Design and Test a Neighborhood Running Loop

Teams draw a running loop of about half a mile near school on a map, run it while tracking the real distance with a phone and score it for safety and comfort. Students practice planning their own exercise and continuous running.

How to play

1. Set up 5 teams of 5; in 6 minutes they draw a loop they estimate at half a mile, starting at the school entrance.
2. Conditions: no more than two crossings, wide sidewalks or paths, and one shady spot or water fountain.
3. Each team runs its loop together at a conversational pace while one member tracks the distance with a phone (7 min).
4. Back at school, they record real distance, time, crossings, surface and a 1 to 5 safety score.
5. Swap maps and run another team's loop to test it (7 min).
6. Share out (4 min): pick the two best loops for the class route bank.

Rules

• Teams come to a full stop before every crossing, even with a walk signal.
• Run no more than two abreast and yield to pedestrians.
• Only the measurer uses a phone, and never while crossing.
• Any loop with an unsafe section is thrown out.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student leads the design and checks the loop's accessibility at their own pace.
• Anxiety or autism: provide a written task list and a fixed role such as measurer.
• Lower fitness: alternate jogging and brisk walking while staying with the team.

Learning goals

• Design a safe running loop near school.
• Compare the distance estimated on the map with the real one.
• Apply pedestrian safety rules when running in town.

Equipment for a class of 25

• maps: 10
• smartphones: 5
• worksheets: 5
• markers: 5

Teacher tip

Mark the allowed area on the map to keep teams off busy roads. Teams usually underestimate distance, so use that to talk about map scale.

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