Hula dancers are often associated with Hawaii.
Throwing a luau is a creative way to get 5th grade students involved in the classroom. The party can serve as a celebration after a lesson on Hawaii or it can help get kids enthusiastic before the lesson. However, keeping kids entertained during the party requires concentrated effort and plenty of luau themed activities. Does this Spark an idea?
Paper Lei Craft
Help students get into a luau mood by starting the celebration with a Hawaiian lei craft. Leis are flower and/or leaf garlands worn around the neck. Students can create their own leis with tube-shaped pasta, green food coloring, construction paper and yarn. Toss the pasta into a bag with a few drops food coloring and a few drops rubbing alcohol. Seal the bag, shake, open and let dry to dye the pasta. Each student cuts flower shapes from paper and strings them onto yarn, alternating between dyed pasta beads and paper flowers, to create a lei.
Hula Contests
Hula hoops are versatile enough to work for several different luau kids games. Have a hula contest to see who can hoop the longest or a hula dance contest to see who can hoop while dancing. Find out who can roll the hoop the farthest with a hula toss or who can keep two hoops going at a time with a double hoop contest. Break the players into groups if you don't have enough hoops for an entire 5th grade class. Have one group play at a time while the other students cheer them on.
Hot Coconut Toss
A real or plastic coconut is the only equipment needed to play a game of "Hot Coconut." Players gather in a large circle spaced an arm's length away from each other. As the music starts, players toss the coconut to the person next to them. Whoever is holding the coconut when the music stops is out. The game continues until one winner remains.
Hawaiian Bingo
Get 5th grade students thinking with a game of Hawaiian bingo. Create bingo cards with the name of a Hawaiian island or a major Hawaiian city in each square. Write the island and city names on cards instead of the typical bingo ball. Give each student a card and little fruit-shaped candies to serve as markers. Shuffle the cards, pick one and call the name out. Keep playing until someone reaches a bingo, but reward everyone by letting players eat the candy.
Limbo Contest
Allow 5th grade students to burn off energy and show off their moves with a dancing limbo contest. Two people, one at each end, hold a pole across the dance area. Students line up and start dancing as Hawaiian music plays. Each student must bend down to pass under the stick without touching it. Each time the line starts again, the pole moves down until one winner remains.
Tags: grade students, contest hoop, food coloring, until winner, until winner remains, winner remains