Twirlies

Just like flying a PA Twirlie, implementing a successful adventure program takes:

Clear guidance, some instructions and advice.
A solid plan.
Competence – both in your staff and your vendor.
Taking off with confidence and zeal!

Any of you who have tried to fly a PA Twirlie know that you can just jump in and give it a try...using a trial and error approach. Or you can follow the instructional arrows and/or seek advice from those who've been successful before ...and take your Twirlie flying to next level in no time at all.

The same is true for implementing adventure into your program. Through the guidance and direction of Jane Panicucci, PA has moved from an organization that installs great challenge courses and trains people how to use them...to an organization that is dedicated to building quality, research based Adventure Programs. Programs that include:

• Curriculum aligned with state and national standards.



• Learning outcomes and objectives.



• Assessment tools.



• Coordinated approach toward PE, Fitness and Health education.

We encourage you to go beyond a challenge course or adventure prop (ie Twirlie) as a single isolated activity - to a meaningful and relevant program that is aligned with standards, achieves desired outcomes and can be evaluated and measured.

Twirlie Bull's-Eye (Estimated time: 30 minutes) Problem-solving and Goal-setting

Setup: Explain this task before handing out the twirlies, or you have lost the class for quite some time while they frivolously twirl away! Warn students about potential eye injuries and ask them to not twirl into the face of classmates. For the Bull's-eye activity you will need one or two targets (depending on class size) and a large boundary circle around the targets (boundary ropes work well). Experiment with the size of the outside boundary.

Framing: Explain that the class will be given a series of special practice activities, which will lead up to a final all-class goal.

Procedure:

1. Say to students, "The next few activities are warmups for a final goal-setting activity that you will be given. First, try and play 'twirlie catch' with a partner. See how many double catches the two of you can make - where you each catch your partner's twirly at the same time!" (This is a great opportunity for students to coach each other. Suggest this if it is not naturally occurring.)

2. Now say, "In foursomes, play a creative round of "twirlie golf." Pick targets that you all agree on, and count the number of strokes it takes you to reach the target."

3. When these warmups have been completed successfully, lead students into the final goal-setting activity. Ask them to stand around the boundary line. The class must agree upon the number of twirlies that they will successfully land in the bull's-eye. Emphasize that they have data to draw from - they know how they did during the practice rounds! The class should set their first goal prior to starting the activity.

4. Subsequent rounds should be held in order for the class to have opportunities to adjust their goal and to continue to improve their results.

Discussion:

Ask students:

• Did the class reach its goal?



• Was the goal realistic? Too hard? Too easy?



• How did you set the goal? What information did you use?



• What behaviors do you want the class to keep for the next goal-setting activity? What behaviors do you want to avoid?

This activity can be found on page 86 of the Adventure Curriculum for Physical Education - Middle School. Twirlies are available through Project Adventure and also come in the Middle School PE Pack Kit.

Year round adventure with Seabrook Middle School

Four years ago, Seabrook Middle School installed a low elements course in the woods on school grounds. Our challenge was to incorporate an adventure curriculum into the traditional curriculum offered in the physical education program. We began by introducing Full Value Contracts for students to identify and own behavior as responsible classmates. We post these contracts with names and handprints on the wall of the gym. Sometimes they are used as reminders during the school year.

We spend 4 weeks in the woods every fall working on cooperative challenges like the TP Shuffle, Whale Watch, Mohawk Walk, Nitro Crossing, and visiting island countries using the Nitro Crossing set up, or playing a strange game of basketball with rubber chickens, lizards, swing ropes and buckets. We ladder our curriculum by offering different challenges for different grade levels on the same elements. In this way, we are able to introduce elements and keep them fresh at the same time. We alternate our curriculum in the fall with lifetime sports like golf and field games like flag football. When weather sends us indoors we play cooperative games like Mat Ball and Castle Ball and participate in cooperative challenges such as the Human Knot or use Stepping Stones.

Our winter curriculum focuses on fitness using lifetime activities and stations, a traverse wall, and indoor game units like Table Tennis, Volleyball, and Basketball.

By the time spring rolls around, students (and PE teachers) are anxious to get outdoors again and play field games or head to the woods. We have found that students come back to the woods with a desire and earnestness to be successful in the challenges. The MultiVine, Wild Woosey, Tire Swing and Spider’s Web are big hits in the spring. Students are ready and willing to take on the responsibility of keeping their classmates safe and attaining a group goal. There are always struggles with middle school students: maturity and responsibility. But we see the excitement and pleasure that challenges bring to most students. The opportunity to guide students in appropriate ways to be leaders keeps us coming back to the elements year after year.

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Cindy Shoer is a Middle School PE teacher at Seabrook Middle School in Seabrook NH. Cindy has presented on the use of the core concepts of PA and alignment with standards for PE at PA's Practitioner's Seminars.

Two Days of Adventure by Michelle Batz, Ph.D.

Two Days of Adventure
By Michele Batz, Ph.D.

During the years that I have taught physical education in Wisconsin and Illinois, I have kept up with the trends – what's hot and how to keep students engaged in their classes.

Last winter through a grant program, Beach Park School District 3 gave me the opportunity to attend a two-day Project Adventure workshop at our school. When I read the introduction to the workshop, I was hooked.

As I entered our library and saw the array of equipment, my brain waves went into tilt mode; I knew I was in for an adventure. The instructors started off with a bang and quickly had us moving to the beat. All barriers were broken. It was so much fun, I felt like a little kid again. Having this carefree attitude makes me a better teacher. I learned how to bring classes together as a community, team building and thinking outside the box. I loved it!



Project Adventure, with its games, activities, and presentations, inspired me. I am thinking of enrolling in the master's program for adventure education or wellness. This program will have you and your students thinking outside the box, and your brain waves will never be the same. Everyone will be crying for more!





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Michelle Batz is an author and educator living and working in the Chicago area.

Batz was a participant in Portable Adventure workshop which was customized to meet the specific goals and objectives of the funding and the school district. This session was facilitated by Amy Kohut and Topaz Terry - two long-term PA facilitators. To learn how to bring this workshop to your site, email PA at info@pa.org.

Washington Township NJ Students Participate in PA Fitness Achievement Day