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 The sport of cup stacking offers many benefits that normally would not come to mind when you think of cup stacking. One unlikely benefit of this program is that it trains students to use both sides of their brains for sport and other activities where the use of the left and right hand are so important such as playing a musical instrument or using the computer. As students practiced stacking the cups, they had to train their brains so that their muscles know which action to perform. It took repetition and practice to successfully stack cups without making a "fumble." It also taught sequencing and patterning which are key elements in reading and math. Other benefits included improving eye-hand coordination, concentration, setting goals, the ideals of perseverance, practice and the value of teamwork.
The sport
of cup stacking helped meet several of the Quality Core Curriculum Objectives
for Physical Education mandated by the state of Georgia. These included
demonstrating the ability to work successfully alone and with a partner,
following activity-specific rules, procedures, and etiquette, and demonstrating
competencies in more advanced specialized skills. It also emphasized
several of our school's character education words such as: cooperation,
sportsmanship, and perseverance. The objectives was measured by using
a checklist, peer observation, and teacher observation.
This activity was much different than the traditional sports and skills taught in physical education classes such as basketball, baseball, and football. Yet, this activity achieved the same results of hand-eye coordination, quickness, sportsmanship, and concentration in a less threatening environment. In some of the traditional sports, there were students who tended to withdraw from the activity; but, with cup stacking, all children felt like they could succeed from the very first day and tried to get better. This teacher believes she should provide a full range of activities in which hopefully all of her students can feel successful. Although the sport of cup stacking did not sound like a good way for students to stay physically fit, it can be adapted. Once students learned the skills, students participated in relays where they run to a certain place to stack and unstack the cups. |
