Pinwheels in the Wind

Each child has a pinwheel and discovers that it spins when they run with it or blow on it: they alternate short runs with stops to blow. It gets the body moving and lets them see how air from their mouth moves things.

How to play

1. The teacher hands out the pinwheels and each child tries blowing: blow slowly and it spins slowly, blow hard and it spins fast (1 min).
2. They run around the playground holding the pinwheel up high so it spins in the breeze they make (1 min).
3. On a clap they stop and spin it by blowing; on the next clap they run again (2 min).
4. They try other ways of moving: walking backward, hopping on one foot, or zigzagging, and stop to blow the pinwheel down low at knee height (1 min).
5. They finish sitting in a circle, all blowing at once and then very softly, until the pinwheels almost stop (1 min).

Rules

• I run holding my pinwheel up high, away from other faces.
• When the teacher claps, I stop and blow.
• If I drop it, I pick it up and keep going.
• I blow on my own pinwheel, not my friend's.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a friend pushes the wheelchair so the pinwheel spins, and then the child blows it.
• Hearing impairment: the stop signal is the teacher's raised arm instead of a clap.
• Weaker blowing: use a thinner paper pinwheel or hold it closer to the mouth.

Learning goals

• Warm up with running and stopping.
• See the effect of their own breath on an object.
• Adjust how hard they blow.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Pinwheels: 25

Teacher tip

Use plastic pinwheels with a closed axle and no pins. On a windy day, take advantage of it: let them watch it spin on its own first.

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