Boot Camp:  Survival of the Fittest

A day filled with trivia questions and physical fitness challenges (PFC).   Always great when you can dress the part! Like a boot camp tee shirt and some camouflage…

 

Split the class into groups of four

• Create two rounds of trivia and two rounds of physical fitness challenges
• Round 1:  Give each group a list of review questions to answer. (These can be based off of vocabulary or fill in the blank statements from the topic being covered)
  • First group to finish is exempt from the next physical fitness challenge and receives 10 points
  • The second group to finish is also exempt from the next physical fitness challenge and receives 7 points (but has the option of participating in the physical fitness challenge in order to gain an additional 3 pts.
  • The last two groups each have to participate in the physical fitness challenge.  Each group will receive 5 points for successfully completing the challenge.
• Round 2:  Physical Fitness Challenge
  • Choose from the PFCs below or create your own.
  • If the group succeeds, they receive 10 points
• Round 3:  Trivia Round
  • Ask each group the same number of questions (5 each or more; up to you)
    • Try to give some difficult and some easy so that you can get in as many PFCs as possible; making it more fun
  • Groups will receive 5 points for each correct answer
  • If the group does not know the answer, they have the choice of completing a PFC to earn 3 points or choose to pass for 0 points (this hardly ever happens)
• Round 4:  Physical Fitness Challenge
  • Choose from the PFCs below or create your own.
  • If the group succeeds, they receive 15 points
    • Score increase ensures that students still have a chance to win till the end.
• Round 5:  FINALE
  • Give 1 final question and have them write down their answer.
  • Award 10 points to each group that gets it right or….
  • Allow them to wager a certain amount of points and if they get it correct they get that many points, but if their answer is incorrect, they lose that amount of points (get it..final jeopardy)

The group with the most points in the end wins!!!

Reward Ideas

• Boot Camp Tee Shirts:  Survival of the Fittest, I survived Mr./Ms. ? Boot Camp, etc.
• Medals (This way each group would get something-gold, silver, bronze, participation, achievement, great sportsmanship, etc.
• Certificates
• Treat, dessert buffet (ice cream), fruit, etc.

Physical Fitness Challenge (PFC) Ideas

• Jump rope for 30 seconds or 1 minute
• Jumping jacks for 30 seconds, 1 minute or 100 reps
• Hold plank for 30 seconds or 1 minute
• Arm circles for 30 seconds, 1 minute, or 100 reps
• Push-ups for 30 seconds or 30 reps
• Sit ups for 30 seconds, 1 minute or 100 reps
• Weighted Cone run (best done outside unless you let one team go at a time and time them and then the fastest time wins)
  • Give students 2 weights (at least 8lbs each)
  • Have students run from starting line, around cone, and back to starting line carrying weights.
  • They will then hand off weights to the next person and the first team to finish wins the challenge
• Calf raises for 30 seconds, 1 minute or 100 reps
• 6 inches (hold for 30 seconds or 1 minute)
  •  Have students lay on floor or ground and raise legs six inches off the ground
• Side plank for 30 seconds or 1 minute
• Wall squat for 30 seconds or 1 minute
• Jog in place for 30 seconds, 1 minute or 2 minutes
• High knee jog in place for 30 seconds or 1 minute

Variations for PFCs

• Have everyone in the group complete them
• Allow students to split the time or reps (as long as there is not a pause)
  • If you do this one you can increase the number of reps

Final Thoughts

• If you really want to get creative award the winning group with FACS Boot Camp Tee shirts (iron-on works great)
• JUST FOR LAUGHS:   The above way is the fun way; however, I’ve seen a teacher present a lesson to the class and informed the students to take notes.  Afterwards he went around the classroom randomly asking students questions from the information he had presented.  If they answered incorrectly, they were given push-ups, made to stand, do calf raises, jumping jacks or whatever until someone got it right….Cruel, but funny!  J

Product Review Activity

Product Review days are a great way for students to practice such skills as:

• Public speaking
• Listening
• Persuasion
• Product evaluation
• Critical thinking
• Writing techniques

For the Product Review Day, you have students work with a partner or individually.  There are two variations for this activity:

• Bring in different products, small, but FACS related, and allow students to review each product.  It can be food or anything else that is inexpensive.
• Choose different types of products within the classroom such as small kitchen equipment, utensils, computer software programs, books, etc.

The ultimate goal of the project is for the student to be able to persuade their peers on the usefulness of the product.  After students have presented their product and persuasive speech, students will be given the opportunity to vote on whether or not they would purchase and/or use this item.  If more people vote yes, you can call this a success and allow the presenter to keep the product or award them with another type of gift such as a coupon, food, bonus points, etc.

Product Review Worksheet

 Bucket List

Of course, everyone is doing the whole bucket list thing, so why not incorporate it into your classroom.  Bucket lists are a way for students to set goals, live a more achievement filled life, learn to plan and more!  This activity also has a few variations for how you can use it in your classroom.

 

• Allow your students to create specific bucket lists such as:
  • My Semester Bucket List (things students want to achieve or do before the semester is over)
  • My High School Bucket List (things students want to achieve or do before they graduate high school)
  • My Winter Break Bucket List (things students want to do during winter break)
  • My Summer Break Bucket List (things students want to achieve or do during summer break)
• You may allow your students to get creative by: (don’t know how it would work with older students, but it’s worth a shot)
  • Bringing in a bucket of their choice; ice cream buckets, paint buckets, sand pails, mop buckets, etc. Decorate the bucket and put all their list items inside.
  • Have the students choose something each week from the bucket to work on when students finish assignments early or “think” that they have “free” time.  This may also be used as homework assignments-working on bucket list items.
• Another way for using Bucket Lists in the classroom is for the teacher to create a bucket with different achievements or tasks.
  • You may also have the students submit different task ideas/achievement ideas to be placed in the bucket.
  • At the beginning of the semester have students pull one or more tasks from the bucket list to attempt to accomplish by the end of the semester.  This is a great motivator for students because they really want to be able to state specifically what they have accomplished in a short period of time.

Sample Tasks to include in the Bucket List (for the classroom)

• Receive an A on a test
• Receive an A on a project
• Make homemade ice cream
• Bake a cake from scratch
• Create a blog
• Make an apron
• Refashion a piece of clothing
• Sleep in class (just for fun)
• Make friendship bracelets for my friends
• Design a tee shirt and wear it
• Volunteer
• Make dinner for your family
• Try a new food or recipe
• Make a funny Youtube video or regular video to share with the class
• Bring in snacks for the class
• Do a photo shoot (share with class)
• Create a photo calendar
• Read a book and share with the class
• Write a short story, print and publish (with assistance of teacher)
• Create a photo journal or scrapbook (friends, foods, school, family, etc.)
• Put together an entire puzzle during class (500 piece/1000 piece)
• Apply for a scholarship (for juniors/seniors)
• Create an original recipe
• Do something nice for my teacher
• Learn a new skill
• Invent or create a board game
• Join a CTSO (FCCLA!)
• Become a CTSO officer

Got more ideas to add to the bucket list, head over to the summer camp forum and leave them there.  Are you ready for week 2?

Want a printable copy of these activities try Week 1 Wrapup Printable