Cottage Lane Elementary School Physical Education teachers Jonathan Jacobs and Sue O’Rourke have incorporated a new activity into their gym classes: Meteor Ball!
An alternative to dodgeball, Meteor Ball is a game where students are divided into four teams: Mercury, Earth, Mars and Saturn. The goal of the game is to protect their planet from a “meteor strike,” which is represented by a giant beach ball. Jacobs will toss the giant beach ball into the center of the square and students throw dodgeballs at it to prevent it from hitting their planet.
“We wanted to give a fun alternative to some of the more traditional gym class activities. Meteor Ball is a game that encompasses everything from motor skills to strategy, while eliminating the intimidation of traditional dodgeball,” explained Jacobs. “It gets our students more comfortable and it’s an all-inclusive activity where everyone gets involved. There’s definitely some competitive spirit happening when we play, which also helps students that may need help dealing with that aspect of sports.”