Blue Planet Run™ 2007
This spring our Happy Feet, Healthy Food Kids' Club will be lucky to use official blue planet run™ batons. But we need more than a traditional relay to do these beautiful batons justice.
- Here is one kid-centered idea by Carol Goodrow |
RELAYS
 Recently my running club received an in-kind donation of batons used in an around-the world relay to spread awareness of the global water crisis. The batons are unique in that they split apart and become water cups. My plan is to use these at club, photograph the activity and share with others who build clubs for schoolchildren. But what to do? Here is one idea. You'll need to check back to see if this is the actual one we use for our relay. One session of my club has 40 children, so the activity will be designed for that size group.
ALONG THE RIVER
Let batons be oars to carry you along the way.
 1. Divide kids into 8 teams. Code each team by kid-made classic-color bracelets. Kids color, you staple around wrist. Prepare first so that there are five 8-color labeled sets of bracelets. Label with the numbers 1 - 5 and the color words: red, orange, yellow, blue, black, brown, green, purple so the children know which color to use.
Below is an example of a wristband my children will be making for team identification. For example for 40 runners, I'll need eight 1s. Each 1 would have a different classic color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, or black. I'll need to make a set of eight different colors for each of the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
Read on for more.
2. Take kids out to field. Slowly jog around with the entire group and call off a number at different points.
Example: Yell, "4!" All kids with the number 4 bracelets stop here. Continue until all kids have been "dropped off". It's even more fun if you have a little sack of numbers so that it is random. In other words, it is a surprise to the kids who will be dropped off where. The last number to be called will be given the batons. They will be the first runners.
3. When all kids have been positioned around the field and the batons have been handed out, the runners with the batons run and pass off to a runner with the same color wristband.
4. Go for one or two laps, whichever is appropriate for your group. After all have finished, lead the finishing group around the field, picking up the other groups for a victory jog.
Click to print kids' coloring wristbands.
LINKS
Go to blueplanetrun.org/sport to learn how athletes help provide safe drinking water to the billion people around the world in need.
Kids Running Games
Kids Running Book with Games
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