Using sidewalk chalk, write the names of four different countries in the squares of the court. These can be countries that are actually next to each other, or ones from around the globe. If you like, you can also draw an “island” or two next to the court and name them Greenland, Madagascar, Australia, etc. Draw a small square about 7-10 feet from the court – this is where the “Traveler” will stand. Draw a line behind the square for students to line up behind. Explain that in this game, students will get to “visit” several countries. The court starts out empty while the students line up behind the line. The first student steps into the square. This person is the “traveler.” The traveler throws the ball into the court, aiming for a country. If the ball lands in a square, the traveler gets to go stand there. (If the ball bounces in Hungary, he/she goes to stand in Hungary.) Note that it doesn’t matter where else the ball rolls – the first bounce is what matters. The next student steps up into the square and aims for a country. As students fill in the square of the court, they try to stop the ball from bouncing in their own squares. The traveler gets to take whatever square was hit, and if that square is already occupied, the previous occupant goes to the back of the line. (If the next traveler hits the ball in Hungary, he goes to stand in Hungary, and the first player goes to the back of the line.) Players can protect their countries by hitting the ball out of their squares, but they may not catch the ball. There is no limit on the number of hits they can have. If a player hits the ball out of his/her country, and it lands in another country, the traveler occupies the country the ball lands in. If a player hits a ball out of her country and it lands outside of the court, in the “ocean,” the traveler does not claim a country, but goes to the back of the line.
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