Image Courtesy of Microsoft
In celebration of the biggest sports event of 2012 I thought it would be fun to create an obstacle course for the kids so they can feel closer to the action and give the professional athletes a run for their money. Creating such a course is great fun, especially if you’re all into crafts and creating to begin with, and the course itself can be run by your own kids, their friends, and the neighbours kids, with you taking the time of each child. This way it can be turned into a large sports event of your own, and can help encourage your kids to be more active as well as gain more confidence in sports. Here are some tips on how to create such a course:
Slalom run
In the slalom run the children must zig-zag between tin cans as quickly as possible without knocking a single one over. Every time a can is knocked over the contender must start from the beginning of this obstacle. Filled tin cans are harder to knock down than empty, so it’s up to you which ones you choose depending on how difficult you want to make this obstacle. You can always switch the cans depending on the child. Make sure that the cans are close together so that a foot can pass between them, but don’t have too big of a gap otherwise the game is too easy.
Sort Game
For the sort game you need two washing-up bowls, one in a palin color such as white and one in a bright color like red. A collection of different colored items, which can be toys, cloths, or books are placed within the red bowl. The contender must find all the red items and place them in the other bowl as fast as possible. Once an item is in the bowl it can’t be taken out, and every none red item has a time punishment of 5 seconds. Small items such as lego figures with red trousers or tops, marbles or even just freezer bag clips can make this game a tough one.
Sack Sprint
For the sack sprint you’ll need a large sack, which can be created out of some old curtains, or large pillow case, which you don’t mind getting damaged. Contenders must place both feet in the sack and hop the length of the course as quickly as possible. Watch out as there will be falls in this one.
Balance Beam
After the tiring sack sprint contenders must focus on their balance. The contender must balance along the whole length of the beam, which consists of a wooden plank on top of some boxes, crates or even hardback books. If a contender places a foot on the floor or falls off the beam, they must sart the beam from the beginning thereby loosing valuable seconds. The beam doesn’t need to be very high for this to be game requiring good balance and concentration.
The Rewards
The winners should be rewarded for their accomplishments. Consider creating a little pedestal out of crates of boxes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd best contenders to receive their prices. You can make some medals using chocolate coins which are attached to a ribbon or hand out winning sashes, which were previously made by the children out of curtains or other fabrics and which have their team mascot on. Whatever you decide to do, make sure that the course is fun for everyone and challenging, too.
This article was written by Sarah Oxley on behalf of Custom Curtains providers of cheap ready made curtains. Sarah promotes outdoor games and activities and is looking forward to the biggest sports event of this year.
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