NAME OF ACTIVITY: Hoop Scrabble

GRADE LEVEL: 2-12

EQUIPMENT NEEDED: 20-30 tennis balls, or other items you can letter (index cards, scrabble tiles) 1 hula hoop or carpet square per team. 

HIGHLIGHTS: Running, team strategy, spelling integration, and teamwork 

INSTRUCTIONS: Their are a couple variations. I have each team base, set up an equal distance from the center of the playing area.  each team uses a carpet square or hula-hoop as their base.  In the center of the playing area place the letters (tennis balls), in one of the hula-hoops.  The object of the game is to be the first team to spell a word with the number of letters designated by the instructor.  For example, be the first team to create a 5 letter word.
     On the signal, each team will send one player to the center hoop to retrieve a tennis ball (letter).  That player will then return the ball to the base and tag the next runner on their team who will go to the center and retrieve another ball.  This will continue until all of the balls are gone from the center hoop.  Once all of the balls are gone from the center, players may begin stealing ball from the opposing teams (1 ball at a time of course).    This will continue until a team has won the game by creating a 5 letter word.  Once a team has created a word, they need to yell stop immediately, and will be declared the winner.   Please do not allow students to guard their hoop.

Similar Games: see Math Munchers, or Scrabble Scramble
  

HELPFUL HINTS:  One variation that I like to use, is having the students using their spelling words or vocabulary words.  This is not only quite active, but integrates other academic areas into physical education.

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