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Monday, October 21, 2013

HOT POTATO!


One potato, two potato, three potato, four…
I’ve got hot potato ideas galore!

Here I go again taking something simple and milking it for all it’s worth!  You can use a hot potato similar to the one I made for these games, a real potato, a sponge ball, or any other object. 
I got an old pair of pantyhose.  (Yes, I still had some in a drawer, but they were black and not brown.  What I love about children is that 99% wouldn’t say a thing about a black potato!)  I cut the toe off and then cut a 10” piece of the leg.  I stuffed the rest of the panty hose in that section, knotted both ends, and trimmed off the excess.  Cute, huh?  So what can you do with it?

Traditional Hot Potato
This game can be played indoors our outside.  Children stand or sit in a circle.  The potato is passed around the circle until the music stops or the teacher blows a whistle.  (Obviously, playing music inside works best and the whistle can be used on the playground.)  The child holding the potato when the music stops is out of the game.  If a child drops the potato they are also out of the game, or if a child throws the potato so it can’t be caught they are out of the game.  Continue passing the potato until one child is left.
*Instead of making children leave the game, ask them to do an exercise, say a rhyme, tell a joke, etc.

Shapes and Letters
The child caught holding the potato has to identify a shape, letter, or other information on a flash card.

Counting
Pass the potato and each child says a number as they receive the potato.  Every time you get to a multiple of ten, that child is out.
*Start counting from a random number.  “We’ll start with 17…”

Spelling
Say a word.  Each child says a letter in the word.  When the word is spelled the next child is out.  Continue passing the potato and spelling words.

Recall
After you’ve had a science of social studies lesson, ask the child holding the potato to tell you one new thing they learned.

One potato, two potato, three potato, four…
Email me if you’ve got ideas or more!