Name of Activity/Task:   Pins-Up

Concept being Taught:  To hit a target

Purpose of Activity:       This is an eye-hand coordination activity that the
                                      children love to play.
       
Suggested Grade Level: Grades 3-5 (it could be modified for Grades 1 and 2)

Materials Needed:       Indoor or outdoor area (example: basketball court),
two
                            eight inch utility balls or two super-soft balls,
and six bowling pins. 

    My fifth grade students were given the challenge of inventing new games
that could be played indoors or outdoors by different grade levels.  They
were instructed to used only equipment that we had available to us.  This
particular game has been played and enjoyed for several years by the students
at Eagle Mountain Elementary (which is in the Eagle Mountain - Saginaw ISD,
Texas).     

Description of the Activity

"Pins -Up"

Two teams are chosen for this game (example:  a yellow team and a green
team).  Three bowling pins are placed on each end of a basketball court (or 
playing area).  Two balls are placed on the mid-court line.  The yellow team
lines up side by side behind the line under one of the basketball goals.  The
green team lines up side by side behind the line under the basketball goal on
the opposite end of the court.  On a given signal the two teams are
challenged to use certain locomotor movements in order to get the balls from
mid-court (examples would be the crab walk, bunny hop, gallop or frog hop to
the waiting balls at mid-court).  The two lucky students with the balls would
then take the balls back to the line they started from and tag-up.  Then, and
only then could the balls be put into play.  The rest of the players would
spread out on their teams side.  The balls can be thrown, rolled, or bounced
at the other players on the other team.  The balls can also be thrown,
rolled, or bounced at the bowling pins.  If a player is hit by a direct hit
then that player goes out of the game to the penalty box and stays there
until the game is over.  If a bowling pin is knocked over it must stay down
until the game is over.  A team wins if it knocks over all the bowling pins
on the other team's side or gets five of the players from the other team out.

A Few Rules
1.  Balls can not be thrown at the face or head.  If this happens the student
     that threw the ball is out and the student that was hit stays in.
2.  Balls can not be caught in the air.  If this happens the student goes out.
3.  Students must stay inside the playing area.  They are out if they abuse
this
     rule.
4.  When the game begins, the student that gets the ball must tag-up if they
     don't they are out.

Variations

A.  Put an "X" on a bowling pin on each team's side...the student that hits
the
     "X" pin gets a reward (example:  happy note, baseball card, etc.)

ljjones@rocketmail.com
Eagle Mountain Elementary School
"Soar With The Eagles"
 Exemplary Texas School 1998-99
Eagle Mountain - Saginaw ISD
Fort Worth, Texas   76179