This afternoon the third and fourth graders are doing team building. Mrs. Keily has been working with the children in their grade levels to improve their cooperation, collaboration, decision-making, and problem solving skills. Today the children will be trying up to 5 games where they will work with their team to complete a challenge. I am actually sitting in the gym right now with the teachers and children, hopefully to record some of their observations and comments. The children were very excited when they came into the gym and saw all of the equipment out. The teachers are excited too because the children have really given us some thoughtful feedback about their experiences with the challenges.
Here are some thoughts from our third grade friends:
"I liked the Lifeline the best of all the games because I think it was fun that we had to encourage each other and we had to have teamwork to do it. It was really fun. I hope we can do it another day. My teammates said "keep going, keep it up, and don't give up!" - a third grade girl
"We used good teamwork and encouraged each other. I liked the one where we had to get the colors (balls) in the basket. People said "good job and do your best and stuff like that." - third grade boy
"In Mission Possible, we couldn't get the ball in the bucket but we still had fun. We had to hold the ropes that were attached to the crate and turn it so the balls would go into the bucket. I heard someone say "We can do this!" - third grade girl
"People cheered other people on and said we can make it and keep trying. I liked the Lifeline because we used a lot of teamwork and it was a fun game. It was hard not being able to put body parts on the ground and going the whole length. We got 3 people across out of 5, but it was fun trying." - third grade girl
Wow, what great observations from the third graders. What a positive experience the children had today. Lots of encouragement, interesting ideas, and working together physically and mentally. Now the fourth graders are arriving for their games.
"I liked the game because you have to use memorization and you had to remember where you were supposed to go and make a choice. My teammates pointed or said what number was on the dot." - 4th grade boy
"The Juggler's Carry was hard because we had to touch the ball with a body part along with the people next to you without tripping over the ropes or dropping the ball" - fourth grade boy
"The Maze was really fun but really difficult at the same time. At first you had to guess where the spots were and when you found out, the person who made it first would help you. They would say good job or go to that circle. And when you made it everyone was cheering and it felt really good." - fourth grade girl
"i liked the Pearl game because it was really fun but also the smallest mistake could mess it up, but we got to try a lot of times. We encouraged each other and I liked that too." - fourth grade boy
"People were very kind to each other and they worked together nice and they were not mean and they were not being sarcastic. When we made mistakes people laughed with us and not at us, and that is pretty much what made it successful." - fourth grade girl
"Well, at first it was sort of like figuring out where to go but as the game progressed it was more like getting to the end of the maze you had to figure how to remember it. Your teammates helped you where you needed to go and encouraged you saying things like "good job, nice work, and yeah yeah yeah! " - fourth grade girl
Friday, January 30, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Gymnastics, Throwing, and More!
The Pk children really had a fun time this week in the gym. We had the children do 2 stations: the balance beam and the floor mat. Everyone was so brave and went across the blue balance beam. Some children went across by themselves, and some needed a hand. of course when they jumped off the end, they landed on their feet on the big red mat. On our floor mat, the children worked on rolling, jumping, climbing, hopping, and moving in lots of other fun ways. They love to do a pencil roll down the incline mats. They work very hard at being straight with their entire body. I think gymnastics is probably one of the favorite things the PK children do in Physical Education.
The first and second graders finished up their throwing and catching units last week. We did a couple days of stations, and a couple days of big games so I could assess the children on their throwing and catching. The children were also assessed on their push-ups. First graders needed to show me 3 straight, strong push-ups, and second graders needed to show me 5. We will continue to work on our form and strength throughout the year. The second graders practiced and were tested on their PACER run last week. They did an excellent job of performing the test correctly, and working hard to reach their goal of 10 laps. We will probably test this again in the spring and see if the children can make it to 15 laps.
The third and fourth graders finished up a gymnastics unit last week, although we will return to gymnastics after skating. The 3rd graders memorized and performed a floor routine with many skills that they have been working on including handstands, cartwheels, forward and backward rolls, a Swedish fall, and much more. When we return to gymnastics, the children will be focusing more on the bars, beam, and vault. The fourth graders created their own beam routines. They had to create an original routine with a mount, a dismount, a turn, 2 balances, and forward and backward locomotor movements. Some of the children took some nice risks, trying round-offs off the beam for their dismount and some pretty difficult balances. I was impressed. The children have been working hard on doing back hip pullovers on the bars as they know I will assess them when we return to gymnastics. The children really enjoys this unit and challenge themselves to try new stunts and skills.
