Paper Route Delivery Run
Every student is a newspaper carrier who keeps running a loop lined with houses (hoops) and delivers papers (beanbags) by tossing them on the move. Students build aerobic endurance while working on accuracy under fatigue.
How to play
- Mark a 220-yard loop with cones. Along the sides, place ten hoops 2 yards from the running line: these are the houses. Put four buckets of beanbags at the start (3 min).
- Each carrier takes three beanbags, runs the loop and tosses one into three different houses without stopping. Back at the start, they reload and keep going.
- Every beanbag that lands in a hoop is a delivery. Students keep track of their deliveries and laps.
- Block 1, 5 minutes at a comfortable pace. Walk 2 minutes while two students collect the beanbags from the houses (7 min).
- Block 2, 5 minutes: only deliveries to the odd-numbered houses, set a bit farther away, count. Everyone tries to beat their total (5 min).
- Discussion: is your aim as good at the end as at the start? How does fatigue affect it? (3 min).
Rules
- Toss while running or walking, never standing still.
- Toss only to houses on the outside of the loop, never toward other runners.
- Pass on the outside and call out as you go.
- Anyone who needs to slow down walks without leaving the loop.
Variations
Easier
165-yard loop, hoops 1 yard away and 4-minute blocks.
Standard
220-yard loop with hoops 2 yards away and two 5-minute blocks.
Harder
Hoops 3 yards away, or tosses only with the non-dominant hand.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: in a wheelchair, use an inside loop with houses 1 yard from the edge.
- Autism: give a card listing the houses to visit each lap for structure.
- Lower fitness: may power-walk the loop and toss to every house.
Learning goals
- Sustain continuous aerobic effort for several minutes.
- Toss accurately while moving and tired.
- Set a personal goal and check the improvement.
Equipment for a class of 25
- beanbags: 75
- hoops: 10
- cones: 12
- buckets: 4
Teacher tip
Always put the houses on the outside of the loop so nobody throws inward. Rotating collectors keeps equipment from piling up and gives them an active break.
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