It was a great week! We are still waiting for snow here in the Northeast.......We are hoping to snowshoe soon!
.....As part of our Healthy Highway program we began "driving" down Consideration Court. My heart smiled when I watched my primary students help each other on the low balance beam......they were certainly being considerate!
.....As part of a warm-up this week, students traveled to different stations to complete a variety of activities. When a group of students arrived at one of the stations, a student said "Yea! Crab kicks!" Another student asked: "Who invented the push-up?"
.....A number of years ago I learned that one of our classrooms used "Butterfly Claps" to show enthusiasm quietly. I adopted the use of "Butterfly Claps" and encourage my students to use them when they are excited about something in PE, especially when they arrive to the gymnasium and see the equipment set up for the day. This week there were many "Butterfly Claps" as students arrived for gymnastics!
.....I had a great discussion this week with some students about quality work. I talked with students about how their teachers display exemplary work on bulletin boards and that during PE class I am looking for a display of exemplary work in their actions. I told students that creating a bulletin board of PE actions is difficult but one of the students suggested that I use photographs of students displaying exemplary work on a bulletin board instead! What a great idea!
.....One of the gymnastics stations this week was the high balance beam. Most students were really excited to climb up and walk on the balance beam, but some were somewhat apprehensive due to the height. I was proud of and honored by the trust that students put in me as I held hands and supported their work on the balance beam!
.....Fitness Frankie and Exercise Ernie had a great time during gymnastics this week! The classes that were hosting Fitness Frankie and Exercise Ernie brought them to PE every day and smiled as they balanced on the balance beam!
.....One of my students this week brought in a box of game cards to share with me and the class! He thought I might want to learn some knew games. He was right!
.....At the end of most gymnastics classes, my students and I participate in some cool-down stretches. We count using something I call "share-count stretching". During the stretch, I count one number and the students say the number that comes next. This is always fun as I change my voice during the stretches and students copy my counting voice! Additionally, we count in several different languages! Most students know Spanish (even my kindergarten students!), but when I asked my students if they knew any other languages, they responded enthusiastically and as a result we also learned to count in French, Korean, Arabic, and German!
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!
