First Aid Myth or Fact Sprint
The teacher reads first aid statements and students sprint to the myth zone or the fact zone before the signal. They break down dangerous beliefs, like tilting the head back for a nosebleed, while keeping intensity high with short sprints.
How to play
- Setup: mark a center line with cones and, 10 yards to each side, a myth zone and a fact zone; split the class into teams of 5 in pinnies.
- The teacher reads a statement, such as "you should put something in the mouth of a person having a seizure," and counts five seconds.
- Each student runs to the zone they choose; on the whistle, everyone in the correct zone earns a point for their team.
- After each answer, the teacher explains in one sentence and everyone jogs back to the center line.
- Every 4 statements, a different team reads a statement card they wrote at the start, which the teacher approves.
- Play about 20 statements in 12 minutes; use the last 3 minutes to review the three most missed.
Rules
- Run forward looking ahead, and don't switch zones after the whistle.
- No elimination: everyone keeps playing and scoring.
- Jog back to the center without collisions.
- Team statements must be checkable and respectful.
Variations
Easier
Statements are clear-cut and students get ten seconds to decide.
Standard
Twenty statements with five seconds each and a short explanation.
Harder
Add a third "it depends" zone that requires justifying the answer out loud.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student answers by raising a colored card and their point counts the same, or moves in a wheelchair to closer zones.
- Deaf or hard of hearing: show the statements on a whiteboard or on large cards.
- Lower fitness: decide while power walking, and shorten the distance to 5 yards.
Learning goals
- Tell correct first aid practices apart from dangerous myths.
- Make quick decisions with limited information.
- Explain the correct answer using precise language.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 8
- cards: 30
- pinnies: 25
Teacher tip
Use statements with real traps, like putting butter on a burn or giving water to an unresponsive person. Because it's high intensity, it also works as the active part of the lesson.
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