Rescuing the Baby Toucan

The baby toucans have fallen out of their nest, and each child carries one (a beanbag) through the jungle: across the vine bridge, over the puddles, crawling through the leaf cave, up the giant log and back to the nest. Children link balance, jumping, crawling, low climbing and tossing while caring for something small and fragile.

How to play

1. Sitting down, the teacher explains that the baby toucans have fallen and shows the jungle: the vine bridge (gym bench), the puddles (hoops), the leaf cave (tables in a row), the giant log (stacked mats) and the nest (a basket on a chair) (3 min).
2. The teacher slowly walks the jungle with a toucan in hand while the children call out each station (2 min).
3. First round without toucans, as a little train, each child one friend's space behind the next (3 min).
4. Each child takes a toucan and carries it through: hugged to the tummy on the bridge, jumping with it in the puddles, pushed ahead in the cave, set on top before climbing the log, and finally tossed gently into the nest; walk back along the edge and grab another (6 min).
5. The nest has moved: the teacher moves the basket and the children follow the path to find it again (3 min).
6. With all the toucans home, sit around the nest and peep very softly so they fall asleep (1 min).

Rules

• Don't drop your toucan along the way: take care of it all the way to the nest.
• Only one explorer on the bridge at a time.
• In the cave, crawl on hands and knees or on your tummy, never standing.
• If the friend ahead is slow, we wait.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a parallel route on the floor (rope instead of bench, going alongside the tables instead of under) and tossing from the chair.
• Visual impairment: put a large bell in the nest basket for the teacher to shake, and a classmate guides by the hand on the bridge.
• Autism: picture cards of each station taped to the floor in order, and always the same color toucan.

Learning goals

• Link five motor skills in one course.
• Carry an object carefully while moving.
• Help complete a shared mission.

Equipment for a class of 25

• banco sueco: 1
• aros: 6
• mesas: 3
• colchonetas: 4
• saquitos: 25
• cesta: 1
• silla: 1

Teacher tip

Set up the jungle before the kids come in and check that the stacked mats don't slide. Put one adult at the bench and another at the log. The cave is where lines back up: let children in one at a time every few seconds.

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