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Week 1🟪 🟪 🟪 Hopscotch 🟪 🟪 🟪
🏛️ The History of Hopscotch
Believe it or not, hopscotch wasn't always a playground game! Its origins date back to the **Roman Empire**.
* **Ancient Training:** Original hopscotch courts were over 100 feet long. Roman soldiers ran them in full armor to improve their footwork and endurance. 👟
* **The Name:** The "hop" is the jump, and "scotch" comes from an old English word meaning a "scratched line" or "cut." 📏
* **Global Spread:** Roman children began imitating the soldiers on a smaller scale, and the game eventually spread across Europe and the world. 🌍
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### 🎨 The Court Layout
A standard court is drawn with chalk and usually consists of a series of numbered squares (typically 1 through 10). 🖍️
1. **Single Squares:** Squares 1, 2, and 3 are usually in a straight vertical line. 🟦
2. **Pairs:** Squares 4 and 5 are side-by-side. 🟦🟦
3. **The Pattern Continues:** Square 6 is a single, then 7 and 8 are a pair, followed by 9 and finally 10 (the "Home" or "Safe" zone). 🔟
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### 🕹️ How to Play
To play, you need a **marker** (like a flat stone, a beanbag, or a coin). 🪙
* **The Toss:** Throw your marker into Square 1. It must land inside the lines without touching them. 🎯
* **The Hop:** Hop through the court, skipping the square that has your marker in it. 🦩
* On **single squares**, use one foot. 🦶
* On **pairs**, land with both feet at the same time (one foot in each square). 👣
* **The Turnaround:** When you reach the end (Square 10), hop around and head back. 🔄
* **The Retrieval:** On your way back, stop at the square *before* your marker. Balance on one leg, pick up the marker, and hop to the finish. 🤲
* **Leveling Up:** If you complete the turn successfully, throw your marker into Square 2 on your next turn. The first person to complete the court for every number wins! 🏆
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### ⚠️ Important Rules
* **Balance is Key:** If you step on a line, hop into the wrong square, or lose your balance and touch the ground with a second hand or foot, your turn ends. ⚖️
* **Marker Accuracy:** If your marker toss misses the target square or lands on a line, you lose your turn. ❌
Tasks
🟨 Read a book with all the letters in *HOP* in the title.
🟨 Read a book with a MPG of historical fiction.
🟨 Read a book with something that *YOU* would consider to be square.
Welcome to The 2026 Playground Reading Challenge!
☀️🏃♂️ Get ready to lace up your sneakers and head out to the blacktop! We’re trading the controllers for classic playground fun in an epic year-long reading marathon. 🏃♂️☀️
The Big Game: Master the "Playground Game of the Week" by tackling literary hurdles to become the 2026 Ultimate Playground Legend!
The Rules of the Game
1. The Monday Whistle: Every Monday, starting January 5, 2026, we’ll announce a new "Playground Game of the Week" (think Hopscotch, Handball, Tag, or Button, Button, Who’s Got the Button?).
2. Triple Dog Dare: Each game comes with three reading prompts inspired by its rules, history, or vibe.
3. Choose Your Lane: You can complete the reading trials in any order you like,no cutting in line!
4. The Goal Line: Finish at least one book associated with each playground game by the end of the year.
5. The Chalkboard (Quest Log): Keep track of your wins in your personal thread. If you played last year, keep using your old thread! New players, grab a piece of chalk and start a new one.
6. Winning the Trophy:
Identify the "Playground Game of the Week."
Complete at least one of the three reading tasks before the final bell rings at the end of the year.
Share your "game highlights" and books in your log.