Download Heart Adventure Challenge Course: Where All Those Parts Go

 Heart Adventure Challenge Course: Where All Those Parts Go 1 ......... Large red tunnel – Aorta 2 ......... Small red tunnels inside large tunnel – Aorta 2 ......... Red solid foam tubes inside small tunnels – Mitral Valve 2 ......... Blue mats – Right Atrium 2 ......... Ball carts (parked by Right Atrium) 2 ......... Bags of blue balls (15 total balls – placed in one ball cart) 2 ......... Bags of red balls (15 total balls – placed in one ball cart) 15 ....... Scooter boards – parked by Right Atrium 6 ......... Red hoops – Left Atrium 6 ......... Blue hoops – Right Ventricle 6 ......... Yellow hoops – extra hoops 6 ......... Green hoops – extra hoops 4 ......... Long foam shooters – Arches (used to construct the four vales) 8 ......... Long foam shooter stands (used to construct the valves) 4 ......... Foam hurdles – Left Ventricle 8 ......... Foam hurdle holders – Left Ventricle 24 ....... Foam hoop holders (can be used to support the hoops in the Left Atrium & Right Ventricle) 24 ....... Blue directional arrows (used on right side of course) 24 ....... Red directional arrows (used on left side of course) 1 ......... Blue rope (attached to something like volleyball standards; bisects course through Pulmonary Valve) 2 ......... Red jump bands – Brain 1 ......... Choral reading sign (used by Brain) 8 ......... Segmented jump ropes – Lungs 12 ....... Deck rings – Lung area 15 ....... Heart squeesh balls (used in Cool Down) Heart Facts: Before actually moving the students through The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course, refer to the diagram of the heart (Figure 2) as you share the following information concerning heart facts: • The heart is a living pump. It is a muscular organ about the size of a fist. It is comprised of 4 hollow chambers – a wall divides the organ into right and left sides. The upper chamber of each side receives blood. Each of these chambers is called an atrium. The lower chamber on each side called a ventricle, pumps blood out of the heart. • Blood arriving from the body fills the Right Atrium and then moves down through a valve into the right ventricle. The valve’s function is to force the blood to flow through in only one direction. Blood that moves backward forces the valve shut. • Powerful muscles of the ventricles contract regularly, forcing the blood out of the heart. This action is the Systole. Then the ventricles relax for a moment in an action called Diastole. This relaxation allows new blood to fill the ventricle before the next contraction. The regular contraction of the heart muscle is the beat of the heart. • Contraction of the right ventricle forces blood to the lung artery. When the blood reaches the lung it again passes through a network of capillaries. This time it gives up carbon dioxide and takes in oxygen. Blood then goes to the lung vein back to the left atrium and then to the left ventricle. When the left ventricle contracts, blood is forced into the aorta. The aorta branches to form several large arteries and then branches again and again leading to various arteries in the organs of the body. A Quick Summary: The heart is really two pumps: the right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs where blood takes on oxygen and loses carbon dioxide. Blood returns to the left side of the heart and then is pumped to all other parts of the body. Getting Started. . . • First teach the basic motor skills necessary to complete the individual Heart Adventure stations. Ie. practice bouncing and dribbling a ball, riding a scooter board, jumping rope, jumping over the hurdles, moving under and through objects, etc. • Provide suggestions for adapting the skills for a child that is unable to complete the course successfully; ie: instead of jumping rope, place a rope flat on the ground and jump back and forth over the flat rope, or hold the rope in one hand and turn it to the side while jumping. Instead of dribbling the ball and jogging, simply hold the ball and jog. If the children cannot jump with the Jump BandsTM while saying the choral reading, separate the two actions -­‐-­‐ just jump, then say the words. • Organize the equipment as shown in Figure 2. Explain the concept of The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course. Emphasize the two separate sides of the heart and point out the use of only two colors, blue and red. • Allow the students to begin moving through the course by positioning 4-­‐5 students at selected stations. For example: 5 Students begin on scooters with blue ball at RIGHT ATRIUM 4 Students begin on scooters with blue ball at RIGHT VENTRICLE 4 Students begin on scooters with blue ball at PULMONARY VALVE 4 Students begin jump roping at LUNGS 5 Students begin jogging through hoops holding red ball at LEFT ATRIUM 4 Students begin holding red ball while leaping over hurdles at LEFT VENTRICLE 4 Students begin holding red ball while crawling through the AORTA Note: The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course includes equipment for 30 students. If you have additional students they may be involved in other learning stations situated on the perimeter of the challenge course. • Invite volunteers from the American Heart Association