Students stand in a circle formation around the teacher.
The teacher then introduces a long jump rope named “Jake The Hungry Snake” to the class.
The teacher flips the top card of the “Food Is Fuel” Nutrition Card Pack to reveal the first food that Jake is hungry for. The teacher then turns the long jump rope so that it slides along the floor. Students attempt to jump over Jake as he passes by their feet.
If Jake “bites” (i.e. makes contact with) a student’s feet, that student must step outside of the circle and perform the required exercise to burn off the calories that Jake has consumed. Once they have done so, the student gets to return to play.
Play goes on until the class has gone through the entire pack of cards.
Build One: This Or That
In build one, the teacher will begin by dividing the class into six teams. Once the students have been assigned to a team, all students will be then asked to get into a U formation around the teacher.
Using the “Food is Fuel” Nutrition Card Pack, the teacher will flip the top card of the deck and reveal it to the class. If the students believe that the revealed food is healthy, they show that they believe so by performing jumping jacks. If the students believe that the revealed food is unhealthy, they show that they believe so by performing squats.
In the event that the class provides a very mixed response, the teacher can pause the activity and lead a discussion as to why some believe the food is healthy while others believe it to be unhealthy.Once the class has made it through around half of the deck, it’s time for build two!
Build Two: Jake The Hungry Snake
In build two, the class will get into a circle formation around the teacher. The teacher will then take a long jump rope which they will introduce as Jake The Hungry Snake. The teacher will explain that Jake is looking for a feast and might accidentally nibble on some toes as he seeks out food.To start the build, the teacher will flip the next card from the top of the “Food Is Fuel” Nutrition Card Pack. Once the card has been flipped, the teacher will call out “Jake is Hungry For…” and then say the name of the food that was revealed. The teacher will then begin to turn the rope around in a circle while keeping it on the floor.
As Jake passes by students, the students attempt to jump so that the rope doesn’t touch their feet. If a student’s feet make contact with the rope as it passes by them, that student steps out of the game and burns off the calories from the food that was revealed by performing the exercise that was listed on the card. Once they have done so, they may return to their spot in the circle.
Play continues like this until all of the remaining cards from the deck have been flipped.
Build Three: Healthy Food Choices
In build three, the teacher will divide all of the cards into their six colour sets. Each team will be given the colour set that matches their team’s colour as well as their “Healthy Food Choices” assessment sheet.Teams then break off to have group discussions with their teammates in which they sort the foods from their card set into healthy food and unhealthy food piles. Once they have done so, the students then complete their assessment sheet by listing the foods from each pile and sharing what those foods have in common.
Students should always be an arms distance away from their neighbours.
The teacher should keep the long jump rope on the ground when turning.
Students should be properly warmed-up before engaging in the activity.
