Stock the First-Aid Kit Relay
In relays, each team collects item cards and decides which ones belong in a school first-aid kit and which don't, such as rubbing alcohol for wounds or toothpaste for burns. It blends running, team decisions, and practical knowledge.
How to play
- Spread 40 cards face down in the center: useful items (gauze, saline, gloves, blunt-tip scissors, bandages, medical tape, emergency blanket, antiseptic wipes) and traps (rubbing alcohol for wounds, cotton balls, random ointments, butter for burns).
- Teams of 5 line up 12 yards from the center. In front of each team are two hoops: 'Kit' and 'Discard.'
- On the signal, a runner grabs one card, runs back, and the team has 10 seconds to choose a hoop. The next runner goes.
- Stop after 8 minutes. Each correct item in the kit scores a point, and each trap inside costs one.
- Review (4 min): open a real first-aid kit, show each item, and have each team explain the use of three of its cards.
- Wrap-up (1 min): each team names the mistake that surprised them most.
Rules
- Take only one card per trip, without peeking first.
- Stay in your lane and slow down before the center to avoid collisions.
- The whole team makes the decision, not just the runner.
Variations
Easier
Cards include a picture and half as many traps.
Standard
Forty cards, one quarter of them traps.
Harder
For each correct card, the team must name the injury it's used for before placing it.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: serve as the team's sorter and decide each card's hoop.
- Visual impairment: large-print cards and a partner who reads them aloud.
- Lower fitness: run a shorter 6-yard distance to a personal cone.
Learning goals
- Know the basic contents of a school first-aid kit.
- Debunk harmful home remedies in first aid.
- Make quick, reasoned team decisions.
Equipment for a class of 25
- item cards: 40
- hoops: 10
- cones: 5
- first-aid kit: 1
Teacher tip
Use the chance to show where the school's first-aid kit and AED are and who restocks them. The most stubborn myths are alcohol and cotton on wounds; spend time on them.
PatioLab has "Stock the First-Aid Kit Relay" and 2499 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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