| Summers seems
to go by too fast, and before you know it we are back on the field
teaching kids of all levels, almost as though we never took a summer
break!
Now is a time to reflect on what you were able to accomplish over
the past year, come up with some new ideas, do things that you were
too busy to do during the previous school year, and prepare for
the new year. I reflect in June, vacation and work out more in July
and ½ of Aug, and prepare for the new year in August, which
is upon us even as I speak.
I hope everyone is enjoying your summer. Take advantage of these
last few weeks!
Kim Nygaard
Elementary Section Editor
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| Time
to get the school calendar out and prepare PE classes according
to your curriculum. I like to start off with monthly activities.
I focus on these as I continue to add other activities/games. I
know what I want to cover each month, which helps me to set guidelines
as to skills and activities I want to cover before the school year
end approaches. September is our first month.
END OF SUMMER
ACTIVITIES :
RULES &
EXPECTATIONS : Rules are very important, and if the children
know what you expect out of them right from the start classes will
run smoothly. I go over what I expect, and concentrate on character
and good sportsmanship. I talk about the difference between cooperation
games & sports, and competitive games & sports. Both are
very important for children to learn. I incorporate both in my PE
classes.
WHISTLE COMMANDS:
I have games for the children to get them to listen carefully. Children
love these games, and you can be as creative as you like. Here is
an example of my "5 blasts!" Children will run around
the field area listening for the whistle. On each blast, 1-5, there
are different activities they must do:
This helps work on listening
skills, and how to form proper lines needed in PE for quick set
ups. With whistle commands you can also do fitness/exercises on
the blasts, you can incorporate ball, locomotor, bean bag, and jump
rope, etc., challenges on the whistle blasts. Try it out. You and
the children will love it.
FRISBEES/WATER CHALLENGES:
The weather in California gets hot, so I try to bring in some "extended"
summertime fun. I hand out frisbees to the children, and we go over
skills ( I use the spin jammer frisbees). I also set up Frisbee
Golf, Disc Golf, and Hoop disc targets. All these can be found at
Balls
and More Athletics.
The children love to compete in the tournaments, or create a routine
using skills & music. This is also an excellent fundraiser for
your school. Balls
and More Athletics you can actually order
the Spin
Jammer Class Pack which comes with 15 discs, a video, and a
25 page sport guide. That's how I got my program started.
As for water challenges, I do the Water
Balloon Toss in lines with partners, and with groups in circle
formations.
NEWSLETTERS TO PARENTS: Communication is very
important, and having a monthly newsletter is a great idea. In my
newsletter I let the parents know what we worked on in PE, and what
we will be doing. I also ask that the kids have appropriate shoes
every day for PE. Check out a sample of my back-to-school newsletter.
TAG/CIRCLE GAMES: I know you see different kinds
of tag games each month, but I like to use tag games that work on
speed (fast when running from the tagger, slower when tagger is
about to tag someone, to avoid pushing), and also the dodging skill
that is learned in tag games. Here are a few that I like to use
at the beginning of the year:
Tag
Games: We all love the game of tag. Check out
some of our favorites.
Circle
Games: Forming circles can be a difficult task for the elementary
children. I like to use circle games to get them to practice making
circles. Check out our favorite circle games.
GET TO KNOW YOU/PARACHUTE PLAY: Children love
to play with music and colors...that is the good old parachute.
Children will stand holding the parachute with both hands. On the
signal, the children lift up the parachute, and one at a time, for
each lift, will call out another person's name. They will run under
the chute to the other side, and hold on to where the person was
called. You can do this by calling numbers, colors, or even letters
of the alphabet.
It's important for the first few weeks of school to get the children
back into a routine and stay enthusiastic. The activities above
are very successful for us, and the children love to come to PE.
It is our job to physically stimulate our students, and why not
with activities and games they will enjoy?
Just a note: National
Metric week is coming up in October. We concentrate on our math
program for the week and incorporate our own Metrics Olympics. If
interested go to the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics for lessons. Scroll down
to 'Mini
Metric Olympics.' There you will find fun Olympics lessons using
the metric measuring system. Paper straw javelin throw, paper plate
discus, cotton ball shot put, big foot, and more! Also check out
'Charter
School hosts Olympic Games.' Start planning now. I made circular
awards and glued them to CDs. The kids loved them!
Have a great September, and feel free to send me articles, or
even your great PE ideas to share with others! |
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|
Is health taught in elementary schools? I know that some
teachers are assigned to teach a main subject like science,
and then are asked to teach health as well. I want to know
if Health is a class all by itself and if it's not, why?
