Cooperative Activities
K - 1 Buggy Rides 3 - 6 The Bus
K - 1 Scooter-mania 3 - 6 The Glob
K - 2 I Want a Home 3 - 6 Minefield
K - 2 Hold that Floor 3 - 6 Kong Pong
K - 2 Copy Machine 3 - 6 Nerf-Ball Passover
K - 2 Traffic Tag 4 - 6 Sneak Attack
K - 2 Parachute Fun 4 - 6 Moving Islands
K - 2 Ring of Fun 4 - 6 Slalom Blindfold
1 - 2 Animals 4 - 6 Nine-person Skip
2 - 3 The Snake 4 - 6 Balloon Fooseball
2 - 5 Man From Mars 5 - 6 The Tadpole
2 - 6 Keepers of the Castle 5 - 6 Titanic Challenge
2 - 8 Cooperative Hoops 5 - 6 Human Knot
3 - 4 Cone Scramble 6 Cooperative Team Handball
3 - 5 Frogs and Ants 6 Cross-Over Blanket Volleyball
3 - 5 Loop Da Hoop

PPEP-PALS Lesson Sharing
Teacher & School: Zack Dee, Petaluma Junior High
Activity Grade Level
Human Knot 5 - 6
Equipment Needs
  • NONE!!
Facility/Playground Needs Any area big enough to accommodate your class.
Lesson Objective (Psychomotor and/or Cognitive): For students to work together and listen to everyone's ideas while developing a strategy to solve a problem.
Teaching Hints:
  • Check to make sure students don't let go with their hands.
  • No negative comments or putdowns allowed.
  • Remind students to be careful of each other and not to hurt anyone.
  • Remind students not to pull too hard when holding another student's hand.
Description:

Divide the students into two groups (or you can have them be one big group. Either way will work).

Begin the activity with all players standing in a circle, shoulder to shoulder. All participants place their hands toward the center of the circle and use them to make the movements of a washing machine (up, down, side to side) while keeping their eyes closed. On the signal "hang on," the participants grab two different people's hands across the circle.

The object is for the group(s) to untangle themselves without letting go. Students must always be holding hands with someone else.

Alternatives/Modifications
  • Have two groups race against each other to see who can get untangled first.
  • Have the whole class do it together. The more people in the knot, the more fun!!
  • Have a student from each group go outside. While outside, each group will make themselves into a knot. The student from group A will untangle group B and vice versa.
Reference