| With the school
year coming to a close, it is a time to reflect on past activities,
and look ahead to events of the summer. Summer provides perfect
opportunities to learn about nature, as well as opportunites to
keep fit and active. In this section we will look at some fun things
to do and learn during the summer. Have fun!
Dawn Sakaguchi
Interdisciplinary Section Editor
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| Summer
Dental Injuries: With the warmer months finally here, the chances
of a dental injury increase, What do you do if you or your child
has a tooth knocked (evulsed) out?
Read 'Summer'
and a related article Trauma
Season: A National Study of the Seasonality of Unintentional
Childhood Injury.
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by
Jean Blaydes
This section within the Interdisciplinary page is updated
each month with a new idea from Jean Blayde's book "Thinking
on Your Feet." |
| This month's
activity is Space Adventure
Field Day. It incoporates science through activities that
involves knowledge about the solar system. There are two exercises;
a relay called "Planets," and tug of war called
"Comet Tail Tug of War." Who knew learning about
the solar system would be so much fun? |
| Find out more information about
Jean Blaydes and Action
Based Learning. |
|
The summer
time offers great opportunities to play in the sun. What better
way to play in the sun than field activities. Below are some
of those activities. Have fun!
Dr.
Suess Field Day from PE Central
These activities incorporate reading and fitness all at the
same time. They are activities centered around different Dr.
Seuss books.
One activity is “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue
Fish - Ring the Gack.” This event is an attempt by the
student, standing either behind the rope line or on a polyspot,
to “Ring the Gack” - that is, to throw hula-hoops
around large cones, or to toss rubber deck rings to “ring”
an antler made from PVC pipe and mounted on a board.
1st and 2nd graders may toss hula-hoops
at large cones from anywhere they choose behind the slanty
rope line," 3rd, 4th, 5th, graders must toss from whatever
polyspot they choose behind the rope line at the mounted antler.
Equipment needed: Event sign, 20 hula-hoops, 8 large cones,
2 long ropes, 8 polyspots, 4 PVC pipes “antlers”
mounted on boards, and 24 rubber deck rings.
“Where
the Wild Things Are” Field Day
This activity involves reading the book “Where the Wild
Things Are,” and incorporates fitness by identifying
specific features from the book. Below is an example of one
of the activities:
“Rolled Their Terrible
Eyes” - Students will need to be grouped in
teams of three, and each student given a squirt bottle full
of water. On the signal to begin, all students will attempt
to squirt their “eyeball” (a ping pong ball) from
Line A to Line B. Have students repeat activity from Line
B to Line A, with all students starting on the signal. Repeat
as time allows. To increase difficulty for older students,
have them squirt their “eyeball” around a cone
or similar object and back to the starting line.
Equipment needed:
Event sign, 30 squirt bottles filled with water, 2 five gallon
buckets filled with water to refill squirt bottles, 20 ping
pong balls made to look like an eyeball, & sidewalk chalk
for lines.
Order:
Where
the Wild Things Are, Dr.
Seuss Books
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| Recently,
I have been teaching a game which includes doing jumping
jacks to elementary age students. I have been discovering
that many children have difficulty doing jumping jacks correctly.
When I have spoken to other adults about this they have
told me that several adults cannot do jumping jacks correctly
either. Do you know what part of the brain must function
correctly for a person to peform jumping jacks correctly?
Or in other words, is there a correlation between cognition
and the ability to do jumping jacks correctly? Please post
in the forum. |
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| A scavenger
hunt provides a perfect opportunity for kids to enjoy the outdoors,
and to keep active while doing so. It is versatile, and can be
tailored to fit any theme that you may want to choose. Below are
some websites that can help to provide you with ideas for scavenger
hunts.
Woody’s
World Scavenger Hunt
This activity is from the USDA service website and encourages
children to gain a familiarity with nature by talking about air,
earth, and water, then listing things that describe those elements.
Go
Camping America Website
Kids love to learn and explore. Here are just a few ideas to make
your hikes more interesting and enjoyable. These scavenger hunts
will also help to improve your child's observation skills and
will increase their interest in and understanding of our natural
environment. - source
Other Considerations Regarding Scavenger Hunts
Having a scavenger hunt provides the perfect opportunity to introduce
information about animals, insects, and plants, or even the area
where the scavenger hunt will be conducted. It's also a great
opportunity to talk about safety tips that should be taken into
account when playing outdoors.
Enchanted
Learning: All About Birds
This website has a lot of information about birds, from what they
look like, to why they sit on power lines. It also has links to
activities, and even more information about birds.
