to the play area. Everyone sings, "Through the forest we are skipping while the wolf is far away. Who knows what will happen to us if he finds us at our play." (BB GG BB GG BB GF BB G). When they get to the word “play” everyone freezes and the wolf turns around. Anyone moving is caught and stands one a line next to the wolf for one round
Witch in the Woods- There was a village near a large woods. During the day the children would go into the woods to gather wood, berries, and nuts. Because it was such a dense forest when night came it got dark very fast. When it was dark a witch that lived in the wood would walk through looking for children. If she saw them she would capture them and tie them to her magic rope. The game is played; The lights are on and the children are playing acting out activities. The lights go out (I have some that stay on always so its not totally dark) and the children must freeze. I come out as the witch and walk through the room among the frozen children and say "When the sun goes down and it's darkest night I search for children who shake with fright. If I see you move your toes, tied to my rope your wrist goes." If I see them move they come and
hold onto a jump rope I am holding and trail out behind me. After I say the verse I wander back out and turn the light on. The children then play again and freeze when the lights go out.The "caught" children stay on the rope and follow me through the woods to catch others.
FANTASTIC!!!
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