This week in Physical Education we are studying two natural wonders of North America, Yosemite National Park and the Redwood Forest, both located in California. We talked about two different trees, the sequoia and the redwood and how they are protected in our national parks. I compared the sequoia to a football player in a wide stance, and the redwood tree to a tall basketball player. The sequoia is the biggest tree in volume in the world, while the redwood is the tallest tree in the world. We also discussed the important role of the park ranger and the need for extreme safety in an effort to prevent forest fires. I also showed children a picture of a sinker redwood guitar which is made from the wood of a redwood tree that has fallen into a river. That wood is allowed to be retrieved, dried, and made into beautiful guitars that show the gorgeous grain of the redwood tree.
Students played a game that asked them to take on various parts of our discussion. They chose envelopes and opened them to see what they would be. Redwood trees took a tall stance while others ran around them, sequoias took a wide stance while classmates crawled through their legs, park rangers looked for forest fires while spinning, airplanes that deliver water to forest fires moved throughout the gym, fire danced through the forest, and anyone who got the sinker redwood guitar card got to play air guitar. We moved to music in different ways and traded or selected new cards.
The second day that we talked about Yosemite and the Redwood Forest we discussed the chopping down of many acres of trees before they became protected. There was much discussion about the need to replant trees when they are cut down. We played a game called "Tree choppers and tree planters." Using cones as trees, some students tipped them over to signify losing a tree while others set the cones back up to represent planting a tree. The game moved quickly and planters tried to make sure that in the end, more trees were standing than toppled over.
The second day that we talked about Yosemite and the Redwood Forest we discussed the chopping down of many acres of trees before they became protected. There was much discussion about the need to replant trees when they are cut down. We played a game called "Tree choppers and tree planters." Using cones as trees, some students tipped them over to signify losing a tree while others set the cones back up to represent planting a tree. The game moved quickly and planters tried to make sure that in the end, more trees were standing than toppled over.
A student takes the "sequoia" position while another student passes through.
These students drew the sinker redwood guitar card so are playing air guitar.
Everyone in this class assumes the wide football stance that represents the sequoia tree.
This class shows the stretched position for the tall redwood tree.
This student ended up with the envelope that had the basketball player.
It represented the tall, stretched position of the redwood tree.
Students act out the park ranger who is on the lookout for forest fires.
This student plants a tree by setting the cone back up.
Students move quickly to either knock down a tree (cone) or set one back up.
This student plants a tree by setting the cone back up.
This student moves around the gym toppling over cones (trees).
