Countdown to spring break

One more week of cold, then we'll get to spring right? Oh I hope when we return to school after spring break that we'll have some warm and dry weather so we can go outside!
This week the PK'ers had fun at stations. Our big blue mat was still out (but the rest of our gymnastics equipment is back in our equipment room) so one station was jumping and balancing on a variety of our fun mat toys. The children also went to a hula hoop station, a ball station, and a jump rope station. WHAT? Jump rope for three and four-year olds? Yes!!! The children are very ready to try this fun activity. We talked about how this might be the first time some of the children have ever tried to jump a rope, and that with lots of practice they will learn how to jump like the older children. Almost all of the children could turn the rope over their head either forwards or backwards. Some children could turn it and then jump (the teachers helped put the rope closer and flat so they could jump it), and a few children could turn the rope and jump it once in combination. I also teach JK and 1st grade and I can really tell, even by JK, which children have experimented with a jump rope. I encourage you to get your child a rope and let them practice. What a great inexpensive activity that you can take practically anywhere!
The JK'ers had a fun, fun, fun activity on Friday which we love to watch the children do every year: The Volcano Floor. Mrs. DeSchryver and I take out TONS of equipment and put it all over the floor. We tell the children when they enter the gym that last night a volcano erupted and there is hot lava all over the floor. Be careful not to burn your feet! The children will try to make it to the other side of the hot lava by stepping on all of the equipment (or the rocks that didn't get covered by lava). The children absolutely love going back and forth, carefully balancing on the rocks and avoiding the lava. This is an activity the children could do easily at home with a few boxes, pieces of paper, etc. Some children had to double check that the floor really wouldn't burn their feet... "Are you just kidding, Mrs. Griffin?"
The first graders worked on many things this week. We started our soccer unit with our focus being on dribbling. But we may have to wait until after spring break to continue this fun activity. In keeping with the International Fair theme, on Tuesday the children joined with Mrs. Keily's class and we played 3 games from 3 different countries. It was fun to see how the children made the connection that they play many similar games that children from around the world play. Wednesday we also did a fun activity called a tabloid. The children are divided into teams and they have fun and sometimes silly challenges to do... but watch out, when the music stops, you have to hustle and get your team in a quiet straight line so you can say your score nice and loud. The second graders also started soccer and participated in the tabloid activity. What a fun morning!
The fourth graders continued their health unit focusing on alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. This week we began our discussion on how to be a "Cool Refuser: How to Say No while keeping your friends and maintaining your dignity." Tuesday we talked about peer pressure and how it can be both negative and positive. We talked about how peer pressure is around us (even as adults) all the time and it influences almost every decision we make, good and bad. The children must have brought up the story about the girl who died recently in Whitefish Bay at least 5 times. They are very connected to the news, and we talked about how, as they get older, they will start hearing and reading more about things that happen to people who are involved in drug use. We talked about how poor choices can have long lasting effects on your life or the life of someone else. We talked about how sometimes people who we still want to be friends with can try to influence us to do things we know are wrong. We can use our positive peer pressure to encourage them to do the right thing. We talked about using our feelings and knowledge to help us make the best decisions; I was so amazed at the maturity and wisdom from the children. This is a great age to talk about your family values to your kids because they are mature enough to understand, and they still want to honor your values and do what is right. I really hope they can carry this information with them through middle school, high school, and beyond. The more they hear about what you believe, the more it sticks with them. I have taught health in middle and high school, and I can really tell which families have had these types of discussions with their children. Those kids know exactly where they stand and they know they have their family to back them up when a tough decision has to be made. If you don't know where to start, you can ask them what they learned in health with Mrs. Griffin this week, and I bet they will have lots of stories to share!
The third and fourth graders played a fun game this week called four goal soccer. Everyone is playing soccer, but instead of two goals there are four and you can try to score on any other team. If you score, you get to take a bowling pin back to your net. This game really gets the children huffing and puffing...lots of action, and lots of fun! On Friday the children will do their first tabloid. Read above for a description of a tabloid. The third and fourth graders are so focused and active!
I remind all of my students to stay active over break. Many of the children have ideas of how they can stay active: swimming, running, Wii Fit, biking, and so much more! I hope you encourage your children to exercise daily. I know many families are going to warm places where you can spend a lot of time outside which really lends itself to being active and healthy. I hope if you are traveling, you are safe and well. I look forward to warmer weather once we return!