USGS
Bird Identifier
This website has a comprehensive list of North American birds.
It provides detail information of the birds and a picture.
World
Almanac for Kids: Frogs and Toads
This website provides information about frogs and toads, including
physical characteristics, behavior, and how to tell what is a
true toad and true frog.
An
Insect’s Perspective
This website is a lesson plan for kids to understand the world
from the perspective of an insect.
Insect
Hotlist
This website provides a list of links supplying an abundant amout
of information about different insects.
Tips for Outdoor Safety
Nibbles:
Play it Safe with Outdoor Safety Tips
This article talks about things to consider in the way of your
child’s safety while playing outdoors.
Kidshealth.org:
Camping and Woods Safety
This article covers safety from what to pack, to plants and insects
that you need to be careful of and what to do when you get lost.
Go
Camping America: Ways to be Safe
This article provides some basic tips for kids on how to stay
safe when you are outdoors.
Nature Walks and Hiking
Another way that promotes nature learning and exercise is Nature
Walks and Hiking. Please see below for ideas to help promote some
of these activities.
Kids
Domain: Hiking Tips for Beginners
This website contains safety tips to be aware of when out hiking,
such as knowing your environment and water. These tips will ensure
an enjoyable hiking trip.
Hiking
and Backpacking With Kids
This website offers a list a books about hiking and backpacking
with kids.
Hike
Safety for Kids
This website offers some information for kids about hiking safety.
I
Spy the outdoors
From the scholastic website, a great game to play with kids in
the outdoors is I Spy. The game helps kids to
become aware of thier environment. It also provides opportunities
for learning.
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| Heroes
and Heroines - grade 6
connections: Social Studies, P.E, .Art, English,
Music
Students will consider the qualities and characteristics of heroes/heroines.
Students will identify heroes/heroines in their own life experiences
or through personal research. Students will be challenged to foster
the positive and supportive characteristics of heroes/heroines in
their own lives.
Bikes
and Bumps - grade 6-8
connections: Geography, Science, P.E.
Each place on earth has its own particular physical characteristics.
The topography of the land can have a great impact on mountain biking.
Mountain slopes provide an ideal environment for this sport. Contour
maps can be valuable tools for professional or amateur bikers because
they show how steep slopes are in a given area. This lesson is intended
as an application of skills that should already have been taught
as a part of a regular geography class.
Women
in the Olympic Arena - grades 4-8
connections: P.E., English, /Math, Art
Exploring the role of women in the modern Olympic Games.
Maracas
& Shakers (K-8) & More
Maracas
Maracas were originally made from the dried shells of gourds with
beads or beans inside. Works on social, emotion, physical, and cognitive
skills.
Bubble
Fun & Learning
Kinderartists can learn about the wind and the colors in the sky
while sharpening observation skills.
Mud
Puddles & Bubbles - ages 4 to 7
Concepts in nature, weather, and basic science.
Brown
Bag Kites - ages 4 to 12
Fly a kite made from paper grocery bags and paint. Students will
be directed to observe and discuss kites and how they fly.
Make
Your Own Olympics
You can easily create your own backyard Olympic games! Make fun
events for your family or invite the whole neighborhood to participate.
The best part is, you don't have to be a world-class athlete to
participate in these Olympic games. - source:site
Beach
Ball Game
A great learning game that brings summer into the classroom.
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Summer
Fun and Learning Go Together
Summer is perfect for blending fun, learning, and companionship
with your child. There's more time to spend together, albeit sometimes
in routine activities. Within those routines can be some exciting
"lessons" that turn the routine and "boring"
into the "challenging and fun." Here are just a few ideas
to make this summer a productive learning time and a fun time for
kids. - source: site
Free Summer-Fun. Keeping
children excited about reading will help them avoid losing skills
during summer vacation. So, Learning
Page will offer new books, worksheets, etc. each month
in May, June, and July. Visit this Summer-Fun section often for
new materials. - source:site
The
Learning Page - Thisis a great site, and one where
you can download free e-books for the kids and teacher worksheets.
You must register, but it is well worth doing so.
Fun
Summer Learning Activities
Parents can play an important role in supporting out-of-school learning
by involving children in fun, everyday activities such as cooking
a new recipe or shopping at a local supermarket. At this site you
will find a few suggested activities that can help students practice
critical academic skills during the summer months.
- source: site
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| If you have ideas, comments,
letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please
email one of the following Health & Fitness Section Editors:
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