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John's chicken activities

These games and activities are samples of what is possible with our chickens. Use them during your design-a-game days. Chickens can be used any time for relay games as hand-off from one team member to another in tag games - as the designator for it. Feel free to experiment and expand on these ideas. Turn your kids loose and they will invent activities that we might never think of!

Chicken Catch-A-Tori

This is an updated version of the old tag game of "Touch & Go." You are "it" if you have the chicken. To get rid of the chicken, you must tag a person with your free hand (not with the chicken). When you tag someone, they are "it" and you drop the chicken and go (hence the new version of "Touch & Go)."

Chicken A-La-King

Designate 4- 6 students as "chicken- hawks." Another 4- 6 students will carry chickens - these are the "rulers" of the barnyard. The rest of the students are "little clucks." The chicken- hawks tag the little clucks and when tagged, the little clucks have to freeze in a dead chicken position. Creativity takes over here because everyone's idea of what a dead chicken looks like is different. The rulers of the barnyard can give the frozen little clucks a chicken to free them, and then they become a ruler and the ruler becomes a little cluck. The rulers then can try to save other frozen clucks.

Juggling

"The sky is falling, the sky is falling," said Henney- Penny. But look again, it's her relatives - the rubber version! Substitute rubber chickens for bean bags and resume working on your hand- eye coordination and tracking skills, as you juggle away. Two or three chickens can be used.

Chick Or Treat

In partners, partner A tosses the bird up and tells partner B how to catch it (i. e. two hands, right hand, left hand, behind the back, under one leg, etc.) If missed, both the tosser and the catcher do the "treat" - exercises or a designated movement.

Barnyard Tag

The farmers, who are carrying red bandanas, (three to four students) are working hard to catch those birds and put them back in the chicken coop (a small coned area or behind a restraining line). Nevertheless, those chickens know a friendly fox or two who are located in yet a different area. If a cooped chicken is able to catch a tossed rubber chicken from a friendly fox, that chicken gets a free strut out in the barnyard area again. Change farmers every so often.

R-R-R-R-RRRRRRRoll, Skip, Gallop, Run, Rock, Hop, Etc.

Here's a fun language idea. In partners, with a marker and a piece of construction paper, have students think of one action word and write it in large print on their paper. Arrange the papers in the middle of the floor with all students circling. On the signal, everyone lets out with a rooster call "R- R- R- R" - and as the chicken falls on a word, they end by saying the word and then doing the appropriate action or movement. The teacher calls the students back ("here chick- chick- chickens") and tosses the bird again.

Chicken Soup

In partners, toss the rubber chicken so that it will land in the soup kettle (hoop on the floor). Other challenges can have one of the partners twirling the hoop (kettle) or tossing the kettle (hoop, or course) in the air.

Catch-A-Cluck Tag

All of the "not its" carry a chicken and the "its" (three to four students) have none. The object is to catch- a- cluck (tag a "not- it") and have a cluck to call their own.

Whirly Birds Catch the Worms Tag

Two (2) "its", each with a chicken in hand, whirl their rubber chickens in to the air overhead and proclaim "Whirly- birds catch the worms," loudly. When the "its" say the word "worms," that's the signal for all speedy worms (students on an end line) to run (skip, hop, gallop or any designated movement) for safety to the end line at the other end of the gym. If tagged, the worm instantly becomes a whirlybird assistant at the place on the floor where they were tagged. Assistants should spread their wings and reach to tag the speedy worms, but must keep their feet in place.

Fowl Football

For a novel game of two- on- two or three- on- three, substitute the rubber skinned chicken for the pigskin. Have students rename their plays accordingly (chicken, right, out).

Frequent Flyers

Toss a few chickens on the parachute and see how long you can keep those high flying chickens aloft, before they fly too far (off the parachute).

Steal the Chicken

Not the bacon? That's right! In partners, or one on one, students face each other in push- up position with one bird stretched out between them. The object is to grab the rubber chicken before your partner does, on the signal from the teacher - "cock- a- doodle- right hand (or left)." What a novel way to work on upper body strength.

The Chicken Challenge

As a writing project, ask the students, in small groups to experiment with a chicken, and create a do- able challenge for others to try. After reviewing the creations, set up stations or an obstacle course utilizing the ideas. Be sure to give credit by writing out the names of the creators, too. Allow 1- 2 minutes per station before everyone "struts" to the next. Background music like "Ol' McDonald's Farm" would be an extra touch.

The Chicken Coop Boogie

As in the "Bunny Hop," have 4- 6 students line up one behind the other. The front person holds on to the rubber chicken. All together, with hands tucked in the underarms, everyone does the following boogie:

1. Right heel forward (counts 1& 2), right foot back (3& 4), and strut walk forward (5- 6- 7-8).
2. Repeat #1 with the left heel/ foot.
3. Standing on the left foot, hop 3 hops to the right (1- 2- 3 pause) and do the chicken twist with tail feathers swaying from side to side (5- 6- 7- 8).
4. Repeat #3 standing on the right foot and hopping to the left, followed by the feathers swaying.
5. The front person gently tosses the bird overhead to the last person who catches it and struts to the front to become the new leader. Everyone else does chicken- knees (move knees out and in quickly and repeatedly).
6. On the signal from the teacher or leader, this boogie begins again from the top.

Perfect music for this fun dance is "In the Mood" by the Hen House Five or Ray Steven's version!