From Calm Sea to Big Storm
Holding the edge of the parachute, children make the fabric move like a sea that goes from calm to stormy, following the hand drum. It builds the ability to adjust arm strength and speed to a signal.
How to play
- In a circle, each child holds the edge with both hands and the teacher introduces the sea: still, stretched fabric is a "calm sea" (1 min).
- With slow, soft drum beats we make little ripples: arms go up and down slowly, almost silently (1 min).
- Faster beats bring a "choppy sea": medium waves, bending the knees too (1 min).
- When the drum plays very fast, the storm arrives: we shake hard and make wind sounds with our mouths (1 min).
- Switch between calm, choppy and stormy without warning; when the drum stops, the sea freezes like a mirror (1 min).
- Finish with one huge wave up high and lower the fabric slowly to the ground (1 min).
Rules
- Both hands always hold the edge.
- Listen to the drum to know which sea it is.
- When the drum stops, the sea stops.
- We shake the fabric, not our friends.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, use only two seas, calm and stormy, and the teacher says the name as well as drumming.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, use all three seas and switch more and more often.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, add the "upside-down sea": slow waves with a fast drum and the other way around, so they think before they move.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a child in a wheelchair holds the edge at lap height and moves only the arms; the children on either side lower their section a little.
- Autism: give a heads-up before the storm, the loudest part, and let the child hold the edge next to the teacher or join only for the calm sea.
- Hearing impairment: pair the drum with a clear hand signal: flat hand for calm, wavy hand for choppy, shaking fist for the storm.
Learning goals
- Adjust the strength and speed of movement to a sound signal.
- Coordinate their own movement with the group's.
- Warm up arms, shoulders and legs at the start of the session.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Rainbow parachute: 1
- Hand drum: 1
Teacher tip
Lay the parachute out before the children come in and have each one stand by a handle. The usual mistake is pulling backward during the storm, so remind them "up and down, not toward me."
PatioLab has "From Calm Sea to Big Storm" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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