| Once again the
holiday season is upon us. This is  often
a time of parties and lots of food. Much of the food served during
the holidays is high in fat, sugar, and calories. How can we help
our students, and ourselves, make appropriate choices regarding
exercise and food during the holidays?
One suggestion is to have homework over the holiday break. While
there are numerous ideas, it is important that the students are
motivated to complete the assignments. If the assignment appears
overwhelming, few students will complete it. Tips for creating a
motivating assignment include: 1) encourage your students to involve
their parent(s)/caregiver(s), 2) suggest different levels for each
activity so all students can be successful at a developmentally
appropriate level, 3) choose activities that are likely to motivate
your students to continue being active after completing the assignment,
and 4) develop a fun, yet simple, system to motivate students to
record their results.
In addition to encouraging activity during the holiday break,
it is important to help students limit their intake of junk food.
Awareness is the first step in keeping eating habits under control.
In most cases it is not prudent to encourage students to avoid junk
food. Instead they need to be aware of the effect of junk food on
their bodies. They also need to be encouraged to make healthy choices
most of the time.
One idea for encouraging both activity and prudent food intake
is a calendar. This calendar could contain a specific, five to ten
minute activity to complete each day. It could also include a system
to record the number of servings of junk food eaten each day. A
small scale could be put on each day, with activity on one side
and junk food on the other. See if students can balance their scales
each day.
Shaunna McGhie
Interdisciplinary Section Editor
This page is a combined effort of SHAUNNA
MCGHIE, ANGELA ROTH, and
TERRI COVEY
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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 called Dominance
Factor, and focuses on using the non-dominant side of
the body, from the brain to the foot. The purpose of this
activity is to teach that using the non-dominant side exercises
the brain, causing longer and better thinking.
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| Find out
more information about Jean Blaydes and Action
Based Learning. |
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| CUASES
AND EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING - connections:
science and physical education. This lesson was developed by Goldie
Holmstead, a senior in elementary education at Utah Valley State
College in Orem, Utah. Grade 6
Subjects: Reading, Science, Physical Education
This activity is used to reinforce specific ideas students can
use to help minimize global warming. Previous to this activity the
students will study global warming through individual and group
activities, including reading and discussion.
Five groups of students are formed. Each group begins at a different
station. Students rotate through the stations listed below, allowing
one minute at each station and 10 seconds to move to the next station.
| The
stations are set up as follows: |
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Run your dishwasher
only with a full load. Use the energy saving setting to dry
the dishes. Don’t use heat when drying. This reduces 100
pounds of carbon dioxide a year. – Run in place for 30
seconds to remember to run your dishwasher only when it is full. |
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Wash
clothes in warm or cold water, not hot. This reduces 350 lbs.
of carbon dioxide a year. – Do ten high jumps like you
are jumping to save your feet from hot cement to remind you
to wash your clothes on warm or cold, not hot! |
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Don’t
overheat or overcool rooms. Adjust your thermostat lower in
winter and higher in summer. This reduces 350 lbs. of carbon
dioxide a year. - Do 30 sit-ups to make your abs burn and remind
you to not overheat (or overcool) rooms. |
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Recycle
your potentially recyclable material (paper, plastic, glass,
and metal). This reduces 2400 lbs. of carbon dioxide a year.
– Do 20 hops on your right leg, and recycle back to your
left leg for 20 hops, because your right leg will get tired
after 20 hops! |
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When
you buy a car, choose one that gets good gas mileage. This reduces
3000 lbs. of carbon dioxide a year. Do 15 pushups to see how
good the mileage of your biceps is to remind you to look for
a car with good gas mileage! |
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| Does
anyone have examples of ways they have connected with classroom
teachers to share information about the importance of maintaining
a healthy heart? Please post in the forum. |
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| There
are so many ways that we can help integrate physical activity,
or awareness of physical fitness into the classrooms. Below are
some different activities to help promote physical fitness in
your classroom, that are challenging mentally and physically as
well as fun for the children! Also, remember to offer variations
of these activities to meet the needs of individual students in
your classrooms. These activities can be added to, modified and
adjusted for children who may have special needs. I hope you enjoy
them!
SCRABBLE FITNESS
Incorporate spelling with physical fitness!
| Equipment:
75 or more index cards, cardboard squares, or tennis balls
with individual letters written on each; one hoop for each
team. |
| The
Game: |
|
Scatter the index
cards face down in the center circle of the gymnasium. |
|
Divide
the class into teams of three, four, or five. Give each team
one hoop. |
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Place
the hoops around the center circle 15 to 20 feet away from
the middle. |
|
The
teams establish an order of running. On the go signal, the
first person from each team runs to the center circle, picks
one card without looking at the letter, runs back, hands the
card to the next runner. This runner must place the card inside
the hoop before he/she can run and get the next card. |
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The
rest of the team can take the card out of the hoop and begin
to try to form words. The words can be formed as in Scrabble
by using the letters both up and down. |
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When
all the letters are gone from the center, give each team one-minute
to complete their words. The team with the most words is the
winner of that round. |
| Variations:
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Place point values
on letters as in Scrabble. Add up the points. Give more points
for longer words. For example, one point for each letter used
in a word. Therefore, a five-letter word gets five points.
