Improving+TCA's+Blacktop+Playground

=REVISION DATE: 03/24/2011=

=ABSTRACT= We want to create educational yet fun activities for the kids to learn and to exercise. The expected outcome is for the children to learn new games that involve physical challenges instead of watching TV for 24 hours. This year we wanted to add a kickball field.
 * Research : We gave five teachers a survey of what the kids would use most. It listed either a kickball field, a soccer field or a twister board. All of the five teachers selected the kickball field. They were definitely right. After we painted the kickball field we handed out another survey. This was asked how much the kickball field was being used. Whether the kickball field was being used never,sometimes, or frequently. They all selected that the new kickball field was being used **frequently**. Mrs. Oppel who is one of the gym teachers for the elementary siad that she loved the kickball field. She has used it many times for her gym class, it is nice for her because now she does not have to carry out the bases.

=PROCEDURES= We measured the kickball field and spray painted it out. We also repainted the U.S map, hopscotch, maze, and the 4-squares. During recess we taught all the elementary kids how to play kickball and we also asked teachers if the kids needed training for the other games. However, the teachers said that they did not need along with the kids.

=MEASUREMENTS= We will be painting twice a week for five weeks on Mondays and Thursdays starting on April 26th and ending on June 5th. All together there will be ten sessions. If it is either too windy or rainy, then we will move the dates. We will be finishing the unfinished hop-scotch and painting a new game, which will be a kickball field. We are planning to go out during recess to teach them how to play each of the games. Through the surveys taken by the teachers it has been stated that the kickball field has been frequently used.

=FINDINGS= We will base our effectiveness on whether or not the children understand how to play the games after we instruct them how to do it. We will teach the kids by gathering them and the teacher around each game. We will demostrate how to play each one. As we drew out the lines we made a mistake because we did not mark the line with chalk first so the line was crooked. However, even though it took longer we chalked out all the lines and had successfully straighter lines.

=Survey= We did a survey to discover what games are mostly used and what are most likely to be added. Through this survey we discovered the 4-square is the most used game and as a new game the kickball field is most wanted.

=Sources= ="Kickball Rules." by Neighborhood Sports US.=