The third and fourth graders have had one day of skating. I am happy to report that the children came with the items needed, and no one forgot we had skating. Yeah! There are a lot of different ability levels, so Mrs. Herbst and I will try to keep everyone challenged and involved. I like to play a lot of games where children are having fun and they don't even realize they are working on their skills.
Hope to see you at Show and Share Night this Thursday. Mrs. Keily and I will be in the Lincoln Center.
The first and second graders finished up their throwing and catching units last week. We did a couple days of stations, and a couple days of big games so I could assess the children on their throwing and catching. The children were also assessed on their push-ups. First graders needed to show me 3 straight, strong push-ups, and second graders needed to show me 5. We will continue to work on our form and strength throughout the year. The second graders practiced and were tested on their PACER run last week. They did an excellent job of performing the test correctly, and working hard to reach their goal of 10 laps. We will probably test this again in the spring and see if the children can make it to 15 laps.
The third and fourth graders finished up a gymnastics unit last week, although we will return to gymnastics after skating. The 3rd graders memorized and performed a floor routine with many skills that they have been working on including handstands, cartwheels, forward and backward rolls, a Swedish fall, and much more. When we return to gymnastics, the children will be focusing more on the bars, beam, and vault. The fourth graders created their own beam routines. They had to create an original routine with a mount, a dismount, a turn, 2 balances, and forward and backward locomotor movements. Some of the children took some nice risks, trying round-offs off the beam for their dismount and some pretty difficult balances. I was impressed. The children have been working hard on doing back hip pullovers on the bars as they know I will assess them when we return to gymnastics. The children really enjoys this unit and challenge themselves to try new stunts and skills.
The third and fourth graders have had one day of skating. I am happy to report that the children came with the items needed, and no one forgot we had skating. Yeah! There are a lot of different ability levels, so Mrs. Herbst and I will try to keep everyone challenged and involved. I like to play a lot of games where children are having fun and they don't even realize they are working on their skills.
Hope to see you at Show and Share Night this Thursday. Mrs. Keily and I will be in the Lincoln Center.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Welcome Back!
The children got right back into the swing of things this week. I hope everyone had a wonderful break. I got to hear about lots of exciting places the children went, things they did, and places they saw.
The JK children are so excited to start our gymnastics unit. We will be up in our gymnastics gym (aka the auxiliary gym) until spring break. The children were already familiar with the floor since that has been out on some days previous to break, but now we have out our bars, two beams, and the vault. This week the children practiced walking on the smaller blue beam, and some classes got to go on our big brown beam. Most of the children can go across the small beam by themselves, walking foot over foot (versus shuffling along). About half of the children can walk across the big brown beam by themselves. I always give them and hand when they ask, although I gently encourage them to do the end by themselves if I think they are ready. The children also went on the bars. We have four low bars. On the two that I set lower the children practiced a front support where they hold themselves up on their hands with straight arms. Some children already know how to roll over to get off. I will work on that in the coming weeks with the children who don't quite know how yet. I set the other two bars higher and the children practice doing a monkey climb across them.... just walking their hands across the bar with no feet on the ground. We also practiced rolling down the incline mat doing forward rolls and pencils rolls. Oh, being 4 and 5 years old is so much fun! All the children are really trying hard to get better at their skills, and no one is scared to try something new. How wonderful!
The first and second graders started their throwing unit this week. We worked on underhand throwing to partners, and floor targets. We worked on catching a partner throw. We learned how to do an overhand throw (although many children are already "experts" since they play sports with throwing). I would encourage you to play catch with your child whenever you can. I can really tell who has had practice. When practicing overhand throwing, it is important to practice throwing your hardest to achieve the proper form. The children should be able to tell you the important parts of an overhand and underhand throw. We also had health this week. The first graders learned about their teeth, and the second graders learned about the eye. Of course there is never enough time with everyone's stories and comments, so we will continue these topics in our next health lesson.
The third and fourth graders are also in a throwing and catching unit. We focus mostly on the overhand throw. There are many fun games we play in addition to working with partners playing catch. The children also practiced the 15 meter PACER test, a maximum aerobic fitness test. The children run between two lines at the sound of a beep. They must reach the line before the next beep. As the test progresses, the time between beeps gets shorter so the children must run a little faster to make it to the line. Our goal for the third graders is 15 laps (one end to the other) and 20 laps for the fourth graders. We are practicing now, and will test in a couple of weeks. We will also practice a push-up test, something I have encouraged the children to practice at home.
