Traverse Climbing Walls are very versatile and help to develop physical, cognitive and social-emotional skills in youth. There are a wide variety of climbing wall games and activities that involve overcoming challenges, developing climbing skills, working as a team, competing with others and more. In addition, climbing wall activities can include other core subjects beyond physical education. Cross-curricular learning on the climbing wall gives brains an even heftier workout beyond the typical problem solving that is a natural part of rock climbing.
Whether you are required to bring in other subject areas to your physical education program, or want to partner with classroom teachers to help them add physical activity to the school day, students will benefit from reinforcement of classroom learning on the climbing wall.
3 Cross-Curricular Traverse Climbing Wall Activities
There are some special climbing walls that make conducting cross-curricular programming easier. The Magna® Wall features a special textured surface that allows climbers to place and remove magnets. The Everlast Discovery™ Dry-erase Wall also accepts magnets and can be written on with dry-erase markers. The Discovery™ Blackboard wall features a retro blackboard surface that students write on with chalk; this wall also accepts magnets. Students can place, remove and rearrange magnets or write their way through a variety of fun, cross-curricular activities. If you do not have one of these types of climbing walls, rest assured that there are always ways to modify lessons. The following cross-curricular activities are sure to bring added enthusiasm to the day’s learning, no matter what type of climbing wall you have.
Math Activity: Number, Number on the Wall
Students find the solution to math problems while climbing.
Materials Needed
- Magna® Traverse Wall, Everlast Discovery™ Dry-erase Traverse Wall or Discovery™ Blackboard Traverse Wall*
- Number Magnets
- Math problem flash cards (addition, subtraction, division or multiplication)
Prior to Activity
Place number magnets, high and low, across the Magna Wall. Determine what math operation students will be doing and locate or create flashcards.
Activity
Before climbing, show each student a flashcard with a problem. For example, 5 + 3 =. The student will then climb to and touch the number 8 as many times as possible while climbing across the traverse wall.
Variations for younger students:
- Tell them a number and they climb to and touch as many examples as they can find.
- Have them climb to numbers of their choice, touch them and say them out loud.
- Have them roll a die before climbing and then climb to whatever number they rolled.
Debrief/Reflect
Review some of the problems of flashcards with the whole group. Reteach as necessary.
*Variation if you do not have a Magna or Discovery Wall: Write numbers on notecards and tape to the climbing wall or tuck behind hand holds instead of using magnets.
Literacy Activity: Climbing Word Wall
Students write while climbing to create a climbing word wall.
Materials Needed
- Everlast Discovery™ Dry-erase Traverse Wall or Discovery™ Blackboard Traverse Wall*
- Dry-erase markers or chalk
Prior to Activity
Rest dry-erase markers or chalk on hand holds across the climbing wall, placing them at four-foot intervals (one per panel) in a variety of locations, high and low.
Activity
As students climb, ask them to write a word each time they find a marker. When the word has been written, they should place the marker on a new hold in a slightly different location to vary the locations of the words on the wall.
Have students write words associated with climbing. Some ideas include:
- Words that come to mind as you climb – climb, reach, strong, grip, fun, muscles
- Feelings you have while climbing – brave, proud, frustrated, happy, challenged
- Muscles used while climbing – forearm flexors, biceps, latissimus dorsi, quadriceps
Have students write words from other core subjects or non-climbing words. Some ideas include:
- Spelling or vocabulary words
- Favorite physical activity
- Favorite fruit or vegetable
- Characters from a book
Debrief/Reflect
Read the words that were written and discuss.
- What word did you write? Why?
- What is an example of an interesting word?
- Which words are written more than once?
- Is any word missing? What word should be added to the wall?
Take a photo or copy down the words from the word wall and post in the gym near the climbing wall or take back to the classroom.
*Variation if you do not have a Discovery Dry-erase Wall: Tape a large piece of paper on the wall near the climbing wall, along with some markers. Have students climb across the wall and then write 1-3words on the paper when they complete their climb.
Health Activity: MyPlate Climb
While climbing, students identify examples of foods from the five food groups on MyPlate.
Materials Needed
- Magna® Traverse Wall, Everlast Discovery™ Dry-erase Traverse Wall or Discovery™ Blackboard Traverse Wall*
- Examples of foods for the climbing wall:
- Magnetic pictures of food to place directly on Magna or Discovery Wall
- Names of food written directly on Discovery Wall (requires dry-erase markers/chalk)
- Note: Be sure to include foods from the MyPlate groups, as well as foods not in those groups (candy, cookies, soda, etc.)
- MyPlate Climb Tally Sheet, one per partnership
- Pencils, one per partnership
Prior to Activity
Place food examples across the climbing wall, high and low. Make copies of the MyPlate Climb Tally Sheet.
Activity
Divide students into partners. One partner will climb first, while the other completes the tally sheet. As students climb, they should touch various food examples and let their partner know the food categories. The partner follows along at the edge of the mats and places tally marks on the MyPlate Climb Tally Sheet. Once the climber has completed the climb, partners should switch roles. They should try to find several examples of food from each food group.
Debrief/Reflect
- As a whole class, ask what foods students found on the climbing wall and what the corresponding food group is. Discuss what foods students enjoy eating from each of the food groups. Discuss which foods did not fit into any MyPlate group and why.
*Variation if you do not have a Magna or Discovery Wall: Write names of food on index cards or locate images of food and tuck them behind hand holds or tape to the climbing wall.
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