Hook Kids on Activity with a Summer Fun Unit! [Interactive]

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[0:02] The school year coming to an end is certainly an exciting time, but it can also be very hectic if we let students get out of their routine. I’m going to share with you my summer fun unit and how that keeps my students engaged and prepares them for summer activities.

A Unit to Hook Kids on Summer Activity

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Gopher Bocce Sets

[0:51] I like to end the year with a summer fun unit with the hopes that each student experiences an activity that they want to continue to participate in throughout the summer. If we want our students to be active, we have to give them the tools to be able to participate in that desired activity. A summer fun unit can include any activities that you want to expose your students to. For my unit, I include yard games, playground or park activities, water activities, and even some team-building activities. With yard games, I try to explain or show them how they can adapt the game using equipment that they might have at home. For example bocci ball, we learned how to play it at school and then I demonstrate to the students how they can adapt it for home. If they have a small object for a jack and a couple of other small balls that they can toss or roll, they are set to go.

Introduce Them to Community Resources

[1:42] When I say playground or park activities, I mean teaching students what that they benefit from playing on the playground. Showing them the strength activities that they engage in while they’re just playing. Playing is a great way to get much-needed activity. As they are playing, they are gaining strength confidence and they’re having fun. If students enjoy their activities they will continue to participate. I also try to connect the school playground with a community resource to them. We have neighborhood schools so it’s a perfect opportunity to make students aware of the resources that they can use in our community to be active. We also brainstorm about other ways to be active for example bike trails, and hiking trails, and other parks that they might enjoy going to play or even just going to a park so you have room to play where maybe you don’t have that at home.

Students LOVE Water Activities

[2:37] I like to add water activities for the fun of playing in the water. Students love playing in the water and if we allow them to do it once in a while we kind of get them hooked. I have a couple of team-building water activities that I really love and the students love them too. My favorite water activity is a water transfer. I made this activity by drilling holes in PVC pipe. The object of the activity is for a group of students to transport water from one bucket to the other as fast as they can. The team who fills the bucket to the line first is the winner. However many hands must work together to cover the holes in order for the water to be transferred from one bucket to the other. So it is a great activity to reinforce the importance of teamwork.

Think of ways that you can use your last unit of the year to hook your students and set them up for a summer full of activity.

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