Have a safe weekend in the snow. Maybe someday we will be able to run in green grass again!
The JK children are so excited to start our gymnastics unit. We will be up in our gymnastics gym (aka the auxiliary gym) until spring break. The children were already familiar with the floor since that has been out on some days previous to break, but now we have out our bars, two beams, and the vault. This week the children practiced walking on the smaller blue beam, and some classes got to go on our big brown beam. Most of the children can go across the small beam by themselves, walking foot over foot (versus shuffling along). About half of the children can walk across the big brown beam by themselves. I always give them and hand when they ask, although I gently encourage them to do the end by themselves if I think they are ready. The children also went on the bars. We have four low bars. On the two that I set lower the children practiced a front support where they hold themselves up on their hands with straight arms. Some children already know how to roll over to get off. I will work on that in the coming weeks with the children who don't quite know how yet. I set the other two bars higher and the children practice doing a monkey climb across them.... just walking their hands across the bar with no feet on the ground. We also practiced rolling down the incline mat doing forward rolls and pencils rolls. Oh, being 4 and 5 years old is so much fun! All the children are really trying hard to get better at their skills, and no one is scared to try something new. How wonderful!
The first and second graders started their throwing unit this week. We worked on underhand throwing to partners, and floor targets. We worked on catching a partner throw. We learned how to do an overhand throw (although many children are already "experts" since they play sports with throwing). I would encourage you to play catch with your child whenever you can. I can really tell who has had practice. When practicing overhand throwing, it is important to practice throwing your hardest to achieve the proper form. The children should be able to tell you the important parts of an overhand and underhand throw. We also had health this week. The first graders learned about their teeth, and the second graders learned about the eye. Of course there is never enough time with everyone's stories and comments, so we will continue these topics in our next health lesson.
The third and fourth graders are also in a throwing and catching unit. We focus mostly on the overhand throw. There are many fun games we play in addition to working with partners playing catch. The children also practiced the 15 meter PACER test, a maximum aerobic fitness test. The children run between two lines at the sound of a beep. They must reach the line before the next beep. As the test progresses, the time between beeps gets shorter so the children must run a little faster to make it to the line. Our goal for the third graders is 15 laps (one end to the other) and 20 laps for the fourth graders. We are practicing now, and will test in a couple of weeks. We will also practice a push-up test, something I have encouraged the children to practice at home.
Have a safe weekend in the snow. Maybe someday we will be able to run in green grass again!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Last days of 2008
Well, it is always a fun week right before our long winter break. The children have missed several outside recesses because it is so cold, and they are especially wiggly this week. Fortunately, I have many fun games to play that have lots of action! Please encourage your children to stay active over break.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
1st - 4th are Jumping Around
The first and second graders began jump rope this week. There are a variety of skill levels, but the neat thing about jump rope is that all the children get better, and there are so many different "tricks" the children can work on. There are so many opportunities for challenges and successes; I really enjoy helping the children and watching them succeed! Some "tricks" (skills) the children are working on are single and double bounce, forward and backward turning, single legs hops, jogging through the rope in place and moving. The second graders played "Connect Four" , jump rope style, and started a challenge sheet. They get so excited to do these challenges.
The third and fourth graders are continuing their jump rope unit. The third graders continue to work on their "Challenge Sheet" where a partner watches them try to complete a skill for a specified number of jumps. They also continued to work on partner challenges and their "Record Breaker Club" where they work to complete the most number of jumps in a row without a miss. The children really do work very hard and take the challenges seriously (but with a lot of laughter too). The fourth graders are working this week to perfect and memorize their jump rope routines. Some children chose to do their routine with a partner, but they are still assessed individually. As the children get more and more into creating their routines, they are coming up with some neat tricks of their own.
The JK children worked on kicking this week along with reviewing some of the skills we have worked on throughout the year. When the children practice kicking, they have learned to try to use the "inside" of the foot instead of their toe which seems to come more naturally. The children also practiced hula hooping, jumping and turning a rope (some of the children are actually starting to turn and jump their rope one or two times in a row), and some other fun stations like foxtail balls, and scoops. I keep telling them to practice this skill a lot at home so by the time they are in SK and first grade they will be excellent jumpers. I can really tell which children have practiced this skill before. Next week we will be working on tumbling skills on teh big blue mat in our Auxiliary gym.
