An Impromtu game of hockey!

An impromptu game of hockey broke out in our classroom today!
We were stuck inside because of drenching rain and a flooded playground. So what to do? Well sure I provided many suggestions, did some phonics practice, played a few games and read a few books, but the best ideas come from the kids. With dish brush and duster in hand, and a plastic scoop of ice cream for a ball - the game was on! It went on for at least an half hour - cooperatively and with great precision. Thankfully the other children were respectful enough not to interrupt the game. It went so well I may just sneak a couple of those small hockey sticks into the room! :)

Action shots! :)

Love the huggies peeking out the back!

A fun way to exercise

Today my toddlers tried something new! An exercise ball. They had so much fun tumbling over the top and rolling back and forth. Learning to push off with their feet and stopping themselves with thier hands - while balancing at  the same time. A little assistance was required but most got the hang of getting in a few good rolls, almost on their own. I was very pleased that all the children tried this activity - showing confidence that I would ensure they were safe while they tired this new venture. I think this is a good addition to our exercise routine.

Drumming

Who doesn't like drumming on a drum? We always have a good time when the drum comes out. Everyone takes a turn to test out their drumming skills. Some have the courage to bang really hard. Some are very timmid and simply tap with a gentle hand. We talk about 'fast' - 'slow' - 'hard' - 'soft' - 'loud' and 'quiet' as we drum. Then the most exciting part is when everyone gets up on their feet and moves to the beat of the drum. Starting out slowly then going very fast. Marching, hopping, running - then freeze! What fun!

Let's play games!

Today during a school meeting we talked about ensuring the children were involved in gross motor activities and making it a part of your everyday curriculum. We often focus on the teaching we do while sitting in the classroom - however the active part of our day opens a pathway to better learning. When we get our blood pumping and get that oxygen flowing - learning becomes augmented. Some of that gross motor activity can come from the simplest of play found in the traditional games we have all participated in as a child. There may also be games we have not been privy to - why not include those in your roster. Even if the game is not gross motor they can exercise the mind. Combining the two can present an adventure in learning!

Paired with today's discussion - I was inspired by this article to post some links on playing games.
endangered-activities

Here are some links on traditional games:
games-section
traditional-childrens-games-use-out-classroom
gameskidsplay
games
japan
55 page pdf   

                                              

'D' is for DANCE!

Here in Ontario Canada the weather can present us with moments we would rather be inside. It’s too hot – too cold – rainy or just not conducive for extended play outside. So what we like to do is provide a lot of gross motor activities that can be implemented indoors. One of our favorites is DANCE! We love to throw on some happy tunes and kick up our heels. It’s all about free movement – and letting loose!

Some of our favorite tunes are:

Hands Up  and
The Twist

Dance is for all ages – from the youngest toddler to the eldest friends (me). Everyone wiggles and bops to the beat, with a smile and a giggle. Whenever the urge strikes us we put on a tune and get our bodies moving. To extend the experience, we have dance ribbons and batons which enhances our movement. They assist us in moving in new ways - we experiment with these ‘aids’ allowing our muscles to get a good workout.

As I stated in my Music and Movement post on my blog:

The development of language and memory skills - co-operation and socialization - co-ordination and balance, are supported with music and movement. We are energized and motivated to continue our daily lessons, when we are able to get up and move or burst into song. We are simultaneously building so many important developmental skills, so it would be imperative to have music and movement in the classroom whenever possible. The introduction of music and movement ensures a positive classroom experience. What a great way to let loose and enhance those dramatic urges inside us. 

If dance is not a part of your everyday classroom routine, I would suggest you implement it as soon as you can – daily gratification will be your reward.

*As a part of a 20,000 day celebration on Teach Preschool Deborah J Stewart asked her peers to take part in sharing the ABC's of Teaching Preschool. I was honoured to join in! I hope you visit her blog to see the other wonderful posts in this celebration series.

Link to series: ABC celebration 

 Click here to view all posts

Gross Motor Batons in action

OK we finally got to use our batons today - it rained so we decided to turn on some fun dance music and move to the beat.

We bend down low to tap on the floor and reach up high to tap in the sky.