Please post in the forum. |
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| School
Age: Sleep
By school age, your child is regularly sleeping through the night
without waking up. A good night’s sleep is important for
her growth and development.
If your child sleeps well, she will be more settled, happy and
ready for school the next day. Getting enough sleep strengthens
her immune system and may reduce the risk of infection and illness.
Children aged six to nine need 10 to 11
hours sleep a night. They are usually tired after school and may
look forward to bedtime from about 7.30 pm. Read the rest
of this great information for your elementary aged child.
Waking
Up Dry: A Guide To Help Kids Overcome Bedwetting
- Bedwetting is a problem common to any elementary age child.
This site, created by a doctor, provides great resources to help
parents and children deal with this problem. This is information
worth checking over.
Sleep:
Back to school means back to a routine sleeping schedule. The
University of Michigan sleep specialists offer some tips for parents
to help their kids stay awake and alert on the first day of school.
Preschooler's
Transition to Kindergarten
Today's kindergarten classrooms have high expectations for children's
academic achievement, social skills, and independence. Parents
should also have high expectations for their child's kindergarten
program. This guide was developed to provide parents with information
they can use to help their preschooler transition to kindergarten.
Back-to-Sleep:
Back-to-School Season Creates a Shorter Sleep Schedule.
As children throughout the country awake to a new school year,
parents contemplate whether their child's summer sleeping schedule
will be saved by the bell. According to a recent survey conducted
by the National Sleep Foundation, 60 percent of children under
the age of 18 complained of being tired during the day, and 15
percent of children reported falling asleep at school during the
past year. Teenagers are more likely to complain of being tired
during the day than are younger children, according to the study.
Read the rest.
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Back
To School Party! This sounds like a really great idea!
The end of August is a mixed blessing for most school children.
The carefree days of summer are coming to end, but the thought of
a new school year is exciting. Make the end of summer vacation more
fun for your child with a back-to-school celebration.
Does
your child fear going to school?
Meggan Jung will never forget the elementary school student who
was so determined to stay home from school that he locked himself
in the bathroom. Jung, school psychologist for the Bellevue School
District, went over to his house. "He was afraid to leave his
mom," Jung remembers. "It took a long time to get him
to come out." Read the rest...
Be
prepared for move to middle school
Given the momentous nature of the move from elementary to middle
school, some fray is inevitable. Not only are tweens transitioning
to a relatively less personal, less nurturing school environment,
their biological clocks are set to ring at puberty. Double jeopardy.
Read the rest...
Getting
School Ready
Is your child ready for kindergarten? The experts claim the real
readiness process begins at birth--not in the spring on kindergarten
sign-up day. But for the many parents whose kids will encounter
school busses, teachers and classrooms for the first time next fall,
now is the time to get serious about finding ways to prepare for
the home-to-school transition. Read the rest...
|
| (These
and lots more found at Moving
and Learning)
The Snake: The students
pair off, stretching out on their stomachs, one in front of the
other. The child in back takes hold of the ankles of the child in
front, forming a two-person "snake." The object of the
game is for the snake to see how far it can slither without breaking
contact. Once the children have mastered the challenge of slithering
in pairs, invite the two-person snakes to connect with other two-person
snakes and to practice slithering at twice their original lengths.
Eventually you can challenge the children to keep connecting until
they've formed one big snake!
Beanbag Freeze: This
game requires the children to each walk around the room with a beanbag
balanced on a specific body part. If the beanbag falls off, the
player has to freeze in that spot and wait until another player
has retrieved the beanbag for her or him. The catch is that, if
the second player’s beanbag should also fall, that player
will be frozen, too, until help comes along.
Hand out the beanbags and explain the rules to the children. Invite
them at first to balance the beanbag on a fairly simple body part,
like the palm or back of the hand. Then give them the signal to
go!
Make this game even more challenging by
asking the children to balance the beanbag on such parts as the
top of the head, a shoulder, or an elbow.
Three-Legged Creatures: The
object of this game is for two children to maneuver together as
one three-legged creature. It should get the heart rate up and the
giggles going!
With the children paired up and standing closely, side by side,
gently tie their inside legs together with a scarf. Challenge the
children to count how many steps they can take in a predetermined
amount of time; then give them the signal to go!
This game also lends itself to locomotor
skills other than walking. Challenge the children to perform, three-legged,
other skills they're able to perform as individuals. Possibilities
include jumping (in this case, on three feet), hopping (on two feet,
lifting either the inside or outside legs), galloping (with either
the inside or outside feet leading), and skipping. (Don't invite
them to try this unless they're already skipping on both sides of
the body, with the correct rhythm, which most children can't do
until they're at least 5½ years old.)
