Tree Planters and Loggers

Setting: DPA

Season: Fall

Activity Goal

Participants engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity in a fall environment to enhance their fitness and overall health and wellness.

For participant safety, please review the contents of the Beyond the Walls: Safety Considerations page for information on Safety Standards, Fall Safety Considerations, and Outdoor Playing Areas and Surfaces.

Equipment

• Cones/pylons or bowling pins (several more than the number of participants)
• Pinnies (2 or more colours)
• Stopwatch

Before Play

• Review the safety rules and activity instructions with participants prior to the activity.
• Establish the boundaries for the designated playing area and share them with participants.
• Discuss with participants the importance of trees in our ecosystem. What makes trees important to us and to the environment? How would our life and our environment be different for us as humans if there were no trees? How would the environment be different for animals, birds, and insects? What are some actions we can take to show that we care for other creatures and appreciate what they do for us and for the environment?
• Place the cones/pylons around the playing area - half of them upright and the other half lying on their side.
• Designate half of the participants as loggers and the other half as tree planters. Give each team a different coloured pinnie.

During Play

• On a predetermined signal, the loggers move around the playing area placing upright cones/pylons on their side (cutting down the trees). The tree planters move around the playing area placing cones/pylons upright (planting trees). Participants must use their hands to place the cones/pylons in their desired position. Remind participants to run with their heads up and be aware of their surroundings to avoid colliding with another student while running to a tree (cone/pylon).
• After the allowed time (approximately 1-2 minutes), the team with the most cones/pylons in the desired position wins.
• Repeat several times reversing roles each time.

After Play

Use the following prompts for participants to reflect on ways to be active in fall and invite others to participate in outdoor activities throughout the year.

Question prompts:

• Describe the similarities and differences when participating in physical activities outdoors versus indoors. Think about your exertion level and its effect on your heart rate and breathing.
• What are some strategies you or your team used to be successful at this activity?

Adaptations

Consider these tips to maximize the challenge and the fun for participants.

• Have participants do a squat when placing the cones/pylons in the upright position and a squat jump when placing the cones/pylons on their side.
• Have participants move around the playing area in different ways (e.g., galloping, skipping, bear walk, etc.)

Modifications

Consider these tips to maximize inclusion and fun for all participants.

• For participants with mobility challenges, consider finding other options to explore different ways of locomotion (e.g., outdoor wheelchair) to complete the tasks.
• Consider inclusive approaches to increase or decrease the challenge to find a role for every participant and to encourage full participation.
• For participants with physical disabilities, having challenges in mobility, stability, and locomotion skills, provide them with an implement to use to place cones/pylons upright or laying on their side.