Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

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

• Pool noodle for tagging
• Several small cones/pylons to designate recycling depot

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 the participants the meaning and importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling, to help keep our planet healthy. Consider relating this concept to Earth Day (April 22nd every year).
• Explain to participants that the symbol for the three Rs is a triangle. Ask participants where they see this symbol (e.g., recycling boxes, on containers indicating that they can be recycled).
• Designate a small area in one corner of the playing space to be the recycling depot.
• Designate one participant to be the ‘waster’ and give them a pool noodle and designate another participant to be the ‘recycling truck’.

During Play

• On a predetermined signal, participants move safely around the activity area.
• The waster moves about the activity space attempting to tag participants. Remind participants to tag softly with the pool noodle and that a tag is a touch on the back, shoulder, arm, or leg.
• When a participant is tagged by the waster, they become ‘recyclable waste’. They remain standing in place and use their index fingers and thumbs to create a triangle (the symbol for the three Rs) to indicate to the recycling truck that they are ready for pickup.
• The recycling truck may not be tagged by the waster.
• The recycling truck picks up the recyclable waste by linking arms and takes it to the recycling depot.
• Once at the depot, the players are recycled and may return to the game.
• Change wasters and recycling trucks often.

After Play

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

Question prompts:

• What strategies did you use to avoid being tagged by the waster? When you were the waster, what strategies did you use to tag other participants?
• What would you teach others/what safety rules would you remember to tell others as you explain how to play and why?
• How could you adapt this game to play 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.

• Each time the recycling truck goes to the depot, the participant who is recyclable waste must complete a physical challenge before returning to play (e.g., a pre-selected activity such as one from Ophea’s 50 Fitness activities, run on the spot or jumping jacks for 10 seconds).
• The recycling truck uses a scooter board to move about the space. Once the truck picks up recyclable waste, the waste sits on the scooter board and the recycling truck pushes them gently to the recycle depot.
• 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.
• Have more than one waster and/or recycling truck to increase the challenge for participants.

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.