The third and fourth graders are continuing their jump rope unit. The third graders continue to work on their "Challenge Sheet" where a partner watches them try to complete a skill for a specified number of jumps. They also continued to work on partner challenges and their "Record Breaker Club" where they work to complete the most number of jumps in a row without a miss. The children really do work very hard and take the challenges seriously (but with a lot of laughter too). The fourth graders are working this week to perfect and memorize their jump rope routines. Some children chose to do their routine with a partner, but they are still assessed individually. As the children get more and more into creating their routines, they are coming up with some neat tricks of their own.
The JK children worked on kicking this week along with reviewing some of the skills we have worked on throughout the year. When the children practice kicking, they have learned to try to use the "inside" of the foot instead of their toe which seems to come more naturally. The children also practiced hula hooping, jumping and turning a rope (some of the children are actually starting to turn and jump their rope one or two times in a row), and some other fun stations like foxtail balls, and scoops. I keep telling them to practice this skill a lot at home so by the time they are in SK and first grade they will be excellent jumpers. I can really tell which children have practiced this skill before. Next week we will be working on tumbling skills on teh big blue mat in our Auxiliary gym.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Skating Wrap Up and Jump Ropes
First let me start off by saying I had a really fun time with my 2nd and 3rd grade classes on Wednesday for Grandparents and Special Friends day. Many of our guest choose to play the game "Crazy Turkey Guard" and the children had a blast trying to knock over Grandma's "turkey" bowling pin!
In JK Physical Education this week the children worked on kicking with the inside of their foot. We played "Clean Up Your Backyard" using our kicking skills. The children had to stay in their own "yard" and clean up the messes that I made with lots and lots of big balls.
This week in first and second grade the children will wrap up their skating unit. It is amazing to see the progress some of the children have made from barely scooting along to actually pushing and gliding. This week the first graders learned how to play a game called Alligator Alley... watch out for those gators! The second graders have been trying some harder challenges like jumping over the lines, spinning faster by pulling their arms in, and switching directions without falling. Both grades got to try a fun new activity on the ice with Mrs. Herbst where they performed a trick while the other other children held up the parachute for them to skate under. Some of the tricks the children performed were backward skating, dips, jumps, turns, and my personal favorite, the chicken dance! They also played "Clean Up You Backyard" with beanie babies flying from opposing backyards.
This week the 3rd and 4th graders started their jump rope unit. The third graders have been working on basic stunts like forward and backward jumping (single and double bounce), side and forward straddle jumps, criss cross jumping, boxer jumping, and many more. They are participating in the "Record Breaker's Club" by seeing how many jumps in a row they can do without a miss. It is a competition against themselves, not any other classmate. The children seem very motivated to do their best and complete many challenges.
The 4th graders are also participating in their own "Record Breaker's Club" by timing each other to see how long they can jump without a miss. They are competing against themselves, but of course they like to check out their classmates scores. One of the girls jumped for 5 minutes and 3 seconds on Monday... that is awesome strength and endurance! The 4th graders are also working to achieve 40, 80, and 100 jumps without a miss. Many have already achieved these goals. Finally the children are working on stunts, trying to do 10 in a row. At the end of this week the children will put the stunts into their own routine for their assessment. In the past I have had some very talented jumpers who create interesting routines. I am excited to see what the children will come up with this year.
On D days I host Running/Walking Club for the first and second graders. When the weather was nice, we went outside for our runs/walks, but today it was so cold, I hosted it in one of the gyms. I had 24 children come to run. They ran laps and we played two tag games. Some of the children ran almost non-stop for 25 minutes. WOW! Plus I am getting to know some of the children in the classes I don't teach; that is always nice.
I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I am working hard to work off all the yummy stuff I ate. Encourage your children to stay active and play outside when the temps are okay.
In JK Physical Education this week the children worked on kicking with the inside of their foot. We played "Clean Up Your Backyard" using our kicking skills. The children had to stay in their own "yard" and clean up the messes that I made with lots and lots of big balls.
This week in first and second grade the children will wrap up their skating unit. It is amazing to see the progress some of the children have made from barely scooting along to actually pushing and gliding. This week the first graders learned how to play a game called Alligator Alley... watch out for those gators! The second graders have been trying some harder challenges like jumping over the lines, spinning faster by pulling their arms in, and switching directions without falling. Both grades got to try a fun new activity on the ice with Mrs. Herbst where they performed a trick while the other other children held up the parachute for them to skate under. Some of the tricks the children performed were backward skating, dips, jumps, turns, and my personal favorite, the chicken dance! They also played "Clean Up You Backyard" with beanie babies flying from opposing backyards.
