Mat Mountain: Everyone Over

Each group must get every member up and over a mountain made of a vaulting box covered with mats, using only hands and safe supports. Students work on climbing, group problem-solving and giving physical help responsibly.

How to play

1. Set up two mountains: a vaulting box about 30 inches high with a mat on top and mats all around for the way down. Make four groups of six, two groups per mountain (3 min).
2. Explain the allowed help: holding hands, pushing from the hips and a hand step with fingers laced at knee height. Climbing on anyone's back is not allowed (2 min).
3. First challenge: the whole group gets to the other side by climbing up, crawling across the top and sliding down seated. No one climbs without two helpers (5 min).
4. Before trying again, take 1 minute to plan: who goes first to help from the top, and who goes last with no hand step? (1 min).
5. Second challenge against the group's own time: beat the first try without breaking a rule. Groups rotate every 3 minutes (6 min).
6. Three-minute share-out: each group explains how it got its last member over (3 min).

Rules

• Always come down seated or facing the box, never jumping off the top.
• Only two people may be on top of the mountain at once.
• Anyone who doesn't want a certain kind of help says so, and the group finds another way.
• Safety: the teacher stays by the mountain, and mats cover the whole landing area.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student is the operations chief who sets the order and keeps time; if possible, they cross by a ramp of foam wedges alongside.
• Fear of heights or shyness: the student can start by helping from below and climb only halfway.
• Fitness level: stronger students help from the top by pulling hands, not from below by lifting weight.

Learning goals

• Climb up and down a tall obstacle safely.
• Plan the order and the help as a group.
• Give physical help responsibly and respectfully.

Equipment for a class of 25

• mats: 8
• vaulting box: 2

Teacher tip

The critical moment is the last climber: tell groups ahead of time they will need two people pulling from the top. Check there are no gaps between mats on the landing side.

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