Boundary Run
Run along the boundary of the space
Last updated
Run along the boundary of the space
Last updated
Sources: Boundary Run doc in Curriculum Drive. This has been copied over but only the summary was edited.
"Activator: In orienteering, we need to know the boundary of the play area, because all the checkpoints will be inside the boundary."
Participants run along the boundary of the space. This activity develops comfort and familiarity with the playable area, and serves as a good warm-up. The participants should remain in single file behind the leader during the run; this is a good opportunity to hold students responsible for following the instructions. Be aware of varying physical abilities among the group, and make sure to adjust the speed of the run accordingly. On easy terrain, switch between different movement patterns (galloping, skipping, etc.) to develop locomotor skills.
This activity is important for the younger elementary ages, to learn basic rules and behavior. While older students can usually understand the boundaries of the space with verbal descriptions, the boundary run is a good warm-up, reinforces following instructions, and provides a physical experience of the boundary. It is very imporatnt to hold the class accountable for following the rules, as this is one of the first activities in a progression.
No set-up is required. (If you will be creating any artificial boundaries, place markers to indicate those boundaries ahead of time.)
Gather the participants together.
Tell the participants you will run around the boundary for the class. Explain how everyone must always remain inside this boundary during class.
Everyone should also stay behind you at all times. Even if they can run faster, they must go your pace so they know where the boundary goes.
Run around the boundary. Make sure participants respect the boundary, and do not cross out of the play area. (It is important to establish a firm expectation that participants must remain within this boundary at all times.)
Quiz the participants on the boundaries of the space. Point out landmarks in the environment and ask if they are inside or outside of the boundary.
If there are gardens or other areas within the boundary where participants should not go, ask if it’s inside or outside. Then ask if participants think they should walk through there even though it’s inside the boundary.
Ask participants why they think boundaries are important.
Safety and Respect are two of the most important things
"Your challenge is to follow me (or the leader) around the boundary of our space today. Everything we do will be inside the boundary, and I’m going to quiz you afterward about where we go, so be sure to pay attention! There are only two rules for this game: you must follow me, and you can’t go in front of me at any time. It's like follow-the-leader!"
Did the class remain in single file?
Did the class stay behind the leader?
Were they able to correctly answer questions about features that are inside and outside the boundary?
Spatial relationships
Pick locations or items and ask whether each is inside or outside the boundary.
Remind participants to stay inside the boundary for the next activities.
Physical self awareness
How do you feel? (Elicit physical feelings like hot, sweaty, tired, as well as mental feelings like alertness, and focus on the changes that happen as a result of physical activity)
Discuss ways of becoming more physically fit, and how that would affect how you feel after a short run.
If participants are not able to run, use other forms of movement (walking, moving in a wheelchair), and adjust the boundary and area to match their abilities. Be sure to adjust your language (Walk instead of Run, etc.) to match the adjusted activity.
If participants are not able to physically move around the boundary, they can watch someone else go around the boundary and then describe it. Alternatively, the teacher can describe the boundary, and then the participant can direct someone else to move around the boundary using spatial vocabulary.
To set up for this activity, place cones in a regular pattern. We recommend using a rectangular or triangular grid.
Pair participants up. Explain that they will get better at giving and listening to instructions about finding things, by playing this game.
In each pair, tell one participant to secretly choose a cone.
The participant who chose the cone should use "Hot or Cold" to direct their partner to the right cone. ("Hot or Cold" works by one person telling another they are approaching the correct spot. For example, if my partner is approaching the correct location, I might say, "Warmer... warmer.. hot... burning!... ON FIRE!". If my partner begins to move away from the location, I might say, "Colder... colder.. cold... freezing... ice cold.")
Once the partner believes they have found the correct cone, they must then guess by indicating which cone they think it is.
If the partner guesses correctly, participants should switch roles. If they are not correct, the participant who selected the secret cone should continue giving "Hot or Cold" directions.
After doing that a few times, increase the difficulty by having the participant choose two secret cones. When the partner thinks they know BOTH cones, they say they are ready to guess and indicate their guess by running back and forth between the two cones. Repeat steps 3-5 until the pair has mastered the activity. The number of cones can be increased to three, so that the participants are guessing a triangle of cones.
As a final test, ask the pairs to play the game one more time, and to sit together in the middle of the triangle once it has been successfully guessed. (Or, if they are not up to three cones, then sit down near a secret cone that was successfully guessed.) This will help identify participants who need more help with the activity, and allow some participants to become coaches for other pairs.
To set up for this activity, you will need to place cones to form a boundary, or place different colored cones in a series of concentric circles, or use distinct landmarks to form a series of progressively smaller play areas.
Explain this game will teach them to pay attention to the boundary while playing.
Decide what kind of tag participants will be playing (e.g. Freeze tag, normal tag, zombie tag, blob tag, etc.). The type of tag does not matter, as long as it can be played within the boundaries of the game.
Direct the participants' attention to the boundary defined by cones or landmarks. Tell them they must remain within this area during the game. They will start in a relatively large area, but the boundary will change and get smaller as the game progresses.
Explain the rules for tag if necessary, and begin the game.
Watch participants to make sure they do not cross outside of the boundary. If a participant does cross out of the play area, respond with an action that suits your particular game of tag (e.g. Freeze tag: the participant is now frozen; zombie tag: the participant is now a zombie).
After several minutes of play, announce that the boundary is changing and the participants must move to within the new boundary. Give participants a 10-second countdown to do so. If any participants are outside of the new play area after this time, refer to step 4.
Proceed until the game ends, or until they've played within the smallest circle for several minutes.
Here, put the connections to the OUSA ADM.
E.g. #Grade 3-5, #indoor, #outdoor, #45minutes
Time and Space
Minutes
Materials and Set-up
Link materials to their section on the Materials page.
Vocabulary
Link each word or phrase to its definition on the Vocabulary page
