How appropriate that Red Planet Day is celebrated shortly after a new robot, InSight, landed on the red planet Mars. The robot is already sending images back to NASA and will spend the next few months setting up a science lab on Mars.
In Physical Education, we talked a little bit about Mars, its size, relationship to the sun, and how the planet's color is due to the surface's rich content of iron oxide, or rust. It also has two moons and the solar system's largest volcano.
We played a game today where students, again, got to work on stepping in opposition as they rolled a ball. Red hula hoops were set up on the floor as craters on Mars. One larger red hoop was designated as a volcano. The class was divided into two teams with each team working together to roll tennis balls into the red hoops. Craters were worth one point and the volcano was worth two. There was some strategy involved, as well, as students did not want to knock balls out of hoops but could try to bump outside tennis balls into a hoop. Students not only got to work on an important skill, but also enjoyed the competitive aspect of this game. They jumped for joy when a ball rolled into a hoop.
Students are working to step forward in opposition as they roll the ball toward the hoops.
A ball rolls in to the large red hoop for 2 points.
This student celebrates as her tennis ball rolls into a hoop.
After all the balls were rolled, the tennis balls that landed inside a
hoop were counted to see which team had the more accurate throws.
