Teach students distance and data collection by engaging them in a water balloon toss. You will need 25 balloons filled with water, a measuring tape and a trash bag for clean-up. Mark off every three feet for a distance of 30 yards using the measuring tape. Divide students into groups of two and give each a water balloon. In the middle of the 30-yard area, separate the students by three feet and instruct each student to toss the balloon back and forth. If the balloon doesn't break, have each student take a large step backward and repeat the process until only one team remains with an unbroken balloon.
The object of this game is to improve the students' estimation skills. You will need five coffee cans or plastic containers, one large, clean plastic garbage can filled with water, five 5-gallon buckets and a hammer and nail. Make five holes in the bottom of each coffee can and give one can to each team. Ask the students to estimate how may cans of water it will take to fill their team's five-gallon bucket. Have the students run to the garbage can filled with water, scoop out the water with their coffee can and run back to fill their five-gallon bucket. Each student on the team will take a turn and the team that makes the least number of trips wins.
This game promotes addition and sequential counting. Divide your students into two or more equal teams approximately 25 feet from a free-standing structure such as a goal post. Call out instructions to the students such as "Skip by fours" or "Hop by fives". Other actions can include sidestepping, jogging, running, tip-toeing, marching or dancing. The players approach the structure, round it and return to the next team member who repeats the process by following the instructions you shout out. The relay continues until all of one team's players finish. The winning team can celebrate by jumping together while counting by tens.
This game enhances your students' data collection and analysis skills. Divide students into teams of four and provide each team with one tennis ball. Each round of the game will last two minutes.The first student keeps the time and announces each ten-second interval, the second student bounces and catches the tennis ball, the third student counts each bounce and the fourth student records both the number of bounces during each ten-second interval and the total number of bounces. The students will rotate through each job once and will individually graph and analyze the data at the end of the game.