In Brief
Vol. 4, No. 4 April 2011
A publication for members of the Alliance for Student Activities
Spring Fever Relievers w By Lyn Fiscus
between their foreheads.
As the weather warms up and the days grow longer, students often find themselves distracted from schoolwork. To prevent spring fever from developing into disengagement from school in general—and to release tension from all those hours of standardized tests everyone gets hit with in the spring—why not plan some fun activities that relieve spring fever but have the underlying purpose of helping students stay engaged in school activities?
n Hula Hoop Race—a line of team-
Spring fever relievers come in a variety of forms: lunchtime activities, all-school field days, after-school or evening events, spirit competitions, daylong events, activities spread over a week, or any combination of these. In short, any activity that is out of the ordinary and fun can serve the purpose. Two basic ideas underpin most spring fever relievers: have fun and offer everyone a chance to be involved.
Goofy Games One technique for relieving spring fever is to organize a series of goofy games and relay races—no particular skill required—in which teams or individuals compete. The games can be held all at the same time, in a Wacky Olympics or field day format, or can be spread across a week with a few competitions held each day at lunch. Some games to consider include:
mates holds hands and must pass a hula hoop down the line without releasing hands.
facing forward and the other facing backward. Tie team members’ inside legs together to make a three-legged team. Teams must navigate together down the gym.
n Slip-n-Slide Relay Race: Teams
n Back-to-Back—standing back
compete to see how quickly they can get all their members to the other side of a Slip-n-Slide by sliding through it.
to back, participants hold a ball between them and must walk to a designated point without dropping the ball.
n Sea Adventure—participants don
n Dust Mops Race: Pairs of students
snorkel, life preserver, and fins and race from one end of the gym to the other.
Two basic ideas underpin spring fever relievers: have fun and offer everyone a chance to be involved
put their left feet on one dust mop and their right feet on another, then shuffle ahead left-right-left-right to a designated spot on the gym floor, where they turn around and race back to the starting line.
n Square Students: See which team can get the most students in a 3’x3’ square. Participants must have at least one foot in the square, no feet touching the ground outside the square, and remain for 30 seconds.
n Skateboard Plunge: Participants n Suction Power—using a drinking straw, contestants use suction to hold a piece of paper and run to a drop-off point.
n Three-Legged Inner Tube—using three large inner tubes, teams of two contestants race from one end of the gym to the other. The two participants each place one foot inside a shared inner tube while the other foot goes into its own inner tube. They must navigate together to reach the end.
n Eggheads: Pairs of players race
n Twisted Three-Legged Race—
to a goal and back holding an egg
teams of two line up with one person
sit on a skateboard and propel themselves down the gym using a plunger.
n Three-legged Basketball: Play a game of basketball with members tied together in three-legged race style.
Spring Fling Events Another approach is to organize a Spring Fling event with fun as the central focus. Some activities to consider include:
n Guitar Hero Tournament. Fire up an X-Box 360 and set up a single elimination Guitar Hero tournament. Set up a bracket system where each match-up is played head-to-head with a pre-selected song and difficulty level. The winner of each match-up advances to the next round. Winner gets bragging rights, and any prizes you can local businesses or game shops to donate.
n Mud Volleyball. Work with your administrators and coaches to find a spot on a field somewhere that can be turned into a mud volleyball court, with mud about six inches deep. Have teams sign up to play in a double-elimination tournament. You can turn this into a fundraiser for a worthy cause by charging teams entry fees to participate, or charging spectators to watch the fun.
n Inflatable Games. Contact the local branch of the National Guard and see if you can bring in some of their inflatable games for a fun afternoon. The National Guard often has them available for free use by schools.
n Battle of the Bands. Invite all
the local garage bands to perform in a battle of the bands. Set up two stages so that while one band is playing a second can be setting up.
n Air Guitar or Lip Synch Contest. Let individuals or groups sign up to lip synch their favorite acts. Award points for best costumes, dance moves, choreography, spirit, etc.
n Comedy Show. Let your budding comedians have a shot at fame during an “open mic” comedy night held in the cafeteria. Set some guidelines about appropriate content and make sure people agree to abide by them before they perform.
sons after school prior to the dance.
n Field Day. Organize an old-fashioned field day like you used to have in elementary school. Have various stations set up with physical challenges—work with the PE teachers to come up with some good games— and let homerooms, clubs, or teams compete. All work and no play makes for a dull environment, so plan a bit of fun on campus this spring. Students will be ready to buckle down for spring testing and will finish the year with a fresh attitude and renewed sense of school spirit.
n 5K Run. Pick a spring Saturday to hold a 5K run that is open to all students and their families. Organize it as a fundraiser for a good cause by collecting pledges and donations, or charge an entry fee to participate. Seek local sponsorships to provide everyone with a T-shirt.
n Spring Fling Dance. Showcase
Lyn Fiscus is founder of the Leadership Teacher website (www.leadershipteacher. us) and a former student activities adviser. She serves as Vice President of the Alliance. This article originally appeared in Herff Jones’ Challenge newsletter in March 2009.
the school’s jazz band or string orchestra during a spring fling semiformal dance. Work with a local dance studio to offer free dance les-
In Brief is published five times per year by the Alliance for Student Activities, a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to promote the value of cocurricular student activities and to provide professional development and support for advisers and future advisers. Board of Directors Mike Smith, President Lyn Fiscus, Vice President Ann Postlewaite, Secretary John Glimco, Treasurer © 2011 Alliance for Student Activities
Alliance for Student Activities www.alliance4studentactivities.org info@alliance4studentactivities.org