The Rainbow After the Storm
After a storm under the gray sheet, the sun hands each child a colored ribbon, and together they form a huge rainbow lying on the floor, which then comes alive to music. Kids work on organizing themselves in space with classmates and expressing movement with ribbons.
How to play
- Everyone under the gray sheet, which is the storm cloud: we make rain with our hands and thunder with our feet (2 min).
- The storm passes: the teacher pulls off the sheet and gives each child a ribbon, naming its color (2 min).
- Kids with the same color find each other; then the teacher marks a curve on the floor and each color lies down in its stripe, one after another, making the arch (3 min).
- The rainbow moves: to the music, each stripe waves ribbons together without breaking the arch, first up high and then side to side (3 min).
- The rainbow crosses the sky: each color in a line follows its leader in a big arc around the room and back to its place (2 min).
- Night falls and the rainbow fades: we lay the ribbon down and stay still (1 min).
Rules
- I find the friends with my color.
- I lie down in my stripe, next to my classmates.
- I wave my ribbon without hitting anyone's face.
- The rainbow doesn't break: I stay in my line.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, only three colors (red, yellow and blue) and the teacher places each group in its stripe.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, five or six colors and groups find each other on their own.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, all seven colors in rainbow order, which they figure out from a photo.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: joins the stripe from the wheelchair at the end of the arch and waves the ribbon with their arms.
- Visual impairment: ribbons with a different texture for each color (smooth, knotted, yarn) and a buddy guide.
- Autism: let them choose their color first and place them at the edge of their stripe.
Learning goals
- Group by color and take a place in a shared shape.
- Express movement with an object to music.
- Work together to build a group shape.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Colored ribbons: 25
- Gray sheet: 1
- Music
Teacher tip
Mark the arch with masking tape before starting; without a guide the rainbow ends up a blob. If you can, snap a photo of the rainbow from above and show it to the group.
PatioLab has "The Rainbow After the Storm" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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