Navigator and Runner: One Map at Base
In pairs, the navigator stays at base with the only map and talks the route to each control; the runner goes out without a map, finds the code, and comes back. Students practice precise communication, map reading, and short-term memory.
How to play
- Set out 12 numbered control markers around the playground, each with a code card, and mark a central base where each pair keeps its map.
- Pair students up: one is the navigator and stays at base with the map; the other is the runner and may not look at the map.
- The navigator picks a control and explains the route in under 30 seconds using landmarks: "head toward the drinking fountain, turn left at the fence..."
- The runner goes out, finds the control, memorizes the code, and comes back to tell the navigator, who writes it on the map.
- After three controls, partners switch roles; the game lasts 16 minutes with switches about every 4 minutes.
- The pair with the most correct codes wins; in the final 4 minutes, discuss which directions worked best.
Rules
- The navigator may not point or walk with the runner.
- A wrong code does not count but costs nothing: the runner can try that control again.
- Safety: run in open areas and slow down when crossing paths with other pairs near base.
Variations
Easier
The navigator can give two extra directions if the runner comes back without finding the control.
Standard
A 30-second explanation and one control per trip.
Harder
The runner has to bring back two controls in a row on one trip from a single explanation.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student is always the navigator or runs a nearby, accessible area.
- Hearing impairment: the navigator uses agreed-on gestures and sketches the route on a small whiteboard before the runner leaves.
- Fitness level: far controls are worth 2 points and close ones 1, so each pair picks its own pace.
Learning goals
- Give clear route directions using landmarks.
- Match map features with what can be seen on the playground.
- Work with a partner toward a shared goal.
Equipment for a class of 25
- maps: 13
- control markers: 12
- code cards: 12
Teacher tip
Before starting, model one good and one bad set of directions so students see the difference. Watch that navigators do not shout from base: everything has to be explained before the runner leaves.
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