If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.
― Henry David Thoreau

Did you Know?

There are approximately 12 peaks on the summit, with the highest being Mount Logan.

Find your Fit Activity of the Day:  Climb the Mountain

Objective: To get students moving a lot in a short amount of time. While learning some facts about mountains

Materials needed: individual jump ropes for roughly 1/2-2/3 of class, 10-20 hula hoops, 4-8 long jump ropes, 6-10 small (6-10″) hurdles, 15-20 poly spots, 8-10 cones/domes, cones to mark challenges & course, music to motivate

Start by telling the students they get to hike to the top of a mountain. On their way to the top they will encounter several obstacles, modify the story based on grade level.

–   At the beginning of their hike they perform 10 push-ups (traditional or modified) to scare the bears off the mountain. The students then hike to the hot rocks

–   Hot rocks are set up as a jump rope area. Students jump rope 15 times on the hot rocks (because our mountain is a volcano also), then jog to the swamp.

–   The swamp consists of hula hoops set up in a line of two rows. Students run through the hoops with high knees (so they don’t get stuck in the swamp). Then they jog to the rivers area.

–   The Students leap over the rivers, which are two long jump ropes running parallel to each other, use any number of rivers. Then students hike or jog to the creek.

–   Students cross the creek by hopping from rock to rock (polyspot to polyspot). Then then continue to the caves.

–   The caves are picnic tables with benches. Children perform 10 bench push ups or 10 crunches to scare away the trolls that live under in the caves (under the tables).

–   Then they run over to the boulders. Students jump or leap over the boulders (hurdles), then continue to the switchback path. Since switchback paths are used for very steep places in a trail, I mark a zigzag pathway using cones.

–   Then onto the rocky ledge at the top of the mountain. Students have reached the top of the mountain when balance on the rocky ledge (for our school this is the cement curb around our sandbox).

–   Students then take a different pathway down the mountain, to the beginning. They have the option of taking the short cut (monkey bars) across from one side of the “ledge” to the other.

– Students continue hiking up and down the mountain until time is up. (usually 5 – 8 minutes – a few songs when playing music).