Do you think you have what it takes to be a ninja? Well, we have a great idea for anyone looking to be a ninja. An obstacle course! I know we have one of these each week at camp during our Olympics so I know you have what it takes. We thought it would be a great idea for you to try one at home to keep up your skills or if you've never done it before to start training now!
Size of Group: As many people as you want or as few as you want (one person at a time unless there is a side by side course set up)
Equipment: Varies- You can use whatever you have at home to make a sign that gives instructions, To have something to go around or jump over, to mark the direction of the course or even create different obstaclessuch as carrying an egg on a spoon instead of jumping.
Objective: Improvement of fine motor skills as well as gross motor skills, Fun, A little competition, Sportsmanship, Listening skills
Description: Ok, so an obstacle course is pretty self-explanatory but we will give you a few ideas on how to adapt this activity and a sample map of a course we found online. First, this activity can be done in a hallway, on the sidewalk or the driveway or even on grass. Wherever space is not an issue. To mark the course, you can use painters or masking tape, streamers for the participants to follow, chalk or whatever you can think of. Next, you need to come up with some activities/obstacles to include in the course. Do not be afraid to get creative and even crazy!
A few ideas include:
1-Running
2-Jumping
3-Spinning
4- Balancing something (an egg on a spoon, a ball on your head, a feather on your open hand)
5-Following a path of loops and zig-zags
6- Going around items in a circle that other participants need to jump over (Adaptations for someone using a wheelchair or make it so everyone has to go around and not jump over anything)
7-shooting a basket in a hoop
8-going through a masking tape or painters tape web without breaking a piece of tape- (This can be a whole course on its own if you are interested- Pictures included with this post)
9-walking backward
10- Balance beam of tape
Once you have made a decision on what to include now create a map like the one included and set it up. Mark the rules for each obstacle with a sign taped to a chair or something where participants can see it. If someone cannot read or does not understand what the instruction might be, a staff member or family member can accompany the person through the course and do the obstacles together. You can choose for everyone to be timed or for no one to be timed during the course. This activity is meant to make you laugh, have fun and stay active!
Send us pictures and videos of your participants going through the course, doing a certain obstacle and having a great time to arist@badgercamp.org. We want to know what ideas you might have had for an obstacle course that we might not have thought of so send them our way!
