Bowler 5th Graders Invent Games For Water Day

By MAGGIE MCMURRAY

Moapa Valley Progress

Students at Grant Bowler Elementary beat the early summer heat at an annual water day held on Friday last week. Students loved the thick grass and shade offered by the many trees at the Clark County Fairgrounds where the event was held.

The water games for the event were designed by Bowler 5th graders as part of a a school project. They had to dream up a water game and then market it to the other students.

A presentation consisted of an overview of the game they designed, an outline of the rules, any safety concerns, an anticipated budget for equipment needed, and any strategies they had for playing the game.
After presentations, students voted on the games they most wanted to play. The top 7 games were chosen for water day.

There were also other activities including the squirt gun game, a slip ‘n’ slide, and fire hose kickball provided by the teachers and staff for a total of ten games.
Fifth graders Sam Lawrence, Hunter Neel, and Hans Whipple designed the Water Balloon Scavenger Hunt game. Kids raced to find the most water balloons hidden beneath plastic domes.
“They’ve been having fun, but the best part is when the winners get to throw water balloons at us,” Neel said. “That’s when we get to be a part of it, too.”

Kael Freeman, Shayden Jenson, Maka Haiola, and Kevin Overton designed a water game based on a favorite American pastime: baseball.
“At first I wanted to do an obstacle course, but those have been done a lot,” said Freeman.
“They hit the ball and then they have to run the bases carrying a bucket of water,” Haiola explained. “If they get out, they dump the bucket of water over their heads.”

Elise Dalley and Jolie Harris were part of a team that designed a very fancy obstacle course for their game.
“The kids slide down a slip ‘n’ slide while being squirted by members of our design team,” Dalley said. “Then they have to hula hoop 3 times, run under the limbo bar, and then stack their cups while being squirted. It’s a lot of fun.”

A team that included Rylee Johnson, Layla Moncrief, Tandy Barlow, and Nadia Shakespear invented a game where kids fished floating numbers out of a pool and then got wet according to the numbers they picked. If they fished out a 1 or 2, they got soaked with a sponge and squirt gun, for every 3 or 4, they got a bucket of water over their head, and for every 5 or 6, they got to go play in a field of bubbles.

One innovative relay was designed by Edwin Garcia, Dane Overson, Keely Uri, Dillon Turley, and Jimmy Thompson. “It’s a spoon relay,” Thompson explained. “They have to carry a water balloon in a spoon while running a course of cones.”

Perhaps the most innovative race of the day was the Toilet Plunger Relay, also referred to as the Water Torch Relay, designed by Kate Pack, Andie Wood, Brooklyn Reynolds, and Sage Whitney.
“They fill the bowl of the plunger with water and then they have to zig zag through cones, carry a ball between their knees and put it in a bucket, climb through a hoop, and then dump whatever water is left in their plunger into a bucket at the end,” Wood explained. “The first team with a full bucket wins.”

Regardless of the game, the kids seemed to all have a great time. Art teacher Shawn Hudgell at the squirt gun wars seemed to be the highlight of the day for most of the kids. Hudgell was a good sport as he squirted the kids back, although within a few minutes, he was soaked to the skin and remained that way throughout the day.
“I love water day,” said Bowler teacher Bryan Dorsey. “The kids look forward to it all year. It’s great that we get to do it at the fairgrounds where the grass is so much nicer. I love seeing the 5th graders plan it out and run it. It’s a great activity.”

PE teacher Denise Hoy, who oversaw the event said, “The kids have done a great job. It’s a great opportunity for our 5th graders to practice leadership. The kids get to be active and moving in a super fun way while getting wet and keeping cool.”

Assistant Principal Venessa Solis agreed, saying, “It’s a day that the kids look forward to. We are lucky to have such a great PE teacher in Mrs. Hoy and that we get to use the fairgrounds, which is a great facility for this activity.”