April Showers Bring May Flowers Tag

Setting: DPA

Season: Spring

Activity Goal

Participants engage in moderate-to-vigorous tag-inspired physical activity in a spring 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, Spring Safety Considerations, and Outdoor Playing Areas and Surfaces.

Equipment

• 2-3 large soft artificial flowers or pool noodles for tagging (If using artificial flowers, check for sharp objects used to construct the flower)
• 2-3 small toy watering cans

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.
• Have participants think of things they can see (trees budding, flowers/grass growing) and smell (fresh air, flowers, freshly cut grass, skunks) in nature during the spring/summer.
• Discuss with participants what plants/flowers need to grow (soil, seed, water, and sun).
• Designate two or three participants as taggers and give each of them a large soft flower or pool noodle.
• Designate one or two participants as the gardeners and give each of them a watering can.

During Play

• On a predetermined signal, participants move safely around the playing area.
• The taggers move about the space attempting to tag other participants. If a participant is tagged, they become a seed and must crouch down on the spot. Remind participants to tag softly with the flower/pool noodle and that a tag is a touch on the back, shoulder, arm, or leg.
• The gardeners must water the seeds with their watering can. Once watered, a seed begins to grow (participant stands and stretches), becomes a flower, and returns to the game.
• The gardeners cannot be tagged.
• Change taggers and gardeners often.

After Play

Use the following prompts for participants to reflect on ways to be active in the spring and engage others in activity to build a habit of engaging in outdoor activity throughout the year.

Question prompts:

• How does physical activity outside during the spring make you feel?
• What strategies did you use to avoid being tagged? When you were a tagger, what strategies did you use to tag other participants?
• How/where/when could you play this game with friends, family, or others outside of school to stay active in the spring and summer?

Adaptations

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

• Have participants move around the playing area using various locomotor skills (e.g., gallop, skip, hop, shuffle).
• Change the size of the playing area to increase or decrease the challenge.
• Before returning to the game, a flower must be smelled and receive a high five from another participant.
• Once tagged, have participants hold a flower yoga pose for 10-15 seconds before returning to the game (Participants sit on their buttocks, knees bent, with the soles of their feet together, and a tall spine. Participants lift their legs to balance on their sitting bones and weaving their arms under their legs. Participants hold their arms steady under their legs, palms facing up and pretend to open up into a blossoming flower.)

Modifications

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

• For participants with physical disabilities, having challenges in mobility, stability, and locomotion skills, change the tagging role into a static position and provide them with an implement to use when tagging others.
• Invite participants to consider ways to move around the playing area at reduced speeds to ensure inclusion and success for all.
• Consider inclusive approaches to increase or decrease the challenge to find a role for every participant and to encourage full participation.