HANDS up all those parents for whom the biggest challenge of the school holidays has been wrenching/bribing/threatening (or all three) their kids off their console of choice in favour of some physical activity?
Yep, me too!
Which is why I was keen to try out the new Move and Play exhibition currently debuting at Coventry Transport Museum.
It cleverly brings together some of the play concepts of computer games with movement to create an immersive world of games and challenges for all ages and fitness levels.
Here’s how the fun breaks down into 19 activities. . .
How hard can you kick?
Stand at the starting point and kick the ball toward the speed radar as hard as you dare. The display board will show you the speed of the ball in kilometres per hour.
How accurately can you kick?
Kick the ball from the starting spot to the lighted sector in the goal. Try to hit the sector before it shifts!
Sailing by Shouts
Start the game by turning the crank clockwise. To steer the boat, shout into the horn and expand or reduce the sail with the crank. Every now and then you need to pump the water gathered into the boat.
Team Stomp
Step onto the board and stomp on it. Wait for the starting shot. The more enthusiastically you stomp your feet, the faster the runner will advance in the competition. The more people there are stomping together on the board, the better the result.
Hit the Ball
Place one of the balls over the airflow. Hit the ball with your hand. Try to make the ball fly through as many hoops as possible.
Nostalgic Tennis
Stand on the floor near the edge of the playing area. Hit the ball by moving yourself sideways.
Goalie or Not?
Start the game by stepping on the START text shown on the screen. Stop the balls by moving yourself in their way. The game gets more difficult as you go on!
Circus Game
Join hands with the other players to form as large and round a circle as possible. Working together, try to stop the falling fruits and animals. The clowns on the screen show the movements of your circle. The larger the area of the circle formed by the players, the easier it will be to catch the falling animals and fruit.
Pulse Adventure
Put your fingers on the round discs and steer the red blood cell through the blood vessels using your own heart rate to move it up and down. You can raise your heart rate by moving and lower it by calming down.
Disco Donut
Roll the wheelchair to the centre of the dance floor. Always move to the lighted area of the dance floor. Keep up the speed and have fun!
Tightrope Walking
Take off your shoes and try walking along the tightrope, from one end to the other!
Skip the Rope!
Start the skipping rope and try the classic outdoor game. How long can you jump without errors?
Precision Throw
Throw a bean bag into the illuminated holes to put out all the lights.
Hula Hoop
Put the hula hoop around your waist and try to keep it up by moving your body. There are three different hoops: easy, regular and difficult.
You’re on Thermal Camera
Examine what you look like on a thermal imaging camera. Different colours correspond to different temperatures. How can you change the temperature of your skin?
Group Scales
Get on the scales and see which animal your total weight corresponds to!
Your Dimensions
Stand against the wall and move the handles on the scale. Compare the measurements and dimensions of your body with those of a friend.
Football on the Bench
Place the ball in the centre circle. By sitting on the seat you create a jet of air. Steer the ball with repeated air gets towards the opponent’s goal. Defend your own goal!
My ‘Movers and Players’ were all young teenagers for whom it is becoming increasingly hard to capture their interest or imaginations. But Move and Play manages to do just that.
The combination of determination, strength and concentration – as well as team play – unearth the impact of movement on their bodies and put their senses to the test. And it’s all disguised as good old-fashioned fun.
This exhibition is an added bonus to the current museum offering which houses the largest publicly-owned collection of British vehicles in the world
Unique galleries are home to, among other things, the fastest cars in the world and memorable vehicles from the last 200 years. Plus, for a small extra charge, there’s the chance to break the World Landspeed Record by taking a 4D simulator ride in the fastest car in the world
Previously free to visit, the museum has now introduced admission charges. But your tickets will allow you to revisit as many times as you like for the next 12 month so still represent excellent value. And even more so at the moment with the current Move and Play exhibition which runs until November
Let them burn off some steam in the safe knowledge that you can still make them a promise they’ll be playing with computers. It worked for me!
More information at: www.transport-museum.com/events/1414/move_and_play