This week the 3rd and 4th graders started their jump rope unit. The third graders have been working on basic stunts like forward and backward jumping (single and double bounce), side and forward straddle jumps, criss cross jumping, boxer jumping, and many more. They are participating in the "Record Breaker's Club" by seeing how many jumps in a row they can do without a miss. It is a competition against themselves, not any other classmate. The children seem very motivated to do their best and complete many challenges.
The 4th graders are also participating in their own "Record Breaker's Club" by timing each other to see how long they can jump without a miss. They are competing against themselves, but of course they like to check out their classmates scores. One of the girls jumped for 5 minutes and 3 seconds on Monday... that is awesome strength and endurance! The 4th graders are also working to achieve 40, 80, and 100 jumps without a miss. Many have already achieved these goals. Finally the children are working on stunts, trying to do 10 in a row. At the end of this week the children will put the stunts into their own routine for their assessment. In the past I have had some very talented jumpers who create interesting routines. I am excited to see what the children will come up with this year.
On D days I host Running/Walking Club for the first and second graders. When the weather was nice, we went outside for our runs/walks, but today it was so cold, I hosted it in one of the gyms. I had 24 children come to run. They ran laps and we played two tag games. Some of the children ran almost non-stop for 25 minutes. WOW! Plus I am getting to know some of the children in the classes I don't teach; that is always nice.
I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I am working hard to work off all the yummy stuff I ate. Encourage your children to stay active and play outside when the temps are okay.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Let's Tumble and Skate!
This week in JK Physical Education, we played a fun new game called Thanksgiving tag. Of course since it is Thanksgiving everyone was hungry, turkeys and farmers. Well the turkeys had to go get the food, but watch out for the farmers who want to catch them for a Thanksgiving feast. Some turkeys were captured, but thankfully their turkey friends saved them so they could play again! We also worked on some tumbling skills on the big blue mat. The children love to do rocking horses, egg rolls, balances, and they are really good at making letter and number shapes with their bodies.
In first and second grade the big news is we started ice skating this week. Thanks to all the parents who came to help the children get their skates tied. The children had a super first day. Their skills are amazing! It will be fun to watch them develop over the next few weeks.
In third and fourth grade the children have been continuing to tumble on the big blue mat. I have been busy assessing them on rolling, handstands, cartwheels, and so much more. They are excited for after winter break when the rest of the equipment gets set up.
In fourth grade this week, I introduced a new activity that we will be doing in class called "Amazing Race: Wisconsin." The children were put into teams and they choose a team name and a team captain (who will serve for two weeks before they choose again). They will participate in physical and mental challenges to earn points to "travel" to different places throughout Wisconsin. I hope it will be a fun way to incorporate their Wisconsin studies into PE. The third graders will start an "Amazing Race: United States" once I get the fourth graders upI told the children it may take months for them to complete their journey; they looked worried, but I assured them it would be fun, exciting, and probably a little silly. Some wondered if they really had to go to all those places. I just love their minds!
It's a short week filled with more tumbling and skating. I hope you have a relaxing Thanksgiving! Stay active with your family.
In first and second grade the big news is we started ice skating this week. Thanks to all the parents who came to help the children get their skates tied. The children had a super first day. Their skills are amazing! It will be fun to watch them develop over the next few weeks.
In third and fourth grade the children have been continuing to tumble on the big blue mat. I have been busy assessing them on rolling, handstands, cartwheels, and so much more. They are excited for after winter break when the rest of the equipment gets set up.
In fourth grade this week, I introduced a new activity that we will be doing in class called "Amazing Race: Wisconsin." The children were put into teams and they choose a team name and a team captain (who will serve for two weeks before they choose again). They will participate in physical and mental challenges to earn points to "travel" to different places throughout Wisconsin. I hope it will be a fun way to incorporate their Wisconsin studies into PE. The third graders will start an "Amazing Race: United States" once I get the fourth graders upI told the children it may take months for them to complete their journey; they looked worried, but I assured them it would be fun, exciting, and probably a little silly. Some wondered if they really had to go to all those places. I just love their minds!
It's a short week filled with more tumbling and skating. I hope you have a relaxing Thanksgiving! Stay active with your family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
