Castle Ball

In 3rd and 4th Grade we have been playing a game called Castle Ball. A cousin of Dodge Ball, Castle Ball eliminates the element of throwing balls at each other, and puts the focus on throwing, rolling, catching, problem solving and guarding skills--but it proves to be equally exciting, if not more! 
Castle Ball is a cooperative game that is most successful when each team figures out their role, and how to support each other's skills--we all have different levels of skill. First, each team works together to figure out how to build the castle out of six hoola hoops. I show them once, and it takes them a few times, but the more they build it, the faster they get. At all time during the game, one person can guard the castles, and one person can guard the jail. The rest of the team works together to knock the other teams castle over, catching balls from the other team to get those members out (sending them to jail on the other side) and in turn rescuing their own teammates from jail. It is fast moving, full of strategy and moments to practice their ball skills, patience, and communication.

It was a joy to watch the progression as classes figured out that they would not win if they did not work together--the teams must help each other guard and then rebuild castles, save each other from jail, and hand off balls to people that had a good shot. But even more so, after playing a few times, cooperation seemed effortless, and equal excitement came from knocking down a castle as it did when they rescued their teammates from jail.

Here are some pictures of 4th Grade playing Castle Ball: