War Canoe Race
War Canoe Race

Games: War Canoe Race for Physical Education Class

Dick Moss, Editor, Physical Education Update.com

A war canoe race is an event a you can use in class or as part of a field day. It's a cooperative team race that allows every student in your class to participate simultaneously.

Setup
Designate a start and finish line about 50 feet apart using cones. Place beanbags between the two lines. The space between the lines represents a river and the beanbags are rocks or logs that your students must travel around to reach the other river bank.

Each team of 5-8 students is given a bamboo pole or broomstick about 6-8 feet long. This is their "canoe if."

All team members stand in a straight line and, holding the pool between their legs, face away from the starting line. The one exception is the "steersman," who stands at the end of the pole, facing towards the river. His job is to guide the group through the obstacles to the other bank.

How to Play
On a whistle, the teams run backwards, guided through the obstacles by the steersman. The first team to reach the other side is the winner.

You can then change the order of the members in the teams, so every student has a new and new chance to be the steersman. You can also alter the course (or let your students do it) to make it more challenging.


Reference: Erik Pederson (Eastern Michigan University), the Michigan Journal For Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. Winter, 1989.


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