Hey Everyone!

Hope all is well!

In this post we wanted to share a fun activity called Taking Coconuts.

This is a great activity to do with large groups and no setup (other than asking students to come grab a spot and a beanbag).

You can use it was an instant activity, or implement some of the levels and variations to build on it and use it as a full lesson.

Game Objective:

In this activity, students are trying to collect as many coconuts (beanbags) as they can on their island (polyspot).  The person with the most coconuts on their island each round is the winner. 

Each student will start the game with one beanbag and one polyspot.  If you have large numbers or not enough equipment, you can have 2-3 students at a polyspot and have them take turns leaving and returning.

The game is a fun way to get your students moving and thinking about game strategy.   Also, your students will love trying to steal coconuts from other islands.

To see how we teach the activity, check out the video below as Marcus explains the game and plays a few rounds at a teacher PD:

Each student will start the game with one beanbags and one polyspot.  If you have large numbers or not enough equipment, you can have 2-3 students at a polyspot and have them take turns leaving and returning.

Rules we use for the game:

• You can only take one coconut from an island at a time.
• The coconut must be returned to your island before you can leave to take another coconut
• No blocking or playing defense
• No throwing of the coconuts, they must be picked up and placed on the island

When the music stops, you must return to your island.  If you have a coconut in your hand when the music stops, you can return to the island with the coconut.

After each round, see which students have the most coconuts and declare them the winner.

When the first round is complete, we like to review the rules and discuss the strategy of the game. 

After a quick discussion, let students play again after resetting the game. 

To reset the game, just have the students go back to having one beanbag on their polyspot.

Resetting Your Island

After the second round, we like to give students the option to move their island to a different location.

Usually, we play 2-3 rounds before moving on to the Team or Alliance variation. 

Between rounds you can discuss strategies and give any needed refinements.

Team Up / Form an Alliance

Another fun variation is allowing your students to form an alliance or team up with another player. 

We usually give students the option to either keep working on their own or to team up with a partner, since some students would prefer to continue working as an individual, we let them have the choice during this round. 

The rules are the same, but if you choose to team up you will combine your islands and work together. 

If you choose to do this version you can also give a shout out to the “Alliance Winner” and an “Individual Winner” if you want to separate them out. 

Game variations for you to try out:

• Change the locomotor students can use in the activity (Skip, Bear Walk, Crab Walk, Gallop)
• Increase or decrease the boundary area
• Points award for specific colors (red beanbags finish with two points instead of one)
• Add rouge defenders who can tag and block (tagged players must drop the coconut and return to their island before continuing the game) 
• Use a ball instead of a beanbag (this makes for a lot more chaos because they roll everywhere)
• Start with the coconuts in the middle
• Have more coconuts then islands
• Play on scooters instead of feet (recommend only going forward on scooters for safety)

Hope you got a few ideas from this post and are able to use in your class!

Download the activity sheet below:

That’s it – Thanks for checking it out!

Have Fun and Teach On!