The week before Christmas is always exciting! We had some wonderful events to celebrate the season!
.....My primary students had fun playing "Save the Turkeys!" Students ride scooters to save foam turkeys from the "Turkey Gobblers"! When it was one of the students turn to be the Turkey Gobbler, she was so happy she said: "Excitement, Excitement!" We added some math to the activity as we counted how many turkeys were saved! When it was time to clean up and I asked students to share, one pair of students shared one turkey together - one hand each - and exclaimed: "We shared!"
.....My older students had a ball playing "Scooter Blitz" this week. It was fun watching as the students figured out strategies to defend their bowling pins as well as knock down the opposing team's pins!
.....I smiled as one of my students presented me with an origami bird he had learned to make in art class!
.....A colleague shared this week that she had read an article in the NY Times about childhood obesity and what schools can do to teach students how to make healthy choices. I was pleased when she said that we were on the right track at North Park because we were doing exactly what the article suggested!
.....We made it snow in the gymnasium this week! Well, not really, but it was fun pretending to make it snow by tapping white balloons up and down in the air to some holiday music about snow and winter!
.....One of the lasting legacies of a former music teacher who has since passed away is an event called "The Brotherhood Pageant". This event was started more than 25 years ago and is intended as an event to give to those less fortunate than ourselves. Students and adults donate food and sing holiday songs in a school-wide event. We had a wonderful time during our Brotherhood Pageant this week and it was nice to see alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends attend as well!
.....We ended the week with an event called Winter Workshops. Our principal came up with this idea several years ago as a way to celebrate the season in a way that would include all children and make a productive last day before the winter break. More than 25 workshops are offered during the day and range from cookie making to making healthy snacks to chess, yoga, making holiday ornaments and more! A colleague of mine and I conducted a Circus Acts workshop and we had a terrific time! I had an opportunity to visit some of the other workshops during the day and students were enjoying them all! It was a great way to end the week and begin the celebration!
I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week!"
Visit the North Park PE website if you would like more information about the PE program at North Park!
