Games (For Indoor Recess and Outdoor Recess) Red Rover: Children form two teams facing each other holding hands. The captain of one team calls out “Red Rover, Red Rover, I call _________ (insert child’s name from opposing team) over." The child runs across the open space and tries to break through the enemy line. If he is successful in breaking through the line, he takes a prisoner and returns to the other team. If he fails to break through, he is taken prisoner and added to the other team.
Fox and Geese: One child is chosen to be the fox, another is behind the gander, each with his hands on the shoulders of the one next in front. The gander tries to protect his flock of geese from being caught by the fox, and to do this spreads out his arms and dodges around in any way he sees fit to keep the last goose from being tagged. (The fox may tag only the last goose in line.) The geese may cooperate with the gander by doubling and redoubling their line to prevent the fox from tagging the last goose. If the fox does tag the last goose, that goose becomes the fox and the fox becomes the gander.
Pom-Pom Pullaway This game is played outside. Two lines are drawn on the playing field with 30 to 50 feet between them. All players stand on one of the lines, except the one player who is chosen to be “IT” and who stands in the center of the field. “IT” calls any one player by name, adding the formula, as below: “John Smith, Pom Pom Pullaway” “Come away or I’ll fetch you away!” The player named must then run across the playing field to the safety line on the opposite side, while “IT” tries to catch him/her. If the child reaches the line safely, he/she remains there until all other children have a turn. Anyone caught by “IT” stays in the middle and helps catch the other players, but the original “IT” remains the caller throughout the game. After all of the uncaught players have crossed to one side, they try in the same way to return to their first goal until all the players are caught. The first one that was caught is “IT” for the next game. EVERYONE on the safety line may run at the same time if “IT” calls out “POM POM PULLAWAY” without saying a specific child’s name.
Please Mr. Crocodile One player is chosen as Mr. Crocodile, and stands in the middle of the yard or room. All the rest of the players stand side by side at one end of the yard or room. The players chant: “Please Mr. Crocodile, may we cross the river? If not, why not, what’s your favorite color?” Mr. Crocodile calls out a color, and all the players wearing that color are safe to cross past Mr. Crocodile to the other side of the yard/room. Example: Mr. Crocodile calls out ‘blue’, so all those wearing blue cross the yard/room. Once the safe players are across the river, the rest of the players must try to run to the other side without being tagged or caught by Mr. Crocodile. If Mr. Crocodile doesn’t catch anyone, the game is replayed with the same Mr. Crocodile. If someone is caught, that player becomes the new crocodile.
What’s The Time Mr. Wolf? One player is chosen as Mr. Wolf, and stands on one side of the yard/room, facing away, eyes covered. The rest stands side by side in a line on the other side of the yard/room, facing Mr. Wolf’s back. All together they chant “What’s the time, Mr. Wolf?” Mr. Wolf selects a time between 1 and 12 o’clock, and calls it out.. The other players then take that many steps toward Mr. Wolf. Example: Mr. Wolf calls out 3 o’clock, so the players take 3 steps. These two actions are repeated, resulting in the other players moving closer and closer to Mr. Wolf. When Mr. Wolf is ready, he changes his response to the question to “Dinnertime!” At this cue, all of the players must turn around and race back to the starting line without getting caught by Mr. Wolf. The player who is caught becomes the next Mr. Wolf.
Crafts (Cornell School's basement is setup for doing crafts.)
Buckeye Necklaces Supplies Needed:
Needles (with large eyes)
4 ply yarn, about 30 inches long or whatever length needed to go around student's neck (not too long, not too short)
4 punched (drilled) buckeyes
3 beads
Thread the needle with yarn before the school day begins. Each child gets a threaded needle, beads and buckeyes. Thread the buckeyes and beads alternately on the yarn. Tie the necklace around the student's neck (best to have teachers do this).
To save your sanity, tell them that they must keep the necklace on until they get back to their classroom.