«Estaba el Señor Don Gato»: Soft Falls from the Rooftop

We're Mr. Don Cat from the traditional Spanish song «Estaba el señor don Gato,» sitting on his roof going «marramamiau,» who gets a letter and is so happy he falls off the roof. We practice soft falls on mats from kneeling and squatting, and the cat gets up again with his nine lives. It works on safe falling and body control.

How to play

1. Walk like elegant cats around the room, first on all fours and then standing with tails up, singing the beginning (2 min).
2. The cat sits on the roof (kneeling on the mat), washes its face and reads the letter very happily (2 min).
3. First fall: from kneeling, tip over sideways, rolling softly onto the shoulder and back (3 min).
4. Second fall: from a squat, sit down and roll back round like a ball (3 min).
5. Cats have nine lives: after falling, get up with a big cat stretch and a loud «meow» (2 min).
6. Sing the whole song acting out the story, each cat on its mat (2 min).

Rules

• I only fall onto the mat.
• Fall round, chin tucked to chest.
• Wait until my mat is free.
• Cats don't push other cats.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: stay lying on the mat and roll sideways with help, or act out the story from the chair with no falls.
• Visual impairment: the teacher guides the first fall with a hand on the back.
• Fearful kids: start lying down and just roll, without falling.

Learning goals

• Learn to fall safely.
• Control the body when going down to the floor.
• Act out a sung story with the body.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Mats: 6

Teacher tip

In the traditional song the cat dies and is revived by the smell of sardines; with little ones, it's enough that he falls and gets back up. No more than three kids per mat and never fall from standing. (In Spain cats have seven lives; «nine» sounds right to US kids.)

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