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Whether
you're new to the job or a seasoned veteran, getting back to school
can be a bit nerve-wracking. It's time to throw out stale teaching
ideas, put a fresh face on your classroom, and start the school
year with a bang.
13
Ways to Beat the First-Day Jitters
Some Steps to Take Before School Begins
You're bound to have some first-day jitters. But thinking
and walking through a few steps, before school begins, will boost
your confidence. Here are 13 steps you can take.
33
Ways to Start the First Year Off Right
A little planning before school begins can pay big dividends throughout
the school year. Starting off on the right foot can make all the
difference. Here are some things to consider as you plan for the
months ahead. Check them off as you go.
Order
in the Classroom! Let's be honest. Maintaining discipline
is one of the biggest challenges educators face. But the good
news is, we can help. Check out these NEA resources full of practical
tips and tools to get your classroom in order.
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| Lesson Plans & Activities |
| Building
A Classroom Community and Bully-Free Zone
Summary: For grades 3-7. Almost all children,
at some point in their childhood, will experience or be affected
by bullying behaviors. For the safety and welfare of ALL children
in a positive learning environment, it is essential for teachers
to establish a learning community void of bullying behaviors,
and to facilitate a sense of community in the classroom. This
includes teaching children skills to deal with bullies, as well
as promoting positive social skills such as cooperation, communication,
and conflict resolution.
Estimated Time of Completion:
Two to three classroom periods, or stretched out through out the
school year. It is a topic that may need to be revisited from
time to time and discussed on a weekly basis.
Getting
Ready For School
Students everywhere will relate to this
simple chapter book about getting ready for the first day of school.
Photographs of children from around the world performing tasks
such as buying supplies, getting dressed, and going to school
will help students make text-to-self connections. This is a great
lesson worth checking out. All free!
Fourteen
Great Activities for the First Days of School! In
response to an Education World story, teachers around the world
sent in their favorite first-day-of-school activities. So here
they are - 14 great activities to help you get to know your new
students - and to help them get to know you! So here,
in a follow-up to Fourteen Great Ideas for the First Days of School,
is the second batch of reader ideas - 14 MORE
activities for the first days of school!
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| Movement, Games, & Learning |
| More
Movement, Smarter Kids
Most people can understand how physical
activity can impact not only their child's physical development,
but also his social/emotional development. But intellectual development?
What could movement possibly have to do with learning? After all,
schools - where most of the child's learning is supposed to take
place - are our prime promoters of inactivity. ("Sit still."
"Stop squirming." "Don’t run." "Stay
in your seat.") If movement were critical to learning, wouldn't
the schools be employing it?
Certainly, you'd think so. Those of us
who've understood the connection between moving and learning for
a very long time have been waiting just as long for the educational
"revolution." And yet, not only is movement in the classroom
a rarity, but also physical education and recess are being eliminated
as though they were completely irrelevant to children's growth
and development. Perhaps the revolution will only finally arrive
when you, as a parent, become aware of movement's role in cognitive
development and learning, and begin to insist the schools do what's
right for children, and not merely what the policy makers think
they should be doing. Read the rest...
Keep
Kids Moving and Help Them Learn
Here's what we may not realize: Experts say that when kids move
- whether in structured or non-structured activities - nerve cells
in their brains are getting crucial stimulation. "Movement
creates neural activity and connections that literally grow the
brain," says Helene Freda, an education specialist who is
now senior program developer for Gymboree Play and Music. "When
it's combined with other sensory experiences, movement is the
foundation for all learning." Read the rest...
What
Makes a Game Great for Children?
What constitutes a game? It’s a word that's almost as difficult
to define as the word play, which is what we do with games. According
to Merriam-Webster Online, a game is an "activity engaged
in for diversion or amusement." The Encarta Dictionary calls
it "something played for fun." But, kids don't always
consider a game fun. This article provides a 'flip' side to conventional
games. Please read.
The
Cost of Competition on Kids
The subject of competition
is one that provokes some pretty strong feelings in the United
States. In fact, even hinting that competition might not be such
a great thing can cause one to be labeled un-American. The prevailing
belief is that competition is good for everyone - that someone
without a strong competitive nature is just a wimp. That being
competitive is human nature, and to be noncompetitive is to have
been born without a necessary gene.
But is it human nature, or is it learned
behavior? The research shows that, given a choice, most preschoolers
prefer cooperative to competitive activities. This would seem
to indicate that dog-eat-dog is not a natural inclination. Read
the rest...
Movement
in Education: Developing Student Potential
Through Authentic Learning -
This article has an awful lot of grammar problems, but
it is very good information, and the thought process involved
if very logical. An article worth reading. See also this
site which offers some fun activities
for learning through movement. |
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