Are you itching to get your students outside? Need a new outdoor activity that doesn’t use equipment?
Sometimes a new and innovative lesson is waiting for you right in your own back yard, well, your school’s backyard! Find out how you can utilize your school campus to get your students moving in 3 easy steps!
Living in Arizona, the weather allows me to take my classes outside most of the school year. However, the track setting can sometimes get tiring. One day while I was watching American Ninja Warrior on tv, I noticed the athletes were always talking about how they use Parkour training to prepare for their event. Parkour is an activity in which participants seek to get from point A to point B, like in an obstacle course, as quickly and efficiently as possible. Typically skills such as jumping, climbing, and running are used and should be implemented into your parkour lesson plan.
3 Easy Steps To Create a P.E. Campus Fitness or Parkour Lesson:
- First, walk around your campus find anything that can be used to work the upper body, lower body, cardio, and core.
- Examples include, ramps, walls, picnic tables, benches, stairs, railings, hills, etc.
- Next, map out the campus to create a smooth flowing course.
- Example: I started just outside the gym, then worked my way around the campus and ended at the gym in time to dismiss class.
- Combine 3-4 items to make an obstacle.
- Suggestion: I call or label each obstacle a Challenge and label them 1 through 5. My objective for the students on Campus Fitness Day is to have them complete 5 Challenges before the end of the class period. We do each Challenge together as a whole class and I utilize the “Never Leave Anyone Behind” philosophy. My stronger students help and/or encourage those who need some extra time or assistance. Once all students complete Challenge 1, we move to Challenge 2 and so on.
Here are some photos of my students workin’ it during our last campus fitness day!
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