Download our K-12 education pack - ARC Centre of Excellence for ...

Whole School
ACTIVITIES
Ropes and Knots
Ropes and knots are a feature of the 2013 Zest
Festival. The following activities have been designed
for teachers to expand this theme into the
classroom.
Zest Festival
Australian Curriculum
ACMMG 219
ART 2.2, 2.6, 4.1, 4.5, 4.6, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6
Context
Did you know each rope on a boat has a different name, and
none of them are called ‘ropes’! Sheets, lines, cables, rigging
and stays are all nautical ‘rope’ terms, depending what the
rope is being used for.
Rope was used to calculate the ship’s speed in knots. Speed
was determined by throwing a log overboard with a piece of
rope tied at 5.2m intervals. A sailor counted thirty seconds and
the number of ‘knots’ that had passed was the speed of the
ship.
For more information
See Stories for Teachers and Students 2013: Spinning a yarn and
the Flying Dutchman.
The Scouts website has a useful animated knot tying lesson at
www.boyslife.org/about-scouts/large-width/644/learn-totie-knots
Lesson Idea
Rope in knots
Students can learn the different parts of the rope, types of
knots and the different situation for different knots. Perhaps
each student could be assigned one knot to learn, and then
teach to others.
To increase the difficulty for older students challenge them to
tie or untie knots while blindfolded, as if their ship was sailing
at night or in a storm.
Rope as art
The Zest Festival will include a rope sculpture exhibition on
the beach called Binding Realities. Classes can make rope
sculpture contributions to this exhibition. Please contact
Rebecca.Millar@uwa.edu.au for exhibition details. EOI to
participate due 31 May 2013.
Rope as craft
Macramé is a form of textile craft using knots traditionally
used by sailors for decoration. Macramé crafts projects for the
classroom include making belts, key chains or bracelets.
Rope as exercise
Try physical exercises including ropes include tug of war, jump
rope, and rope twirling.
Rope in the home
Practical knot tying skill activities include shoelaces, ties
(Windsor knot), gift bows and knot magic tricks.
Rope at work
Aside from sailors, brainstorm what other occupations do you
need rope skills for Examples include caving and climbing,
SES rescue, firefighters, surgeons, fishermen, truck drivers.
Rope in measurement
Test the speed of students by walking, jogging and running
with a piece of knotted string. Have another student count and
another record the number of knots that pass in 15 seconds.
Ropes in teamwork
Ropes are commonly used is team building activities as
multiple people can contribute at once, and require
communication to not get tangled.
For lower primary students, have everyone in the group pick
up the piece of rope with one hand, so they are all holding the
same rope standing in a line. They can slide their hands along
the rope, but cannot pass another players hands. Then ask the
groups to form different shapes, from simple (triangle), to
complex (stars, letters).
For middle school students, this can be made more
challenging by those holding the rope be blindfolded, and have
other students directing with voice.
For secondary students, groups are given a large knotted
tangled rope to untangle. The challenge is that every student
must be holding the rope with at least one hand at all times.
FAR FROM HOME: ADVENTURES, TREKS, EXILES & MIGRATION
17