Teacher Notes

The leader might wish to place cards around the parachute with the compass points written on them.

The parachute is to be used as a living compass and a ball of string will be thrown from player to player.

Each time the string is thrown the player catching it pulls it tight between themselves and the person who threw it and, holding on throws the ball on to the next compass point called.

Lay the parachute flat on the floor.

Players are placed around the parachute at specific compass points ready to play.

An easy one to start with, so that everyone understands what they are doing, is to start with a star shape.

The players to be involved will be sitting at : N, S, NE, NW, SE, and SW.

STAR 1. Using two balls of string, one starts at N and is thrown to SW, and then SE and back to N.

The second ball starts at S, travels to NE, NW and back to S.

The finished shape is two triangles forming a star shape.

Players must remember to hold on to the string before throwing the ball on.

STAR 2. The same star points can be made using on ball of string.

Starting at N, the ball travels to SW, NE, S, NW, SE and back to N.

When the shape is completed everyone holding the string stands up and a star will be formed between them,

By using this method the leader can sit all the players around the parachute and shout out compass points randomly. The ball of string is thrown between the players so that the points become familiar to them.

Change the players round regularly so that they are sitting at new compass points.

A picture will not always emerge, but it is interesting to see the web they have woven.

To unwind the web, players thrown the ball in reverse, calling out the compass point prior to throwing.