EQUIPMENT
20 short cones
Optional: 1 flag per student
STORYLINE
Today we are playing Boat Captains. In this game, you are boat captains that are sailing in the harbor, waiting for orders to leave and go to the shore or to the sea. Your goal is to complete your mission without being caught by the sea monster (tagger).
INSTRUCTIONS
- Before the game begins, I will select two of you to be sea monsters. One sea monster will begin on each side of the harbor. Everyone else is a boat captain and must dock in the harbor (stand on the sidelines in the harbor).
- When I say, “GO!” the boat captains will begin sailing (jogging) to the other side of the harbor. Before they reach the other side, I will give the orders (to the “sea” or to the “shore”) at which point they must get to that end zone without being tagged by a sea monster.
- If you are tagged or go out-of-bounds, you become a sea monster in the next round.
- If you make it to the end zone without being tagged, you are safe.
- We will begin a new round when all the boat captains have made it to their end zone or have been tagged.
- We will start a new game when there are two boat captains remaining. The last two captains become the new sea monsters.
Game 1: Play as indicated above.
Game 2: Allow each boat captain to choose which direction they want to go (must decide before reaching the other side of the harbor).
Variation: Instead of tagging have boat captains wear flags that must be pulled by sea monsters.
TEACHING TIPS
- Approach: The focus is to have students move around a corner, so make sure students leave the harbor as soon as the orders are given.
- Discussion: Ask students to share how they rounded the corner to avoid losing too much speed as they ran from the sea monsters.