¡EL COMBATE!

The end to our vacation was quite abrupt. Most people talk about needing to take a vacation from their vacation in order to readjust to normal life. We did not have that opportunity as we had scheduled an end of year event with our sixth graders for 8am the day after we returned home (we got off of our last bus at about 9pm the night before). The sun was hot, the kids were enthusiastic (once they showed up and we got things rolling) and the stakes were high (the winning team could throw raw eggs at the losing team). We had collaborated with the guidance counselor from the escuela so most things were in order when we showed up at 7:30ish to get the event started.

What followed was a roughly six-hour event that had the kids completing and competing in a variety of team-based activities. From the human knot and pyramid to piggyback rides and wheelbarrow races through mud the kids laughed and cheered their way through the day. The winning team ended up making a comeback in the second half of the event, moving from third place (out of four) to first. 

We enjoyed ourselves nearly as much as the kids (at least as much as facilitating and judging allows). When all was said and done we threw our stuff in a bag, stumbled home to take showers and then hid our sunburned bodies from the sun for the rest of the day.

Human Knot

Jumping Rope
(the teams had to hold hands and jump over a rope that was roughly waist high, if they let go of each others hands or touched the rope they had to start from scratch)

Magic Sandals
(the team had to pass from one side of the field to the other, each person could only wear the magic sandals once, hence the double piggyback ride)

Magic Sandals
(another method used by teams)

The Wheel
(players had to run around the 'wheel' and then crawl through their teammates legs, in the mud, and capture a tennis ball placed in the center)

Filling Bottles
(teams had to run across the field with cups of water in their mouths and then pour it into the soda bottles, the team with the most water won)

Team Soccer
(teammates had to hold hands, 5 defenders, 5 offenders; it was a foul if players let go of hands)

String Race
(teams had to unwind string from a spoon, run it down their shirt and pant-leg and onto the next player, once all teammates were connected they had to run down the field and back, pull the string back through their clothes and wind it up again)

Water Balloon Volleyball

Wheelbarrow Races

Celebrating at the end
(this was not one of the planned events, it seems a little dangerous perhaps)