#4767. Playground Safety

Phys Ed, level: Kindergarten
Posted 09/12/2014 by Nhia (Nhia).
Materials Required: Bandaids,eggs, bananas, apples, balls
Activity Time: 1 class
Concepts Taught: Playground Safety

Teachers will give each students a Band-Aid then tell students to put it on their "owie," and then tell it to a friend how they got that "owie." Teachers will then tell the students that they are going to learn some ways to prevent getting hurt while on the playground.

Instructional Procedures

1. Ask the students if any "owies" happened on the school playground. Then have those students to share how it happened.

2. Divide the class into four groups. Each group will be responsible to chart one experiment. Discuss the charting format, and have students in each group make their own chart by folding the paper as illustrated in this lesson. Students will draw lines and add text for their group experiment as indicated e.g., egg, banana, apple, or ball. The text should be simplified to a label (i.e., asphalt). It is written out in this example as a clarification for teachers.

Sample Charting Format

This is what the (egg, apple, or ball) did...
when I dropped it on the asphalt
when I dropped it on the grass
when I dropped it on the wood chips/sand

This is what the banana did...
when I walked into jungle gym
when I ran into the jungle gym
when I crowded in line

Sample Charting Format

I think the (egg, apple, or ball) will...
when I drop it on the asphalt
when I drop it on the grass
when I drop it on the wood chips/sand

I think the banana will...
when I walk into jungle gym
when I run into the jungle gym
when I crowd into line

3. Give out clipboards for each students to put their charts on it. Always remind students to bring a pencil and take the class outside. Invite students to observe and describe what the playground looks like (bring out the different kinds of surfaces on the playground). Explain to them that they are going to do an experiment using their apples, eggs, bananas, and balls on the playground.

4. Ask students to sit within the members of their group (but the whole class will stay in the same area). Each group will be responsible to keep track of only their own experiment. Have each student in the egg group discuss, draw or write their prediction of what will happen to the egg if it is dropped on certain surfaces and record their predictions in the spaces on top row. Repeat the same procedure for the groups, throwing an apple or bouncing a ball across each surface. Students in the banana group will discuss and predict what will happen to the banana if it bumped against a piece of playground equipment when being held by someone walking, and when someone running. Then they will discuss and predict what would happen to a banana if it were to crowd in line and record their predictions on the chart.

5. One group at a time will be given 3 hard-boiled eggs, 3 apples, 3 bananas, or a ball. Each group will perform their experiment while the rest of the class observes each of the experiments (dropping the egg, throwing the apple, bouncing the ball, and moving with the banana into equipment). Have the students observe, discuss, draw or write their observations in the appropriate boxes on their charts.

6. Sit down together (either inside or outside) and discuss what they predicted and what they observed. Ask each student why they think the outcomes of the various objects were different on the different surfaces (and banana at different speeds).

7. Ask the students why they think the playground was created with different kinds of surfaces. Ask the students how they can relate the egg, apple, and banana to the human body. Compare the breaking of the apple skin to an abrasion on a knee, the egg to a broken bone, the bruising of the apple or banana to the bruising of an injury. give examples of places to play running games, ball games, jump ropes, etc. Give examples problems if students play a game in an inappropriate place (i.e., soccer in the jump rope area, jump ropes around the playground equipment, tag by the swings or slides).

8. Have the students create basic playground rules, and write these rules on a chart using shared writing strategies. Put these rules in the classroom or hall.