Vertical Playpen
Activity Scope
This climbing activity involves the participants ascending different vertical elements, to provide a diverse and challenging climbing experience that enhances physical fitness, coordination, and problem-solving skills. Participant safety is a top rope anchor system with the participants being belayed from the ground by either an Outdoor Leader and client staff, or other participants depending on the age of the participants.
Activity Objectives
Being aware of and dealing with fear, trusting others, benefits of stepping out of “comfort zone”, peer support, balance, strength and using muscles in different ways. Competitive nature can be embraced when climbing with a team mate.
Age Limitations
- Grade 3+ (age 8+) [Activity Leader and Adults deemed competent can belay participants, Team belay Grade 7+ (age 12+)]
- Alterations to Age limits must be done in consultation with Camp Management AND an activity specific risk assessment completed
Staff Ratio
- 1 Outdoor Leader
- 1 responsible person to assist in belaying participants (under supervision of Activity Leader)
- Ideally another responsible person to supervise participants who are not actively participating in the activity (i.e. waiting for their turn)
Outdoor Leader Skills
Lead Challenge Course - high elements, Lead Top Rope skill set, or similar qualification. YMCA internal training and current first aid.
Risk Assessment
View Risk Assessment document (PDF)
Level of Risk After Mitigation: Low
Client Group Leader/Teacher Expectations
- Watch briefing, assist when necessary, and manage behaviour
- Responsible for group safety in case of an emergency
- Assist participants with PPE
- Ensure students are ready with helmets and harnesses on when it is their turn
- Assist with belaying participants
Participant Requirements
- Shirt that covers the midriff area (preferably long sleeved with collar)
- Pants that are a minimum of knee length (no skirts or dresses)
- Long hair secured in low ponytail
- Ideally remove jewellery
- Empty pockets and remove attached objects (i.e. scarves, cameras, mobile phones, etc.)
Australian Curriculum
This activity may target a number of the "Content Descriptions" across a number of different subject areas.
Year 3 & 4
Links to HPE Australian Curriculum content descriptors (v.9)
| Personal, social and community health | |
| Sub-strand: Identities and change | |
| Investigate how success, challenge, setbacks and failure strengthen resilience and identities in a range of contexts | AC9HP4P01 |
| Sub-strand: Interacting with others | |
| Select, use and refine personal and social skills to establish, manage and strengthen relationships | AC9HP4P04 |
| Explain how and why emotional responses can vary and practise strategies to manage their emotions | AC9HP4P06 |
| Rehearse and refine strategies for seeking, giving and denying permission respectfully and describe situations when permission is required | AC9HP4P07 |
| Sub-strand: Making healthy and safe choices | |
| Investigate and apply behaviours that contribute to their own and others’ health, safety, relationships and wellbeing | AC9HP4P10 |
| Movement and physical activity | |
| Sub-strand: Moving our bodies | |
| Refine and apply fundamental movement skills in new movement situations | AC9HP4M01 |
| Apply and adapt movement strategies to achieve movement outcomes | AC9HP4M02 |
| Demonstrate how movement concepts related to effort, space, time, objects and people can be applied when performing movement sequences | AC9HP4M03 |
| Sub-strand: Making active choices | |
| Participate in physical activities to explore how their body feels and describe how regular physical activity helps the body stay healthy and well | AC9HP4M04 |
| Sub-strand: Learning through movement | |
| Apply creative thinking when designing movement sequences and solving movement problems | AC9HP4M07 |
Year 5 & 6
Links to HPE Australian Curriculum content descriptors (v.9)
| Personal, social and community health | |
| Sub-strand: Interacting with others | |
| Describe and demonstrate how respect and empathy can be expressed to positively influence relationships | AC9HP6P04 |
| Apply strategies to manage emotions and analyse how emotional responses influence interactions | AC9HP6P06 |
| Describe strategies for seeking, giving or denying consent and rehearse how to communicate their intentions effectively and respectfully | AC9HP6P07 |
| Sub-strand: Making healthy and safe choices | |
| Analyse and rehearse protective behaviours and help-seeking strategies that can be used in a range of online and offline situations | AC9HP6P08 |
| Movement and physical activity | |
| Sub-strand: Moving our bodies | |
| Adapt and modify movement skills across a variety of situations | AC9HP6M01 |
