• A long cardboard tube from a roll of household aluminum foil or gift wrap.
• Red construction paper
• Glue or tape
• Optional: A stopwatch

• Make a fire stick baton by wrapping red construction paper around a cardboard tube from a role of household aluminum foil or gift wrap. Secure the paper onto the cardboard tube with glue or tape.
• Locate a spacious, safe place for the group to spread out and sprint as this activity requires.

Tell the children that they will participate in a relay where the baton they pass represents a flaming stick. By passing the fire stick, children reenact the passing of the fire by the animals in the story, "How Coyote Stole Fire."

Arrange the children in a line, ten feet apart. Explain that when Coyote passed the fire to the other animals, he was running. The first person will take the fire stick and on the command of "go" he/she will run beyond the next person while handing him/her the fire stick. Each person will take the fire stick and run, passing the fire stick to the next person.

Use a stopwatch and see if the relay goes more smoothly and/or faster after children try it several times. For variation, children may skip, hop, or take giant steps, but they must always pass the fire stick backwards after passing the receiver.

Or, add a role that requires a participant to be stationary. Place the children in a wide circle around one who remains seated in the middle; give this Coyote the name "Fire Holder." Instruct each running Coyote to deliver the firestick to the Coyote whose job is to "hold" the fire for others. As soon as the first running Coyote returns to his/her starting spot, the second running Coyote may go get the fire stick from the fire holder in the middle. To vary this adaptation, use the stopwatch challenge and the variations such as skipping, hopping, or giant steps suggested for the basic activity.