Two-Person Harvest Sling

In pairs, children hold a towel like a basket and harvest tomatoes (soft balls) around the garden, carrying them to the kitchen without dropping any. They practice coordinating with a partner, matching steps, and carrying a shared load.

How to play

1. In pairs, each child holds two corners of a towel: it's our harvest basket (1 min).
2. Walk the empty basket along the paths without letting go, raising and lowering it together (2 min).
3. Harvest time: tomatoes are on the ground next to the beds; the pair squats together, one holds the towel and the other picks up a tomato and puts it in (3 min).
4. Carry the harvest along the paths to the big kitchen basket without dropping a single tomato (3 min).
5. Gardener's trick: toss a tomato up with the towel and catch it again (2 min).
6. Fold the towel together as a pair, matching corners (1 min).

Rules

• Both hands hold the towel the whole way.
• Walk at your partner's pace, no yanking.
• If a tomato falls, stop and pick it up together.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the child holds the towel from the wheelchair and the partner matches their pace; it can also rest on the lap.
• Visual impairment: the partner calls out turns, and the tight towel acts as a guide.
• Weaker grip: use small towels with knots in the corners for easier holding.

Learning goals

• Coordinate movements with a partner.
• Carry a shared load without dropping it.
• Communicate to agree on how to move.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Towels: 13
• Soft balls: 30
• Baskets: 2

Teacher tip

Pair kids of similar height so the towel stays level. No garden? Scatter the tomatoes around the playground next to cone "plants."

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