Down to the Sunken Ship
Divers head to the bottom of the sea in five groups that rotate through the stations: the seaweed forest, the shells, the octopus cave, the whale's back and the deck of the sunken ship, where they store pearls in the chest. Each group works on one skill and everyone gets to every station.
How to play
- Sitting down, the teacher explains there is a sunken ship with an empty treasure chest and shows the stations: seaweed (sticks on cones in a zigzag), shells (hoops), octopus cave (tables), whale's back (gym bench) and deck (stacked mats with the chest in front) (2 min).
- The teacher demos each one: wiggling through the seaweed, two-footed hops from shell to shell, crawling through the cave, tiptoeing along the whale and climbing onto the deck to toss a pearl into the chest (2 min).
- Make five color groups, each starting at one station; children repeat their station at their own pace until the conch (the drum) sounds (2 min).
- When the conch sounds, each group swims to the next station; rotate until everyone has done all five (8 min).
- Sit around the chest, count the pearls together and swim up to the surface very slowly (2 min).
Rules
- When the conch sounds, we swim to the next station, no running.
- One at a time on the whale.
- Pearls go in the chest, not at friends.
- If there's a line, wait by waving your arms like an octopus.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, rotate all together with the teacher instead of in groups, and use a rope on the floor instead of the bench.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, use groups with an adult at the bench and mat stations, and a wide seaweed zigzag.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, set the seaweed closer together, space the shells for long strides, and toss pearls one-handed from the deck.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: in the cave, the child goes alongside the tables touching them, and on the whale follows a rope on the floor with a buddy.
- Hearing loss: along with the drum, the teacher raises a blue cloth to signal the change.
- Autism: groups always rotate the same direction, and show the next station's picture card before switching.
Learning goals
- Keep balance while moving in different ways.
- Get through five stations following the group rotation.
- Explore different ways to move like sea animals.
Equipment for a class of 25
- picas: 5
- conos: 5
- aros: 6
- mesas: 3
- banco sueco: 1
- colchonetas: 3
- pelotas: 15
- caja: 1
- pandero: 1
Teacher tip
Make the groups beforehand with colored stickers to save time. Don't worry if a group is slow: the goal is lots of repetition, not finishing. Check that the sticks are just resting on the cones, not fixed, so they fall if bumped.
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