Homemade "Stuff"

Tom Winiecki

We aren't in the buisness of giving our kids excuses not to exercise. We want to make it as easy as possible to stay active. One way is to show your students how to make their own "stuff." Just because they may not have the same "fancy" equipment that you may have, doesn't mean that they can't still do the same things at home.

There are so many things that you use with your classes that can be replicated at home. For example:

• Scooper throw and catch.
  • Cut out the bottom of a gallon milk jug.
  • Use the half gallon jugs to make it more challenging.
• Teather ball for soccer headding, baseball swinging.
  • Use the "leg" from an old stocking, stuff a ball into the toe and tie it off. Then attach the nylon to a straightened out coathanger and hang it from a tree branch.
• Basketball shooting.
  • Clean up the dirty laundry from their bedroom floor by "shooting" the clothes into the hamper.
• Juggling scarves.
  • Plastic grocery bags work great.
  • They can use bags from three different stores to know which one gets tossed next.
• Tennis rackets.
  • Use a wire coathanger and "round out" the triangular end.
  • Pull a stocking over the rounded our end and secure it to the handle end.
  • Make sure to cover any loose ends with enouth tape to make it safe.

The list is limited by your kids' imaginations. They will probably come to you with more ideas that they did at home. Now youv'e got it made. Your kids are taking what you do with them at school and carrying it over to home!