SPACE ACTIVITIES: "SPACE INVADERS" - a basketball dribbling game
......SKILLS: dribbling, offensive strategies while dribbling (turn body away from defense, put non-dribbling arm out to block defense, change directions or speed), and pivoting and stealing.
......SPACE: large gymnasium space
......EQUIPMENT: enough basketballs for half of the students
......OBJECT: To dribble throughout the gym in empty spaces and around the rocketships (students without balls) for one minute without having your ball touched or stolen.

Divide the class in half. Half of the students are METEORS - they stand in one place without a ball. They must keep one foot on a line but can pivot to try and steal or touch a ball as it is dribbled past them. If they move their foot or hit the dribbler's hand - it does not count as a hit. Meteors can give themselves a point for each safe touch or steal they have. You can tell then it adds a life to their meteor. At the end of a one minute round, ask how many years of life they have (and see if they can beat this/get more life years next round.)

The other half of the students are SPACESHIPS - they travel and dribble their ball around the gym. They try and keep the ball away form the metoers. If their ball is stoeln or touched, they lose a spark plug. You can decide if you want to have them start with four spark plugs and if they "blow up" (lose all four spark plugs) they can come to you for more by verbally asking for another spark plug. At the end of the minute, ask who still has all four sparkplugs.

You can play for more than one minute if you want, switch several times so they can be both a spaceship and a meteor several times to work on improving thier personal score.

RULES AND TIPS:
If meteors steal the ball, they give the ball back quickly and carefully. Meteors must keep one foot on the floor (I say a line) No tag backs - if I touch your ball, I can't touch it again right away (give the person/spaceship a chance to go a diffferent direction.

CHALLENGES:
Add a Darth Vader (from Star Wars) - This person (wearing a pinney) can travel throughout the gym and steal balls - you could also call this person a FALLING STAR.

Add a traveling rule - spaeships can also lose a sparkplug if they travel or double dribble. This encourages them to try and keep dribbling the entire minute without stopping. This would be for 4th and 5th graders.

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