to visit the school before The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course is in place. They can familiarize you and your students with the school kits and truly aid in a comprehensive unit of study. Learning Stations. . . In addition to the kinesthetic experience of The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course, other stations can be organized for integrative teaching and learning, such as: • Science: Pig’s heart with markings for the chambers and aorta (Children can wear surgical masks and gloves and use a probe.) • Art: Red and Blue yarn tracing the veins and arteries on a reproducible picture of the child’s body or color the veins and arteries with blue and red crayon. • Dino-­‐Muscle Coloring Book (Available through the U.S. Games catalog) • Math: Compute target heart rates. Stethoscopes can be available for children to understand resting and working heart rates. (Available through the U.S. Games catalog) • Technology: Use Heart Rate Monitors to check resting and working heart rates. (Several Heart Rate Monitors are available through U.S. Games.) • Language Arts: Word scrambles using atrium, ventricle, aorta, etc. (Dino-­‐Muscle Teacher Edition and coloring books – Available through U.S. Games). Several books are also available. See Additional Resources. • Health: Profile of exercise and nutrition. Easy questionnaire that kids can take – ie. Project Spark’s questionnaire (619) 594-­‐4815) • Board Game: Circulation game about the circulation system (Available through U.S. Games) • Puzzle: Inside my Body by Ravensburger • Pop-­‐Up Books about the human body. • Use the heart squeesh ball for understanding about the action of “lub-­‐dub” of the pumping of the heart (Heart Squeesh Ball available through U.S. Games) • Heart Fitness (by Hap Kids – use backpacks for extra weight, stethoscopes, etc. (800) 323-­‐8368) • Anatomy Charts and charts showing the circulatory system (All available through U.S. Games) • Somebody Game – Human anatomy identification game (Play fair toys (800) 824-­‐7255) • Pumping Heart – Hands on science fun. Build a lifelike model of the human heart. (Play fair toys (800) 824-­‐7255) How The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course Works: The students are kinesthetically involved while navigating the blood’s pathway as it begins its journey from the right side of the heart to the lungs in search of oxygen and then re-­‐enters the left side of the heart and is then pumped to other parts of the body. Naturally, this is a one-­‐way system and a never-­‐ending process. Students will have the opportunity to repeat the course many times. (See page 11 for a detailed explanation of the course and equipment used at each station.) Equipment has been chosen to aid in identifying the two separate sides of the heart. To help differentiate the two sides, de-­‐oxygenated blood or blood lacking oxygen which enters on the right side is coded blue. Blood that enters through the pulmonary vein and moving into the left atrium is oxygenated so the equipment is red. This color-­‐coding assists the students in their understanding of the lung’s function in providing oxygen for the blood as well as to explain the progression of the challenge course. The students even exchange the ball they are carrying based on whether the blood is carrying oxygen (red) or not carrying oxygen (blue). At the end of the lesson it is critical to teach the students the importance of cooling-­‐down after repeated exercise. This cool-­‐down station is built into the course not only to bring the heart-­‐rate down, but also to increase socialization and cooperation with a partner. Research studies have supported the notion that children learn best through play experiences. The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course does just that. What better way to learn about the most important muscle in the body than to experience going through it! After all, circulating blood is the stream of life! Did you know. . .Your ♥ is about the size of your fist. A mouse’s ♥ is about the size of an egg. A collie’s ♥ is the size of a tennis ball. A giraffe’s ♥ is the size of a basketball! Our ♥ beats an average of 70 times per minute. The average ♥ beats 38 million times each year. The average human ♥ weighs slightly less than a pound. Your ♥ is the toughest and most important little muscle in your body. The blood pumped by the ♥ supplies the cells of the body with fuel for energy. Equipment and Activities for Each Station of The Heart Adventure Challenge Course – Elementary Version *NOTE: Before entering the RIGHT ATRIUM, pick up a BLUE ball from the ball cart and sit down on a BLUE scooter board. See figure 2. RIGHT ATRIUM While seated on a BLUE scooter board, dribble or carry the BLUE ball through the BLUE mat maze (two blue mats are positioned on sides and placed in an accordion fashion.) Follow the BLUE arrows to the Tricuspid Valve. TRICUSPID VAVLE Remain seated on BLUE scooter board and follow BLUE arrows to archway. Dribble or carry the ball while moving under “valve” arch. RIGHT VENTRICLE Continue following BLUE arrows. While still on scooter board dribble BLUE ball around BLUE hoops which are lying on the floor. PULMONARY VALVE Ride BLUE scooter board through “valve” arch. PULMONARY VALVE Remain seated on the scooter board, place ball in lap, lift feet off ground and pull self along by holding on to the BLUE ropes attached to two volleyball standards.