 Then we tap to the left and tap to the right.

Drumming up and down!

Tapping the ends together and rolling them around!

Tapping behind our back!

However we move, the batons give us greater motion - wider - faster and harder. They allow us to tap with the beat of the music. We stick around a little longer - the batons give us insentive to stay in the action. We can conduct the music and lead the band. What can I say - the batons simply add to the fun!

Ribbons in action!

Here are pictures of our ribbons in action! We put on dance music and wiggled and swirled our ribbons to the beat! It was so much fun we did it in the morning and late afternoon!
I am so glad all the efforts in making them paid off!
This is our after school group - ages 18 months to 6 or 7 years of age - they all fit in and had a great time!

With all the vigorous use I discovered I should heat seal the ends of all the ribbons with the flame from a lighter, to prevent fraying. Only a few unraveled, but I wanted to prevent any others from doing the same. I then decided I may as well glue the ribbons at the knots so they would not come off the rings and balloon sticks. Prevention saves a lot of hassle later on!

Click this link to see how we made these fun toys! Ribbons

I am storing them on/in a paper tube propped in a basket with ribbons laying inside.

Gross Motor movement equipment!

Today the teachers made ribbons for rhythmic dance activities while the children slept!

The supplies!

Satin ribbons in sizes 1/4" to 5/8" in various colours - shower curtain rings - balloon sticks - plastic glue.

We glued the ring openings shut - so the ribbons would not pop off!

We glued the ends on the sticks to ensure they would not fall off.

We cut the ribbon double arms length

Picked 3 corresponding colours - one 5/8" and the other 2 thinner

Then folded them in half and looped them over the closure section of the rings and pulled them very tight.

We made these for the toddlers so they could hold them firmly.

To secure them to the balloon sticks we doubled them over and looped them around the slits in the top of the stick. These ones were made for the older kids who would be less likely to use the stick for evil hitting! :)

Older children can make these on their own - we made them as a surprise for the kids hence the teachers only being involved.

As with the batons we hope to post pictures of the children using these at some point this week!

Gross Motor Batons

A couple of weeks ago we had Monkeynastix ( http://www.monkeynastix.ca/ ) come to our centre and do gross motor activities with our kids - they had so much fun. In my classroom we do a lot of gross motor activities and stretching; just as I did with the children in my karate program. I thought why not expand that and add some of the activities we learned the other day. One involved using batons to assist in stretching and large muscle movement. My dilemma was, how was I going to source the batons. I could not find them anywhere for purchase. There were batons for runners at $1.50 each on line, but they did not have the grips on the ends, which I felt were needed so that the batons didn't fly out of small hands. So it came to me - make them! Here is my version for about $1.40 a pair, with grips.

First purchase a 10 foot piece of PVC 3/4" pipe - this makes 12 - 10 " batons

Cut into 10" sections - we used a hacksaw.

You will need 3/4" Vinyl leg tips

They need to be softened in hot water - this makes them easier to put on the ends of the pipe sections. Purchase enough to cover each end of all the batons you wish to make!

Be very careful when you put them on - you may bang a knuckle or two - press the end down on a very hard surface (floor suggested) - push until the leg tip is on as far as it will go - flush with the end of the pipe.

You may notice there is printing on the pipes - you can clean it off with nail polish remover. The lettering came off the beige completely but not off the white - it only faded. I hope to decorate these with gymnastics reflective tape later on - but I like how the plain ones look!

Now I have enough for all the kids to have two each! I will post pictures tomorrow of how these are used! In the mean time you can go to the Monkeynastix sight to see them used in their little video on the home page.

Indoor fun!

The weather here has either been horribly hot, or rainy and extremely muggy - so today we needed to have some indoor fun - with airconditioning! So I pulled out some popup tents, tunnels and vehicles etc.
The children played the entire morning without getting bored.

We set up in an unused classroom with tons of space.

I thought it looked fun!

The kids got right into play!

Tunnels are always a hit!

Very busy!

Peek-a-boo!

Hum how do these work?

What's next?

Ending the day with a  delicious Icecream cone sure hits the spot!

Who says the playground has to be outside?!