Can’t Touch This

Setting: Curricular

Season: Winter

Activity Goal

Participants send and receive objects, adjust game strategy to adapt to winter conditions, and reflect on how weather and outdoor clothing affect their movement and game strategy. Participants consider how they dress for winter activity and how they can play this game with friends and family to stay active in winter.

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

Equipment

• Objects to send and receive (various balls, bean bags, rubber chicken, etc.)
• Pylons

Before Play

• Review the safety rules and activity instructions with participants prior to activity.
• Establish the boundaries for the designated play area and share them with participants.
• Divide the class into groups of 4 to 5 participants and provide them with one object to send and receive.

During Play

• Have groups practice sending and receiving the object together, making necessary adjustments for the outdoor conditions (e.g., surface, wind, sun, clothing restrictions).
• Pause the group practice and use the following prompts for participants to reflect on how to successfully send and receive their object by adjusting to the weather and playing surface conditions:
  • How is the weather or the playing surface conditions affecting your ability to send and receive your object?
  • How does your winter clothing affect your ability to send your object accurately and receive it?
  • How can you adjust the way you send your object to counter these conditions?
  • What adjustments might you make to successfully receive an object to counter these conditions?
• Divide the designated playing area into sections to account for the number of groups. Provide groups with pylons to mark the corners of their playing area.
• Determine one participant in each group to be the defender.
• The objective of the game is for the group to work together to make as many consecutive passes as they can without the defender intercepting the object. The defender must not make physical contact with the passer while in possession of the object or throwing it.
• When a participant has possession of the object, they can only pivot on one foot when attempting to pass the object without interception.
• Participants who are not holding the object move about the designated playing area to get open to receive a pass.
• Ensure to rotate the role of the defender. This could be a timed rotation if the defenders are having a difficult time gaining possession.

After Play

Use the following prompts for groups to explore movement concepts and strategies to be successful in winter conditions:

Question prompts:

• How does the winter playing surface affect your offensive or defensive movements?
• Given the environmental conditions, which adjustments did you make while sending and receiving the object?
• Which forms of communication were most effective for your group?
• In what ways does your communication change when playing this game outside?
• What did you have to do to move safely while on snow- or ice-covered surfaces and travelling in winter?
• What did you enjoy the most about playing an inside game outside in winter?

Adaptations

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

• Create multiple playing areas and designate each one as a: 3 versus 3, 4 versus 4, 5 versus 5.
• Have participants use different objects to send and receive. Introduce more than one object to play with at one time.
• Provide choice for participants to create their own groups and choose which playing area they would prefer.
• Once the defenders gain possession of the object, it is their turn to pass the object.
• Allow learners to take a certain number of steps before passing the object.
• To decrease the challenge, change the rule so that making contact with the object constitutes possession of it.

Modifications

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

• For participants who have challenges sending an object while moving, have them send the object from a static position with a designated space between them and the defender (e.g., one arm's length).
• For participants who have an emerging/preliminary understanding of territory games, have them work in pairs to practice sending and receiving in a static position. Invite participants to progress using an obstacle as a defender (e.g., a cone).