Grade: Junior, Intermediate
Facility: Indoors, Classroom or Multi-purpose Room
Physical Activity Level: Moderate to Vigorous
Time: 20 minutes or two 10 minute segments
Materials: None
Activity Description: Space Mission is a fun activity for younger students and also a great opportunity for educators teaching science/technology in the Grade 6 Space Unit to introduce a lesson and get students activated to learn. Students participate in this activity within a large group. Commands can be adapted to accommodate different facilities and varying abilities of your students.
Overview: Ask students to clear a safe pathway from each corner to the next. Allow for a warm-up (beginning with less vigorous movement) and cool down (ending with less vigorous movement). Demonstrate each command and accompanying action. Remind students to move safely and to avoid colliding with other groups during the mission. Instruct the students to scatter within the room. As each command is called the students participate in the accompanying action. You may want to consider starting with only a few commands and then as the students become more familiar you can add additional commands.
Command examples may include:
- Blast Off…Jump up as high as they can with both legs
- Meteor Shower… hop on alternating legs
- Space Travel….running on the spot
- Lunar Landing…run three steps and stop, run three steps and stop
- Steering Wheel…run in a zigzag path
- Out of gas…crawl on stomach on the floor
- Recreation Time…walk around the space
- Red Alert…run to the nearest corner and do jumping jacks
(Adaptations to the above examples may be required to accommodate the varying skills and abilities of you students)
Source: H&PE Curriculum Resource Support Binder, Grade 1(Adapted from Car Rally)
