Week 1 - Circus

Skill focus: Juggling

Session equipment:

Marker cones
Juggling objects - scarves, plastic shopping bags, bean bags, juggling balls or juggling rings.

Download Circus Skills - Week 1 activity card to support teaching before and during the sport session.

Fast start - Alarm

Equipment: 8 markers (to set out playing area), 1 braid or similar for each tagger.

How to play:

Students stand at one end of the playing area. Students are numbered 1,2,3 or 4. The three taggers stand in the centre of the playing area.
The taggers call out 'Number 1 alarm', signaling the students numbered 1 to skip to the opposite end of the playing area.
The taggers attempt to tag the students skipping. If tagged, these students join the taggers. Taggers call out another number for example, Number 4 alarm’.
The last three students who are not tagged, become the next taggers.

CHANGE IT!

Vary the size of the playing area.
Tagged players can perform movements to return to play. (for example, jumping jacks, tuck jumps, high knees running in place).

Skill development

Choosing teams

In a sport education approach, affiliation is promoted by students being a member of the same team over a period of time. It is intended that students remain in these teams for the duration of each sport program for the skill development and the modified small-sided games, so that they can develop and learn together.

Place students in equal teams, 4 teams is optimal, at the beginning of the skill development session. Strategies for forming groups can be found in the Game-based learning in sport and physical activity e-learning course.
To further promote affiliation students can decide on a team name.
Once the teams are determined you can add the team and student names to the Circus draw template.

Activity 1 - Criss Cross

Equipment: Two juggling objects per player e.g. scarves, plastic shopping bags (spider throw), bean bags, juggling balls or juggling rings (cascade throw).

How to play: Players hold a juggling object in each hand. You say the words ’Criss cross’ and, upon each word, the players must throw one juggling object and then the other.

Players spread out in the playing area.
Players hold a juggling object in each hand at hip height.
Say the words ’criss cross’ and, upon each word, players throw one juggling object and then the other using the spider technique.
Add the words ’apple sauce’ to the rhyme. Upon each of these words, players catch each falling object: ‘throw, throw, catch, catch’, ‘criss, cross, apple, sauce’, and repeat.
Introduce the cascade throw and spider throw.

Criss Cross - Playing for Life Activity Card

How High? - Playing for Life Activity Card

Activity 2 - How High?

Equipment: 1 juggling object per pair e.g. scarves, plastic shopping bags (easier), bean bags, juggling balls or juggling rings (harder)

How to play: Players line up in two equal lines facing one another. One line throws their juggling object as high as possible and then runs to a designated line behind them. Each person’s partner tries to catch the object before their partner reaches the line. (Play in pairs).

Arrange the players into 2 even lines approximately 2 metres apart, facing each other, making sure each player is facing their partner.
One player in the pair is the clown and the other is the lion tamer. The clown holds the juggling implement.
On the call ‘THROW’, the clown throws the juggling object as high as possible and sprints to the line behind them. The lion tamer tries to catch the juggling object before the clown reaches the line.
After 3-5 attempts, partners switch roles

Activity 3 - Clown Bow

Equipment: 1 juggling object per player e.g. scarves, plastic shopping bags (easier), bean bags, juggling balls or juggling rings (harder).

How to play: Players stand in a line with a juggling object each. Each player throws their juggling object up in the air and then moves to the left to catch the next juggling object. The person on the end has to run to the other end and catch that juggling object before it drops to the ground. (Play in groups of 5.)

Players line up, standing shoulder to shoulder about an arm’s length apart.
On your signal, each player throws their juggling object up in the air and then moves to the left to catch the juggling object thrown by the player on their left.
The player at the far left of the line runs to the other end and catches that object before it drops to the ground.
Players must throw and step in a rhythm and keep the line constantly moving.
See how long the group can keep juggling

Clown Bow - Playing for Life Activity Card

Juggle Applause - Playing for Life Activity Card

Activity 4 - Juggle Applause

Equipment: 1 juggling object per pair e.g. scarves, plastic shopping bags (spider throw), bean bags, juggling balls, or juggling rings (cascade throw)

How to play: Players line up in 2 equal lines facing one another. One line throws their juggling object as high as possible and then catches it. Each player’s partner in the opposite line claps as many times as possible between the throw and the catch. (Play with two teams of 4–10.)

Arrange players into 2 even lines, approximately 2 metres apart, making sure each player is facing their partner.
One player holds a juggling object and throws it to themselves using either the spider throw or cascade throw.
The player opposite starts clapping as fast as possible between the throw and the catch.
The aim is to clap as many times as possible between the throw and the catch, thus encouraging long, slow throws.
Players then swap roles

Modified small-sided games

Teams work together to design and reheasrse a circus show.

The circus show will be held on the Circus gala day.

Dress Rehearsals

Equipment: All equipment from the lessons

How to play: Players prepare and rehearse for the final circus show. (Play in groups of 6–10.)

Players are split into groups of around 5–10 and asked to prepare a mini circus show to perform for the rest of the group.
The circus show must include a minimum of three acts, two of which must include two or more people. It must have a definite beginning (perhaps a ringmaster/mistress introducing the show) and a definite ending (e.g. a group bow)