Friday, February 27, 2009

Fun With Rebounding Trampolines

By Jane Bracken

A rebounding trampoline, also known as miniature-trampoline, is a great way for adults and children to have fun and get in shape. Rebounding trampolines are much easier to fit into a home or budget than a traditional outdoor trampoline. There are many ways to play on a miniature trampoline.

In the game of Snake, two kids on opposite sides of the trampoline wiggle a jump rope like a snake over the surface of the trampoline while a third child tries to jump on the trampoline without getting abit.a When the child who is doing the jumping touches the rope, he changes places with one of the other children. If the kids are concerned about naming a winner, they can count the number of jumps each child is able to make without touching the asnake.a The highest count wins, of course.

Follow the Leader is a game that is equal parts trampoline mixed with the traditional Follow the Leader game. The child who is the leader starts out by doing a series of jumps or tricks on the trampoline, which each child in the line must repeat in turn. A child who misses something in the series is out. There are two ways to determine who will be the next leader. The first option is for the game to continue with the same leader until only one child is left to be the next leader. Or, once every child has had one turn, the leader could pick a new leader from among the children who werenat called out.

Another game you can play is called Add On. In this game, the first child chooses a trick or a jump and does it on the trampoline. The next child does the same jump as the first, and then adds on another jump or trick of his own. The children keep taking turns, each adding one thing to the sequence. If a child misses a jump or does something out of order, he is out. The last child remaining in the game is the winner!

You can also have contests on the trampoline to see who can do a certain move the most times in a row without messing up. Whichever participant does the best is the winner. The winner can then choose the next move to use for the game.

A variation of the above game is to have the kids take turns doing the selected move. Any child who messes up is out, and the rest of the kids continue taking turns until only one child remains. That child then selects the next move.

Another game is to set a time limit and have everyone do as many repetitions of a certain move as they can before the timer goes off. The player with the highest count gets to decide what kind of jump or trick is used for the next round.

These games can be fun for children and adults alike. Adults will find that a miniature trampoline can be used for more than just a workout. Children will learn fun ways to get exercise. A trampoline is a great tool which can be used for fun, family bonding, and exercise at the same time! - 16083

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