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Mat Trucks

This is an excerpt from Scooter Games by Tony Larson.

Equipment

• One or two mats per team
• Four or five scooters per team
• Two cones per team

How to Play

Make a mat truck by placing one scooter under each corner of a mat and adding a fifth in the middle to prevent the mat from sagging. Using scooters that connect will make the process safer. Form teams of four players, one for each mat truck. Position the mat trucks in a straight line, maintaining an equal distance between the trucks and between the trucks and the walls. You can use a starting line, or place cones on the floor for each team. Place a cone for each team on the opposite side of the gym; this is the turn-around point. The players decide who will be the first two riders and the pushers. The two riders sit one behind the other with their legs crossed and hold onto the edges of the mat. The two pushers act as the truck's motor and carefully push the truck down to and around the designated cone. Pushers should push on the riders' shoulder blade area. When the truck is back at the beginning, the riders get off, and everyone checks for any repairs that may need to be made to the truck. Once the repairs are made, the players change position and begin a new relay. To encourage safe play, you could assign a team to be the safety officers. They would have permission to give out tickets to players who are doing the following:

• Running into others
• Running into the walls
• Deliberately falling down
• Sticking their legs out the window (riders are not keeping their legs crossed while sitting on the mat truck)
• Exhibiting poor sportsmanship
• Driving with fewer than four tires
• Driving carelessly

If a team receives two tickets, its truck must go to the impound lot, and players sit to discuss how to be safer drivers. Once they complete their discussion, they share their ideas with the teacher. Appendix C contains safety checklists that could be used for ticket ideas.

Safety

• No hands or feet out the window.
• Players must wear seatbelts at all times. They should pretend to fasten their seatbelts before moving.
• Trucks must avoid collisions, staying away from other trucks and walls.
• Trucks should not be pushed backward.

Sportsmanship

Ask if the teams were respectful of riders and pushers.

Variations

• Design a circular track.
• Designate the teacher as the police officer.
• Play Red Light/Green Light.

Assessment

Ask the players if they trusted their pushers while they were riding. Have them explain their answer.

This is an excerpt from Scooter Games.

More Excerpts From Scooter Games

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