After School at Home

Week of April 27

Indoor Games With Mr. Ridore

Balance Beam

Balancing beam is easier to set up than you think. All you need is some colored sticky tape, and you’re good to play for hours.

Materials

  • Colored masking tape (multiple colors for more fun)
  • Space to play

Instructions

  1. Clear some space in a room and clean the floor.
  2. Stick the tape to the floor to create straight or curved lines.
  3. If you use multiple colors and can have unique rules for how to walk on them. For example, if the tape is blue, you can make a rule that each player has to have one hand on their head when walking on the blue tape.
  4. Each player has to follow the rules and walk only on the tape and not on open land! If a player does not stay on the tape, they are out.
  5. The player who walks the length of the tape without stepping on the bare floor wins!

Marco-Polo Dodgeball with Mr. Corey

Materials

  • ~10 soft projectiles: I recommend bulky socks rolled into sock balls
  • A bandana or other sort of blindfold
  • 3 or more players
  • A clear open space such as a room, backyard, or basement; the smaller the room, the less sock balls should be used but no less than the number of players—so at least 3

Objective

  • Score the most points after each player has had a chance to be the thrower twice
  • For Dodgers: 1 point is given for surviving each round un-hit
  • For Throwers: 1 point is given for hitting another player with a sock ball
  • You can decide if you will allow the players to remain in after being hit with balls and what their point penalties should be (see example game)
    • You can also tape paper strips to the thrower that must be taken by the rest of the players for additional points
  • Dodgers must silently move around the room so as not to give away their positions to the blindfolded thrower

Rules

Inside rule recommendation: No running or power-walking

Outside rule recommendation: No sprinting

  • One person is blindfolded and given the sock balls
  • Everyone is free to move around the room or space however, once the thrower calls “MARCO!” players must immediately freeze in place and shout “POLO!” and wait for the thrower to throw a ball
  • A ball must be thrown after every “MARCO!” call, but the thrower can take their time if they wish, no second “MARCO!” called may be made until the ball has been thrown
  • The thrower, like the dodgers, is also not allowed to move after shouting “MARCO!” until they throw their ball
  • If a player is hit with a ball (bounces off walls count, but not floors or ceilings) they must announce it
  • Once the ball is thrown and either hits or misses its target, everyone is free to move again

Example Game Setup

  • Open medium-sized living room with tables and chairs moved out of the way
  • 1 thrower, with 2 pieces of paper taped around their waist or to the bottom of their shorts.
  • 4 dodgers
  • 8 sock balls
  • Rules:
    • For dodgers: grabbing one piece of paper and successfully bringing it back to an established “home base” after holding it for 2 “MARCOS!”, nets the dodgers 1 point. No extra point is given if they are hit while still holding the paper or if the game ends with the paper still in their hands.
    • For throwers: point for hitting dodgers with the socks, and 1 for every remaining piece of paper still attached to them at the end of the 8 throws.
    • Dodgers can only hold one piece of paper at a time (must return it to their base to try to grab the second).
    • Dodgers are still in even after being hit with a sock ball.
    • Dodgers gain 2 point for never being hit, 1 point for only being hit once, and 0 points for being hit more than 1 time.

Ensures that if the dodgers are never hit, AND the thrower retains all pieces of paper, everyone gets the same amount of points

Mr. Jean-Mary's Ring Toss Game

This week, you and your family can make your own ring toss game.

Materials

  • paper plates; Tip: if you would like your plate to fly farther, wrap them in something like string or twine to weight them down—maybe even aluminum foil!
  • paint
  • scissors
  • long cardboard tube (from cling wrap, paper towel, etc.)
  • sticky tape

Steps

  • Cut out the center from some paper plates to use as your rings. Paint each ring a different color, to differentiate how much each plate is worth in points. For example, maybe all red plates are worth 5 but yellow plates are worth ten.
  • To make the stand, cut slits in the bottom of the cardboard tube. Then, flatten the ends.
  • Tape the tube to the reverse side of a plate so it can stand up.

Can you beat your folks? What about your sibling!

Go to the Opera with Mr. Balkovetz Part 2: Englebert Humperdinck’s “Hansel and Gretel”

The Berlin Philharmonic has made a lot of it’s Digital Concert Hall free, including this family production of “Hansel and Gretel”! It’s based on the well known fairytale of the same name and is in German with English subtitles. Just make sure your parents help you sign in!

Also, be sure to check out this video I made with some cool facts about the opera!

Make Fresh Fruit Wands with Mr. Brewer

A friend of mine recommended this idea one day when I was hungry and trying to use a bunch of fruit that I had purchased and needed to use. It’s amazing colorful fun and takes very little time to make. Perfect for breakfast or a nice afternoon snack!

Materials

  • Assorted fruits (or vegetables). Grapes, pineapple, strawberry, or melon will all work
  • Chopsticks or wooden skewers

Instructions

  1. Prepare all of your fruit—cut strawberries, pineapple, and melons. If you have any shaped cookie cutters you can use them to cut out fruit shapes to go on your wand!
  2. Take your wooden skewer or your chopstick in one hand.
  3. Layer your fruit on the skewer by piercing the fruit on it one by one. Mix fruits or come up with different designs! I actually made a skewer of all grapes and a star top of pineapple.
  4. Enjoy the delicious and extremely edible magic!

Mr. Alford's Drawing Game

Materials

  • paper
  • coloring materials
  • a flat surface, ideally a table or clipboard
  • electronic device (optional)

Age Range: 4+ (a parent/guardian can help explain the rules and describe images to the artist)

Players: 2

Objective: Draw the image someone else is describing to the best of your ability.

Rules:

  • Decide who will describe the image and who will be the artist. Play rocks, paper, scissors if you cannot decide who gets what role.
  • Give the paper and coloring materials to the artist.
  • The two players should have their backs facing each other and be at least 6 feet apart.
  • The player who is not the artist should choose an image without telling the artist what it is. Use an electronic device to ensure accuracy, if necessary.
  • The player who picked the image must describe the image without saying what it is. Play by the rules and describe what you are seeing. Do not intentionally mislead the artist by describing inaccurate features of the image.
  • Describe shape, size, and other important features of the image.
  • The artist should draw the image as the other player is describing it.
  • Once the player who picked the image is done describing it, the artist must show them their drawing.
  • There is no winning or losing. The goal is to recreate an image based on clues from the other player.