Mime Cleanup: The Gear Is Heavy, Hot, or Made of Glass

The gear from class is put away as if it were something else: incredibly heavy, burning hot, made of glass, or floating. The class brings heart rates down while tidying up with a calm expressive task.

How to play

1. The teacher names the gear's quality: “it's made of glass.” Everyone picks up one item and carries it to its place with extreme care, in slow motion (2 min).
2. New quality for the next item: it weighs a ton, it's burning hot, it's filled to the brim with water, it floats in the air. Carry it in pairs if it's “too heavy” (2 min).
3. Last item: each person picks a secret quality and the person next to them guesses it when it goes into the cart (1 min).
4. Silent check: the group makes sure every item is in its place and lines up to leave (1 min).

Rules

• Walk slowly the whole time.
• Set the real gear down carefully, even if the mime is a throw.
• Carry sticks upright.
• Everybody puts something away.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: they pick up light items and place them in the cart, which is brought near them.
• Visual impairment: they collect gear from one specific area with a partner guide.
• Back injury: no lifting from the floor; they receive gear from a classmate and place it in the cart.

Learning goals

• Wind down at the end of class.
• Keep an imagined movement quality.
• Help take care of the equipment.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 20
• hoops: 10
• gym sticks: 10

Teacher tip

Works with any gear from the lesson: adapt the list to what you have. Always finish with a slow quality (glass, water) so the group heads to the locker room calm.

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