| Transfer familiar movement strategies to different movement situations | AC9HP6M02 |
| Investigate how different movement concepts related to effort, space, time, objects and people can be applied to improve movement outcomes | AC9HP6M03 |
| Sub-strand: Making active choices | |
| Participate in physical activities to investigate the body’s reaction to different levels of intensity | AC9HP6M04 |
| Participate in physical activities that enhance health and wellbeing in natural and outdoor settings, and analyse the steps and resources needed to promote participation | AC9HP6M05 |
| Sub-strand: Learning through movement | |
| Predict and test the effectiveness of applying different skills and strategies in a range of movement situations | AC9HP6M07 |
Year 7 & 8
Links to HPE Australian Curriculum content descriptors (v.9)
| Personal, social and community health | |
| Sub-strand: Identities and change | |
| Examine how roles, decision-making, and levels of power, coercion and control within relationships can be influenced by gender stereotypes | AC9HP8P03 |
| Sub-strand: Interacting with others | |
| Examine the roles of respect, empathy, power and coercion in developing respectful relationships | AC9HP8P04 |
| Analyse factors that influence emotional responses and devise strategies to selfmanage emotions | AC9HP8P06 |
| Sub-strand: Making healthy and safe choices | |
| Explain and apply skills and strategies to communicate assertively and respectfully when seeking, giving or denying consent | AC9HP8P07 |
| Movement and physical activity | |
| Sub-strand: Moving our bodies | |
| Analyse, refine and transfer movement skills in a variety of movement situations | AC9HP8M01 |
| Design and demonstrate how movement strategies can be manipulated to improve movement outcomes | AC9HP8M02 |
| Demonstrate and explain how movement concepts related to effort, space, time, objects and people can be manipulated to improve movement outcomes | AC9HP8M03 |
| Sub-strand: Making active choices | |
| Participate in physical activities designed to improve fitness and wellbeing to investigate the impact of regular participation on health, fitness and wellbeing | AC9HP8M04 |
| Participate in physical activities that utilise community spaces and outdoor settings, and evaluate strategies to support increased use of these spaces | AC9HP8M05 |
| Design and justify strategies to increase physical activity levels to achieve health and wellbeing outcomes | AC9HP8M06 |
| Sub-strand: Learning through movement | |
| Propose and evaluate movement strategies and skills that would be most effective in different movement situations | AC9HP8M07 |
Year 9 & 10
Links to HPE Australian Curriculum content descriptors (v.9)
| Personal, social and community health | |
| Sub-strand: Identities and change | |
| Refine, evaluate and adapt strategies for managing changes and transitions | AC9HP10P02 |
| Sub-strand: Interacting with others | |
| Evaluate the influence of respect, empathy, power and coercion on establishing and maintaining respectful relationships | AC9HP10P04 |
| Evaluate emotional responses in different situations to refine strategies for managing emotions | AC9HP10P06 |
| Examine how strategies, such as communicating choices, seeking, giving and denying consent, and expressing opinions and needs can support the development of respectful relationships, including sexual relationships | AC9HP10P07 |
| Sub-strand: Making healthy and safe choices | |
| Plan, rehearse and evaluate strategies for managing situations where their own or others’ health, safety or wellbeing may be at risk | AC9HP10P08 |
| Plan, justify and critique strategies to enhance their own and others’ health, safety, relationships and wellbeing | AC9HP10P10 |
| Movement and physical activity | |
| Sub-strand: Moving our bodies | |
| Analyse, adapt and refine their own and others’ movement skills in a range of challenging movement situations to enhance performance | AC9HP10M01 |
| Create and refine movement strategies to achieve successful outcomes across a range of challenging movement situations | AC9HP10M02 |
| Participate in physical activities to investigate the body’s reaction to different levels of intensity | AC9HP10M03 |
| Sub-strand: Making active choices | |
| Participate in physical activities designed to enhance health, wellbeing and fitness, and design, apply and evaluate strategies for incorporating these activities into their lives | AC9HP10M04 |
| Participate in physical activities that promote health and social outcomes to design and evaluate participation strategies for themselves and others | AC9HP10M05 |
| Sub-strand: Learning through movement | |
| Transfer and adapt skills and strategies from previous experiences to create successful outcomes in unfamiliar movement situations | AC9HP10M07 |