Weird Planets: Jelly, Ice and Magnets
The class's spaceship lands on very strange planets where bodies move differently: shaking on the jelly planet, sliding on the ice planet, bouncing on the spring planet and sticking to friends on the magnet planet. It builds creative movement, movement quality and respectful contact.
How to play
- Board the spaceship (everyone together in the middle), count down and travel through space turning slowly with arms out (2 min).
- Jelly planet: on landing, the whole body wobbles; walk around jiggling, first hands, then legs, then everything (2 min).
- Ice planet: slide without lifting your feet, arms out for balance, and when the drum sounds, skate on one foot (3 min).
- Spring planet: everything bounces; hop gently around, lower and lower until you stop (2 min).
- Magnet planet: when the teacher calls “elbow!”, stick to a friend by the elbow and walk that way; then by the back, the hand or the foot (3 min).
- Back to the ship, and on Earth bodies go back to normal: walk calmly and sit down (2 min).
Rules
- On each planet, move the way the planet says.
- On the magnet planet, stick together gently.
- If a friend already has a magnet partner, find someone else or make a three.
- When the drum sounds, listen for the next planet.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, use only jelly, ice and springs; magnets stick to a hoop on the floor instead of a friend.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, use all four planets with magnet partners.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, children invent a new planet (bubble gum, wind…) and teach everyone how to move there.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: show each planet with arms and trunk; on the magnet planet, a partner comes to the wheelchair.
- Autism: on the magnet planet the child can stick to an object (hoop, wall) instead of a person.
- Hearing impairment: each planet has a big picture the teacher holds up on landing.
Learning goals
- Vary movement quality: wobbling, sliding, bouncing.
- Explore how the body can express ideas.
- Accept respectful contact with classmates.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Large hoops: 4
- Hand drum: 1
Teacher tip
Large hoops on the floor mark where each planet is and make the changes easier to follow. Announce each planet in a mysterious voice with a pause: the anticipation is half the fun.
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