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Scatter
tennis balls, with letters written on them, all over the gymnasium
or play area. All players may move at the same time. Each
player can only pick up one letter at a time. He/she must
place that ball inside his/her team's hoop before searching
for a new letter. When all the tennis balls are in the hoops,
players are given three to five minutes to make as many words
as possible. Repeat round. |
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Instead
of letters, place facts or statements on the cards. Players
find designated facts and place them in order. If the team
does not need the card, the player leaves it face down, does
one jumping jack, and returns to tag the next team member.
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Give
out paragraphs with missing words. Players find the missing
words. |
This Game Came From Howie
Weiss |
| Winter Olympic Activities (Angela) |
| Torino,
Italy 2006: With the Winter Olympics right around the
corner, why not think of a way to integrate the Olympics into
your class. Here are some ideas.
|
SOCIAL STUDIES:
Show children a map of Italy. Compare the geographical area
in which they live, to Torino, Italy, where the Winter Games
will be held (distance from one another, size, weather, etc).
Each day add a new fact about Italy, and a new fact about
the Winter Games (e.g., how athletes get to the Winter Games,
Winter Games events, medals, etc.) to the semantic map constructed
on the first day. |
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LANGUAGE
ARTS : Read the book "The Little Engine That
Could " to the class. Compare the "little engine"
with a Winter Games athlete. Discuss how the Winter Games
athletes have a dream, and how it takes hard work and determination
to achieve a dream. Encourage the children to draw, and then
verbalize and act out their dreams, and what they might do
to follow their dreams. |
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PHYSICAL
EDUCATION : Children practice skills and concepts
of pathways, space awareness, cardiovascular endurance - fitness,
and striking with an implement . They will explore the relationship
of these skills to the Winter Games events of skiing, skating,
and hockey. |
|
MATH:
Children are fascinated with the concept of time. To reinforce
number identification, introduce children to the use of stopwatches
and have them time each other in a few physical skills. |
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ART:
Introduce children to the idea that a flag represents each
country participating in the Winter Games. Show children flags
from a number of countries. Ask children to design and draw
their own flags on squares of white cloth. Attach to a ¼
inch diameter-18 inch long dowel stick, and use the flags
like ribbon sticks to design and create dances. |
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THE
OLYMPICS
Connections: Social Studies, Physical Education
This lesson on the Olympics includes a look at the countries' backgrounds.
CONSTANT
CRAVING - grades 6 to 12
Subjects: Health, Science
Connections: Civics, Health, Media Studies
How Drugs Interact with the Nervous System.
BUILDING
A BABY - grades 6 to 8
Teaches about the complex development of a human fetus during each
stage, and the changes the mother's body goes through during the
gestation period. This lesson has multiple connections, including
art and technology.
HEALTH
RISKS OF BODY ART
Students will explore what is involved in body piercing, tattoos,
and cosmetic surgery, discuss why people engage in these activities,
and research the health risks associated with these activities.
APPLES
- grades 1 to 6
Connections: Interdisciplinary, Health/Nutrition,
Arts/Visual Arts, Language Arts/Writing, Mathematics, Science/Botany,
Social Studies/US History.
Overview: This is an across the curriculum (thematic)
unit used with second graders. They begin the study near the end
of September, or the beginning of October, to coincide with John
Chapman's birthday or National Apple Month. -
source: site
PUMPKIN
PATCH - grades 2 to 4
Connections: Interdisciplinary, Physical Education/Motor
Skills, Arts/Visual Arts
Description: An interdisciplinary project involving
technology, art, and motor skills.
Goals: The project will show the students how to
be responsible when working with others and with scissors. The students
will use their fine motor skills to create a pumpkin, which will
be placed on a bulletin board with all the students in the class.
This lesson will allow the children to use their previously known
computer knowledge to work with the computer. The areas on the computer
that will be used are the drawing tools, Mirosoft Word, and exploring
the Internet. This will also tie in with the unit we will be discussing
next week, farming and the plants farmers grow in Pennsylvania.
- source: site
THE
VERY HUNGRY CATEPILLAR - grades 1 to 2
Connections: Language arts, Foreign languages,
Health
Description: This lesson introduces students to
healthy eating and incorporates basic Spanish vocabulary.
Title: JUMPING
INTO MUSIC grades 1 to 4
Primary - Music
Secondary - Math, Health / Physical Education
Teach a new jump rope game to your class!
17TH-CENTURY
PASTIMES AND SPORTS
Connections: PE/History
The early settlers had little time for games or amusements. Nevertheless
young people did spend some time at play. There were few items of
luxury so the activities were simple with little or no equipment.
Listed at this site are 5 games played during the 17th century.
- source: site
WINTER
STATIONS
Connections: Health / Physical Education
Jingle Bell Basketball and Get the Candy Cane are just two of these
holiday PE ideas
JUMPING
JACK SPELLING BEE
Connections: Language Arts, Health / Physical Education
Instead of "write the spelling words 10 times each", why
not try this Jumping Jack Spelling Bee idea?
MATH
TAG
Connections: Health / Physical Education, Math
This is a simple, but fun, PE Math Game.
JUMPING
INTO MUSIC
Connections: Music, Math, Health / Physical Education
Using a jump rope rhyme is an effective idea to teach note values.
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