* *For this part of the course attach the BLUE rope to the bottom brackets, just high enough that the students must lift their arms overhead and still remain seated on the scooter. They must try to propel themselves along using their upper body strength. Most students tuck their legs in a cross leg fashion. When reaching the end of the rope, deposit BLUE ball for a RED ball (this is again in the ball cart area) and jog over to the Lungs. NOTE: Sandbags may be used to stabilize the standards. LUNGS Place RED ball on a deck ring in the Lung area. Jump rope trying to complete at least 5 jumps in a row. Pick up ball and proceed to the Left Atrium. NOTE: The jump ropes are blue and red signifying that the deoxygenated blood (blue) is taking on oxygen (red) in the lungs. LEFT ATRIUM While holding the RED ball jog through a RED hoop maze. Hoops are held in place with hoop holders. Proceed to the Mitral Valve by dribbling the ball while jogging. NOTE: If the hoop holders are too much of a distraction for younger children simply attach hoops together with red floor tape. MITRAL VALVE Bend down to jog through “valve” arch. Proceed to the Left Ventricle by dribbling the ball while jogging. LEFT VENTRICLE Jump over the four foam hurdles while holding the ball. AORTIC VALVE Bend down and jog through “valve” arch then dribble the RED ball until arriving at the Aorta. AORTA While holding the RED ball, crawl through the RED conduit (large tunnel with 2 smaller tunnels) exiting from one of the smaller tunnels. One tunnel leads to the Brain and the other to All Other Body Parts. THE BRAIN Link up for learning with another partner by placing the looped ends of the RED Jump BandsTM around each ankle. Together the partners must maintain a 4/4 count rhythm* while choral reading an important message about the heart. By performing rhythmic jumping with a partner and reading at the same time, students can understand the dual roles of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. *The jumping pattern: Begin with both feet together in a closed position. On counts 1 & 2 double jump to a straddle position with legs apart. On counts 3 & 4 return by double jumping to the closed position. Continue jumping in this pattern until the paragraph has been read. Once completed go back to the right atrium and exchange the RED ball for a BLUE one, sit on a BLUE scooter board and proceed once again through. The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course entering the Right Atrium. Next time through the Aorta, branch out to All Other Body Parts. ALL OTHER BODY PARTS Dribble the RED ball from the Aorta’s smaller branch (tunnel) around the perimeter of the workspace. This symbolizes the blood traveling to All Other Parts of the Body. Upon arrival back to the opening of the Right Atrium, exchange the RED ball for the BLUE ball, sit on a BLUE scooter board and proceed once again through The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course entering the Right Atrium. Next time through the Aorta, branch out to the Brain. COOL DOWN Position the children on either side of the blue rope. Choose a partner to toss a Heart Squeesh Ball back and forth until resting heart rate returns. First toss the Heart Squeesh Ball vertically in the air to oneself and then toss or hand to the partner. IMPORTANT NOTES: • All the equipment used for The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course can be incorporated into everyday physical education lessons. For example the playground balls, and the heart squeesh balls can be used for lessons addressing eye-­‐hand coordination, simple games and lead-­‐up skills for sports. The arrows are perfect for workspace perimeters, relays, etc. Scooter boards can be used in games like non-­‐locomotor/locomotor skills as well as target games. The foam arches can be used for endless possibilities including many lessons dealing with spatial orientation, relays, and they even come apart to use like a javelin! The foam hurdles are a perfect addition to a beginning track unit or a station emphasizing eye-­‐foot coordination. The Jump BandsTM and segmented ropes are great for rhythmic awareness, dance and eye-­‐foot coordination. The large items like the Conduit and mats are always sought out for educational gymnastics, and in U.S. Games’ case, a second adventure: The Tropical Rainforest! • Storing the equipment in an organized manner will help you later in setting up The Elementary Heart Adventure Challenge Course and in selecting components or pieces of equipment for other physical education activities. Store like equipment together ie. all the balls in mesh bags, ropes, hoops, etc. The equipment storage cart (USG 92448) works great because all the equipment first nicely inside with the exception of the mats and conduit. Enjoy! If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to phone U.S. Games at 1-­‐800-­‐327-­‐0484. All equipment can be purchased through U.S. Games; Call for your FREE U.S. Games catalog at 1-­‐800-­‐327-­‐0484 or FAX to 1-­‐214-­‐243-­‐0149 or mail to P.O. Box 117028, Carrollton, TX 705011.