Outdoor English Activities

Astronauts

Subject: Planets + Spelling + to be going to

Skills: Listening

Level: Elementary

Recommended Age: 8-10 y.o.

Number of Participants: 6-10 players

Time: 20-30 minutes

Place: Asphalt or sand playground

Equipment: Not required

Materials: A piece of chalk or a wooden stick

Preliminary Preparation: Not required

Immediate Preparation (10-15 minutes).

1. First of all, draw a circle of such a diameter that you and the children can freely stand within it. Its size depends on the number of the game participants. Next, write 'Earth' in this circle. After that, draw nine more circles of approximately 1 m in diameter around the central one and fill them with the names of the planets: Jupiter, Moon, Mercury, Neptune, Pluto, Saturn, Uranus and Venus.

2. Before starting the game, you might need to preteach the new vocabulary. To that end, introduce the planets to the students.

3. Finally, you should stand in the centre of the Earth circle and ask the children to stand around you within its border.

How to Play. To start the competition, ask the game participants, e.g.: 'Who is going to fly to the planet with the third letter 'A'?'. The player, who is the first to shout out 'I am!', jumps in the Uranus circle. After that, you ask, e.g.: 'Who is going to fly to the planet with the fifth letter 'N’?’ and so on. The round continues as long as only one child is left with you in the Earth citcle. This last remaining player becomes the caller in the next round. The game contunues as long as each participant, at least once, acts as the caller.
Note. If there are more than nine children in your class, repeat the planets, using other descriptions of the words.