My name is Mark Roucka and I am a PE teacher at Lincoln Junior High School in Naperville, IL. I posted a video of “Pin Smash” and received a number of positive reactions. Pin Smash is very similar to some games that I saw on Twitter on my PLN. It’s a great activity for throwing, catching and team work.
Grade Level: K-8
Skills: Cooperation, Catching and Throwing
Equipment:
- Tall cones (1 per team)
- Pins (1 per team)
- Frisbees (Gator Skin balls for Elementary)
Playing “Pin Smash”. Hit the cone = 1 point, knock off the pin = 2 points or catch the pin before it hits the ground = 0 points. #PhysEd #together203 pic.twitter.com/R7cun7ub3c
— Mark Roucka 🇺🇸 (@dr_roucka) August 28, 2019
Game Description:
Have your class pair up into teams of 2 people. Each team will need a cone, a pin and a frisbee. The cones should be set 30-50 feet apart depending on the grade level. Teams place their pin on top of the cone. The object is to throw the frisbee at your opponents cone and attempt to hit the cone or the pin. Hitting the cone = 1 point and hitting the pin = 2 points. If you or your partner can catch the pin before it hits the ground your opponent receives no points.
Variations: I played this game with grades 6-8 so I spaced the cones about 50 feet apart and I used a frisbee. For K-5 I would move the cones closer together (20-30 feet) and use a small gator ball. I think elementary students would have more success with the ball than the frisbee. I did play this outdoors but it would obviously work in a gym.
Class Reactions: The students really seemed to enjoy this game. It was a different way to work on throwing a frisbee.
About the Author:
Mark Roucka is a Physical Education/Health teacher in Naperville, IL. He also coaches cross country and track. Mark currently lives in the western suburbs of Chicago, IL with his wife Sue and our three children Jacob, Grace and Josh. This is Mark’s 20th year as a P.E. teacher, but he has also taught high school chemistry for seven years. Mark received his Bachelors and Master’s degrees from Illinois State University and enjoys running and walking his dogs.
Thank you Mark, that is a great idea! 🙂
i do this near Halloween and place a plastic pumpkin on top of the cones instead of a pin.
I used a taller, heavier cone. As you can see from the students standing next to them the cones are over two feet tall. They are thicker than the small plastic cones so they didn’t blow over. My issue was the pins. Occasionally the wind knocked the pins down. I’ve seen it done indoors, but I didn’t have an indoor space available that day.
Thanks Mark! Great idea. Are they plastic cones and doesn’t the wind knock them down?