Mat Forest: Indoor Orienteering in the Gym

Mats, benches and hoops create a small "terrain" in the gym with its own map; pairs run short courses to numbered cones. It's precise indoor orienteering for rainy days.

How to play

1. Set up together following a map the teacher projects or draws on the board (6 min).
2. Set the map inside the gym and walk through the legend: mat, bench, hoop, cone (4 min).
3. Five-control courses in pairs; each pair starts on a different course (10 min).
4. Pairs swap courses, now timed (8 min).
5. Put equipment away by map: each pair collects what its number says (2 min).

Rules

• Go around the mats, don't step on them.
• Pass on the open side and say so.
• No jumping over benches: go around them.
• Controls are cones with a number and a letter underneath: lift, read and put it back the same way.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair users: leave 1 m aisles between features and route their course through them.
• Low vision: tall bright cones and big numbers.
• Autistic students: preview the setup on the map before starting.

Learning goals

• Match real features to map symbols.
• Navigate precisely over short distances.
• Set the map in an indoor space.

Equipment for a class of 25

• mats: 10
• gym benches: 4
• hoops: 6
• cones: 20
• gym maps: 15
• control cards: 30

Teacher tip

Photocopy a blank gym map and draw the day's setup by hand. Common mistake: turning yourself and not the map; have them keep it set at all times.

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