equipment hacks for pe teachers
make the most of your equipment
The following equipment hacks have been discovered by various PE teachers across the country and I'll share them here to aid in all PE teachers making the most of their equipment needs. If you have equipment hacks that you'd like to share with us then email us and let us know! Huge shoutout to the great mind over at Phys Ed Review, as most of these genius ideas have come from him!
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DIY home equipment
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A great video resource that can show you how to make PE equipment from home to keep the students active and engaged.
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Homemade disinfectant spray
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The Covid-19 pandemic has caused Lysol and other quality disinfectants to become nearly impossible to find. With students returning to school, the need for disinfectants to clean equipment after each use is going to be a necessity. The products needed to make your own disinfectant spray are easy to find and mix together. Keep the fun going and the equipment in use as long as you can properly clean and disinfectant after each use.
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Tunnel using cones, pool noodles and tape
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If you've ever wanted to create a long tunnel for a PE activity or field day event we have a great idea that doesn't require the purchase of an expensive, expanding tunnel. All you need is 1 large parachute, several pool noodles and cones. Pool noodles connect from top of cones on opposite sides to form an arch. Make as many arches as needed based on the desired length of tunnel. Spread the parachute out over top of the arches and use the tape to tape off the edges and keep the tunnel in place as students make their way through.
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Can Lid Mini-frisbee- from phys. ed. review
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So, one day after finishing a can of these I wondered if the lid could be used as a mini frisbee. Well, it can. Amazed at how straight it flew. Been collecting them every since. Have around 12 after collecting for months. A good washing is important too due to allergies.
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Homemade balance beam- phys. ed. review
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(3) 2"x3" long boards
(2) 1 1/2" hinges (1) 8' long strapping wood I cut the strapping into 9 inch segments for the feet of the beam making sure that when I folded it everything fit and that it was it was compact. I also cut the strapping into 1 inch pieces to place under each beam for stability. After putting it all together it was time to test it, on myself. The thing didn't move. If it can support me, it can support any of my students. I plan to have my students use plastic wands (one in each hand) to help them make it across the first few times gradually progressing to just walking across it with no assistance. |
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Low-Nets using Jump Ropes and "S" hooks
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This idea came from a friend of my, Mike Ginicola. He took a few pictures of his setup and tweeted them out. As you can tell it is an "S" hook he used for the top of the cones. What a great way to create some low nets for class. Some "nets" he created with a long beaded jump rope and the other is a Chinese Jump Rope. If you haven't seen his website go over and check out PhysEdDepot now!
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Limo created by scooters and pool noodles
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Below you will notice what I call a "limo". Actually my two sons created this and started calling it a limo. Of course, I loved it so much that I had to think of some cool activities the limos could be use for. Take a look at the videos under the Scooter Board page on my website. This creation has allowed me to come up with some unique cooperative activities my students really enjoyed during class. Give it a try some time with your students and let me know what you think.
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Tunnels using old hula hoops and cones
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Don't know what to do with those kinked hula hoops? Cut the kink out, grab two cones and now you have a tunnel. The tunnels are great for students to crawl through, go under with a scooter, roll a ball under, kick the ball under, and so much more. What will your imagination come up with for your tunnels? If you have more ideas, I would love to hear them!
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Wooden scooter rack using wooden dowels
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Have you seen the price of the storage racks for scooter boards? They can get pricey that's for sure. A few years ago I bought some wooden dowels that do the same trick. When starting the stack, the first scooter board should be placed wheels down. Having the wheels down will allow you to move it easily. I have found using the pattern shown in the picture when stacking has been useful in storing a lot of scooters on one pole. The downfall to using a wooden dowel is now it's starting to bow a little. If you can find a metal pole to use that would be much better.
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Heart Rate Monitor Pole Base Replacements
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I have the red instapulse heart rate monitor poles and have found a bunch of the bases started breaking. So I went to the hardware store, bought some PVC pipe, quick dry cement, and got to work. I used ducked tape on one end of the pipe so the cement would not go inside it. For the base I used some tin cans from our cafeteria. If I were to do it again, I would have a bigger base (they tip over easily). The poles can also be used as field markers, hold nets, hold signs and much more.
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Weights made with bottles and rocks
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Looking for a way to teach your elementary students about weight lifting but don't have the budget to purchase the expensive weights? Over 15 years ago I learned this little equipment hack at our TAHPERD convention. I asked the parents for their used Gatorade or Powerade bottles (cleaned out). I then went to our playground and fill the bottles with rocks and taped the lid one. Now we have a bunch of weights for circuit training in class.
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Hooks to hang Plickers signs
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As you may know I love using Plickers! I needed a way to display my cards so they were easy for students to find their card. I've had this hook system outside the gym for years and now have a new use for it. It is a simple piece of 1x6 that I screwed the hooks into. I printed off the Plickers cards, hole punched a corner, and placed a ring through the hole to hang them. I wrote a number above the hooks so the students will know where to hang their card.
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Milk cartons as scoops
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I'm sure it's been talked about many times before but in case you haven't heard that you can use milk cartons as scoops. Just ask the parents to have the students bring in their washed milk cartons and you can cut the bottoms off to create your own scoops!
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Pedometer storage using shoe organizer
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Here is another great idea from the great Kevin Tiller. He has found a great way to display and store his FitStep pedometers. He has found some inexpensive shoe organizers, numbered the pouches and place the pedometers inside. Now he can hang up the organizers and the students can grab their pedometer when they enter his class.
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Zip ties can do wonders for PE classes
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Zip ties can be your new best friend. There are many uses for zip ties in your classes. Here are a few examples. You can use them to tie equipment together for storage. Take scooter board handles and tie them together for activities. If you need hula hoops to stay in place on the floor use the ties. Sometimes there are students who don't wear a belt, use a zip tie for their pants.
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Poly spots substituted for paper plates
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The poly spots look great in the catalog but some times you don't have the budget for them. Instead try using paper plates from a dollar store. You can purchase so many at a very low cost. Now you can make your own spots to put letters, words or numbers on. Take some pictures of yourself performing the exercises for them to look like the ones from the catalogs.
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Poles made by pool noodles and cones
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This idea has come to me by Adam Llevo off Twitter. He took his noodles and stood them up on top of the cones, Students had to avoid running into or bumping the noodles. Great idea. I've also heard someone else use toilet plungers with the noodle over the wooden handle.
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Task card protector using clear pencil pouches
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Clear pencil pouches can easily be used to protect your task cards when you are outside. Put some string through the holes and you can hang them anywhere (as long as the principal is cool with it). Not sure but maybe you could also us a dry erase marker on it.
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carpet Tube used for a low-profile hurdle
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You can visit just about any store that sells carpet and ask for them to donate these carpet tubes to you for your PE program. They're great to use for low-profile hurdles for students to jump over and even for adaptive PE purposes.
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DIY Nets for Pickleball
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Want to make your own pickleball nets and save some money?!
All you need to make this happen is the following: -Lowes 5 Gallon Buckets -PVC Pipes -Sand for weighing buckets down -Nets (use volleyball or badminton) This equipment hack idea will save you money and allow you to have more sets of nets to have more students and engaged and active! |
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balloon tennis with pool noodles
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Balloon tennis with pool noodles. A great alternative if you don't have foam paddles or racquets. Cut the ends of the noodle in half and remove one side before you tape them together for a smaller handle. Otherwise it will be too big for kiddos to grip with one hand. Perfect for K-2.
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equipment hacks & creativity
phys. ed. review
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