Grasshoppers on the Cabbage Leaves

Children are grasshoppers jumping from cabbage leaf to cabbage leaf (hoops) beside the garden beds, with long or short jumps depending on the drum and freezing when a bird flies by. They work on two-foot jumps with soft, controlled landings.

How to play

1. Spread hoops on the ground near the garden: they're cabbage leaves; show the grasshopper jump: bend your knees, swing arms back, and hop! (2 min).
2. Jump freely from leaf to leaf, landing softly "so the leaf doesn't rip" (3 min).
3. Fast drum: jump to a faraway leaf; slow drum: tiny hops inside your own leaf (2 min).
4. "Here comes a bird!": grasshoppers freeze like green twigs without moving a single antenna (2 min).
5. The teacher lines up some hoops and we jump from one to the next in a row, feet together or on one foot (2 min).
6. Grasshoppers lie down on their leaf and rub their legs together to sing a quiet "chirp, chirp" (1 min).

Rules

• Jump to an empty leaf or where you fit without bumping.
• Land with bent knees, soft as a leaf.
• When the bird comes, everyone freezes.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the child "jumps" with the arms or wheels from hoop to hoop, and freezes for the bird.
• Less coordination: jump between leaves that touch, or take a big step instead of a jump.
• Hearing impairment: announce the bird with a raised scarf and show the drum speed with the teacher's gestures.

Learning goals

• Improve two-foot jumps and cushioned landings.
• Adjust jump power to the distance.
• React to a signal with a quick freeze.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Hula hoops: 20
• Hand drum

Teacher tip

Don't put hoops on smooth or wet surfaces, since they slip when stepped on; chalk the cabbage leaves instead. The usual mistake is landing with straight legs, so use the image of "springs in your knees."

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