Spinning Plates: Start, Keep It Going and Pass

Students learn to start a spinning plate on a stick, keep it going and pass it to a partner's stick. It is a circus skill that gives a lot of success quickly.

How to play

1. Start: put the stick inside the bottom rim and make faster and faster wrist circles until the plate centers itself (8 min).
2. Keep it going: hold the wrist still and give the rim gentle slaps with the free hand to speed it up (6 min).
3. Move the plate to the other hand and balance the stick on a finger or an open palm (5 min).
4. In pairs: pass the spinning plate from one stick to the other, tip to tip (6 min).
5. Challenge: pop the plate a few inches up and catch it on the stick without it stopping (5 min).

Rules

• Never point the stick at anyone's face.
• Pop the plate only straight up and only a little.
• Keep two arm lengths between students.
• If the plate drops, pick it up and restart; don't throw it.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with weak grip: thicken the stick with tape or foam.
• Students with low vision: use bright plates while the partner describes the spin.
• Limited mobility: the whole activity works seated; it is one of the most accessible in the unit.

Learning goals

• Master starting and keeping the spin.
• Control an object in dynamic balance.
• Cooperate when passing the plate.

Equipment for a class of 25

• spinning plates with sticks: 30

Teacher tip

Plastic circus plates are cheap and nearly unbreakable; paper plates don't work. Common mistake: keeping the wrist circling after the plate centers, which throws it off.

More main activities for Middle School