Active warm ups

[upnorthteacher]

Does anyone have some good active warm up ideas? I am looking for some new activities that involve physical movement and thinking, especially to get students thinking and active before standardized testing. Thanks!:waving:

[Karenrbw]

I have lots of little games that I do in class. They involve leadership, teamwork, "thinking outside the box", etc. We do one every Wednesday in class. Most of these require minimal supplies, so the price is right.
Human tangle: students stand in a tight circle - shoulders touching and facing in. All students put their hands in the circle and grab another hand. They should not grab the hand of the person beside them and they should not grab two hands belonging to the same person. When they all have their hands, they are to untangle themselves - without letting go. It gets pretty interesting at times and fun to watch - 3-4 minutes.
There are really cool teambuilding games to be found in the free e-book at http://www.teachmeteamwork.com/ I use these in class also.
You can subscribe to his newsletter and he will send a free activity about week or so.

[serenity]

I just checked that website. Is there a catch? Signing up is free AND he sends you a free book? What's the catch?

[SiobhanMarie]

Perhaps it's a true promotion? You could email him: tom@teachmeteamwork.com

[Karenrbw]

I signed up several months ago. The only real catch is that he sends you a couple of emails a week trying to get you to sign up for his leadership seminars. I just trash them. I always check them to make sure I am not throwing away an activity. My kids have really enjoyed some of these.