TITLE: Keepers Of The Castle

The class is divided into 4 groups.  Each group starts off by sitting in the hoola hoop (their castle) in each corner of the gym.  Small pieces of equipment from your storage room are piled into the center circle of the gym (pucks, shirts, small pylons, balls, birdies, bean bags, etc).  Several students (or just the teacher) are chosen as the "keepers of the castle".  The " keepers' " job is to protect the equipment from leaving the center circle - their castle.  Students run to the center circle and try to take ONE piece of equipment.  Any more than one and they must return ALL of the equipment from their hoola hoop back to the center circle.  If they are tagged by one of the Keepers, they must either run back to their castle (hoola hoop) and return to play OR return their piece of equipment to the center circle, run back to their castle and then return to play.  Once all the equipment has been taken from the center circle, the teams work together to count their pieces or equipment and announce their totals.  Students return their winnings back to the center circle and the game starts again.  Mix up teams if you'd like.  Good sorting activity once it's time to tidy up.

Mike Weniger

C.E. Broughton Public School

Whitby, Ontario