Wands


WANDS

State Standard: 1, & 4

Equipment: One Wand per Student (golf club holders cut in half). 
Grade:  K-2
Purpose of Event:  Manipulation and Balancing
Time: 20-25 minutes
Organization: Have each student get a wand and return to his/her home space.  Discuss the importance of safety when handling a wand. Remind students to hold the wand quiet when the whistle blows to change activities.

WANDS:

Wand Signals: Place your wand on the floor.

  1. Can you show me how you can leap over ten different wands, then return to your wand?
  2. Can you make a bridge over your wand?
  3. Can you ski jump over you wand?  Be careful not to touch the wand.
  4. Can you straddle your wand, jump, do a 90-degree turn, and straddle the wand facing the other direction

Wand Balancing: How many different ways can you balance your wand.

  1. Can you balance the wand on your hand, palm, back of hand, finger, nose, knee, and foot?
  2. Can you walk or sit down while balancing your wand.
  3. Can you balance your wand on your foot and then flip it up and catch it?

Thread the Needle: Can you hold your wand horizontally in front of your knees, step over the wand, and then back over it again without touching the wand with your feet?

  1. Falling Wand: Can you stand your wand upright in front of you, let the wand go, spin in a circle and catch the wand before it hits the ground?
  2. Dropping the Wand: Can you Hold your wand at the bottom with your strong hand, let it go, now catch the top of the wand before it hits the ground?
  3. Wand Catch: Can you stand your wand on one end and hold it in place with one finger?  Now, kick over the wand and catch the wand with your finger.
  4. Twist Under: Grasp a standing wand in front of you.  Can you twist under and around the arm without letting go of the wand or touching the ground?

Partner Stunts:

  1. Partner Change: Partners face each other a short distance apart, each with their wands balancing on the ground upright.  On signal, partners run to catch each other’s wand before it touches the ground.
  2. Wand reaction: One partner holds the wand horizontally.  The other partner places their hand directly above the wand, palm down.  When the wand is dropped, the person with his hand over the wand has to react and catch the wand before it hits the ground.
  3. Partner Carry: Partners face each other and place one end of the wand against their forehead.  By applying pressure to the wand, they move around the area without letting it drop.
Concerns:  Move carefully in personal space with Wands.
This idea is from: Myself as well as ideas from Pete Charrette and Kevin Tiller (seen below).