Jumping Beans

This week and last week my students in 1st - 4th grade have been jumping, jumping, jumping... the rope that is. The first and second graders have been working on long rope. We have talked daily about how each group is a team and they need to work together as turners and jumpers to do their best and help the jumper get the most jumps in a row. The children have been getting very excited when someone jumps a big number. They know that they are a part of helping that jumper.
The third and fourth graders have been working on jumping an individual short rope. The third graders have a sheet with over 30 different jumps to try. Plus they have been coming up with some of their own stunts. Here is a sample of some of the jumps the children have come up with (the names are fun, and the jumps are so creative!):
hopscotch, bunny hop, disco jump, feet chainsaw, the spell jump, sonic speed, helicopter, spin jump, the whip, superstar jump, heat stroke jump, eyes closed, and sing a song. And that's only about half of what they have come up with!
The fourth graders are working on performing and perfecting stunts too, but they are combining them to make their own routine. The routine must contain at least 5 stunts, and it must be memorized. The children really love to do this. They work hard to make the routines challenging and fun. Many add their own flair with beginning and ending poses or stunts (like cartwheeling to pick up their rope off the ground, then jumping backwards). I enjoy watching their routines every time I do this unit; there are always new twists the children create.
The JK children are wrapping up their gymnastics unit, and now we are moving on to reviewing some of the skills we worked on at the beginning of the year like throwing and rolling a ball.
The PK children will have a few more class in the gymnastics gym. They have been learning to jump and land on their feet, balance on a variety of equipment, swing on the bars, roll down the incline mats, and lots more! We are still also working on our listening skills, specifically when the teacher says "Freeze" the children should be able to stop their bodies, look at the teacher, and listen to directions. Some children are really experts at this while others really seem to struggle with this. You could play this game at home with your child to reinforce this concept. Have your child walk, run, skip, or gallop around until you say freeze. See if they can stop right right away and listen to the next locomotor movement you tell them to try.
Hope you are enjoying our recent snowfalls. I know my own children have spent hours playing outside, so we are getting some use out of the winter precip!