Breathe Free Tag (plays like Mosquito Tag)

Purpose: To get participants moving. Participants will explore some of the negative effects of smoking and how it affects the body.

Materials: 1-4 noodles depending on your group size. The noodles can be typically bought at any retail store that sells pool supplies. Buy 4 long pool noodles and cut the noodle in half. To simulate a cigarette, you can take brown duck tape and wrap it on one end to resemble a cigarette filter.

Activity: Pick 1 volunteer to be the smoker. The smoker is told that they are to hold the noodle cigarette with both hands near their mouth (without touching their mouth) as if they were taking a drag from a cigarette. The smoker can affect others with their smoking by tagging other group participants with the noodle cigarette while it is held near their mouth. When the game begins, all group participants try to avoid the smoker by “walking fast” within the boundaries of the designated play area.

When a group participant has been affected by the smoker (tagged), they are to stop moving and begin to cough or struggle breathing. Any 2 or 3 participants who have not been affected (tagged) by the smoker can circle the “affected” group participant by holding hands and then jumping up and down chanting “Stomp out smoking” 2 times. Once this is done, the “affected” group participant is free to be back in the game and walk fast. Group participants who are holding hands around an “affected” participant may not be tagged by the smoker as this is an “immune or safe” position. Change smokers often and make sure to remind the students that this is a walking game.

Processing:

1. What did you observe going on in the game?

2. Did anyone have a strategy to avoid being affected by the smoker?

3. Does anyone have a real life story that motivates them to stay away from smoking?

4. What are some reasons why people start smoking?

5. What are some of the effects that smoking has on your body?

· Ears – affects the nerves and blood vessels in the ears and may lead to hearing loss

· Eyes – causes the eyes to become red and may lead to loss of eyesight

Page 2 Breathe Free Tag

· Skin – causes the temperature of the skin to drop, causes wrinkles on the face to appear quickly

· Mouth – harms the skin covering the lips, tongue, and throat, and may cause food to taste funny, causes bad coughs, causes bad breath and mouth infections

· Nose – decreases your ability to smell

· Lungs – makes it hard to breathe normally which makes it harder for you to participate in physical based activities

· Heart – closes off blood vessels making the heart work harder to pump blood through them

Resource: MPS Ropes & Challenge Education Curriculum