LEARN & PLAY: Inflatable Yard Games in the Classroom!

Friday, September 8, 2017
At the end of last school year, I completed my first ever "RCA Inspired" classroom transformation for our state testing math review. Check out our Glow Day Transformation HERE. After "Glow Day" went so well last Spring, I knew I wanted to do more classroom transformations in the future. My students were engaged and excited all day long... why wouldn't I want to do transformations more often?!

This summer when I was shopping the Target Dollar Spot and found inflatable yard games, I knew I had found my first classroom transformation for the next school year. I bought a set of inflatable dice, an inflatable ring toss, and even an inflatable bowling set. Although these inflatables are no longer available at Target, you can grab them for a super affordable price on Amazon and I've linked my favorite options below. This summer I created games and task cards to go with each station so I'd be ready to go with a fourth grade math review during the first week of school! I know I'm not the only one who grabbed up ALL things inflatable from the Target Dollar Spot, so thought I'd break down each station for you below so that you can do this easy transformation in your own classroom!  You can grab my pack on TPT here

Inflatable Transformation: The Basics
Our classroom transformation lasted half a day, and the only thing I did to prep was to move our tables out of the way. Students stayed at each station for 30-40 minutes and could have stayed even longer! The MOST IMPORTANT part of a classroom transformation is the instructions beforehand and the setting of high expectations. If directions are clear and expectations are high, your transformation will be a HUGE SUCCESS!

Station 1: Inflatable Bowling


What you need for this station:
-Bowling Recording Sheet (one per group)
-Set of task cards
-Recording sheet (one per student)

How to play:
At this center, students worked with their team to answer a task card. My task cards were a review of 4th grade math standards. This allowed me to see what my students remembered from 4th grade and what we needed to review before beginning 5th grade standards (win-win)! After each group member had completed a math task card, discussed their answer, and everyone agreed on the correct answer, each group member got a chance to bowl once. Students recorded how many pins they knocked over on the bowling recording sheet and once all students had bowled, the group grabbed another task card.

Station 2: Read it. Write it. Round it.

What you need for this station:
-Recording page for each student

How to play:
This was a simple station, but the kids loved it! I had my students in groups of four, so each student was in charge of a dice. Students took turns rolling their dice and each number was recorded on the student recording sheet. Once four dice had been rolled, students wrote the number in word and expanded form and rounded the number. The front recording sheet used four dice, and the back of the recording sheet allowed students to roll six dice for a more challenging task.

Station 3: Inflatable Ring Toss


What you need for this station:
-Ring Toss Recording Sheet (one per group)
-Set of task cards
-Recording sheet (one per student)

How to play:
This center was similar to bowling...  students worked with their team to answer a task card. After each group member had completed a math task card independently, discussed their answer with their group, and everyone agreed on the correct answer, each group member got a chance to play the ring toss game once. Students recorded how many many points they had scored (each ring toss was labeled) over on the ring toss recording sheet and once all students had played ring toss once, the group grabbed another task card and the process continued.

Station 4: Five-in-a-Row Dice Game
What you need for this station:
-Four in a row game board
-Game markers (I used extra math manipulative I had lying around.)

How to play:
The object of this game is to get five in a row. You can multiply, add, or subtract in order to get your lucky number. The goal of this game is to get your kiddos problem-solving! First, you will need two teams. I had groups of four, so my students created two teams of two. Team one rolls both of their dice and decides whether or add, subtract, or multiply the two numbers they rolled. Whatever they decide on, they mark out that number on the game board. Team two does the same thing as team one. They roll, add/subtract/multiply, pick their number and place a marker on the game board. Teams continue rotating back and forth until one team gets five in a row. As more markers are on the game board, teams will have to problem-solve to determine the best number to cover up. I thought this would be my students' least favorite station, but the friendly competition made it a crowd favorite!

Alright, friends! There you have it! 
Four fun centers that will keep your kiddos engaged and excited for an entire afternoon! If you are looking for a simple transformation that your kiddos will love, this is a great one for you! You can grab EVERYTHING you'll need for your transformation by clicking the Amazon links below. You can also grab my inflatable yard game TPT resource that includes station directions, 5th grade level task cards, and a fully editable powerpoint for those of you not in 5th grade so you can easily make your own questions! If you have any questions, please let me know!

Have you done a classroom transformation yet this year?
If so, let me know what kind! I'd love to hear it! = )
Happy Transforming!


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