Sometimes, the less complicated things are, the better they are. With that thought in mind, simple joys were the theme of this week's "Best Parts"!
.....There is a TV commercial that basically says that sometimes life is better with surprises. I thought of that commercial this week while my primary students were learning about levels. I have some animal faces that are made out of paper plates. When the plates are face down, they all look alike but when they are turned face up, they reveal a number of different animals. Animals included were monkeys, gorillas, snakes, butterflies, ladybugs, ducks, penguins, tigers, frogs, dogs, panda bears, and more! Students participated in this activity by moving throughout the gym using different locomotor movements and then when the music stopped, they stopped at the closest plate, flipped it over, and then moved around the plate while pretending to be that animal. Since different animals move at different levels, students were practicing moving at low, medium, and high levels based on the kind of animal they found. I could not help but smile as I watched the surprise on the students' faces as I watched them flip over the plate and find a new animal each time!
.....Our Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassadors met this week for the first time and what a great start it was! Students were so excited to be a part of the group and while the first meeting involved some set up and discussion, the energy in the air was amazing! Students have some great ideas for projects for this year and we ended the meeting with some exercise using Go Noodle! I can't wait to see what this group accomplishes this year!
.....A colleague of mine and I had a terrific opportunity to be a part of the #ESPEchat #PhysEd Summit on Twitter on Tuesday night. We presented a session called "PE Without Borders: Creating a Physically Literate Lifestyle". We were thrilled to share our ideas with dedicated PE professionals and we learned from other session presentations as well. Sharing and learning using these opportunities elevates and strengthens our profession. I have met so many incredible professionals through these kinds of programs and I have learned so much that has helped me to be a better teacher and deliver a quality program to my students. I am grateful......
.....After 32 years of tying sneakers I have gotten pretty good at it. This week I helped a student with a knot in his shoe and then I tied it quickly so that he could get involved in the activity. He was amazed! He said: "I need to wash my eyes!"
.....After telling a kindergarten student that she had indeed answered a question correctly she replied:
"You know I'm a smarty pants, right?" I thought...I do now!!!
.....Fall Picture day was at the end of the week this week and honestly it can be a bit of a distraction and challenge, especially for students who attend PE that day. While I completely understand and definitely go with the flow on that day, students are dressed to look their best for pictures and I want to make sure that they arrive to the camera looking the same way that they arrived to school. Despite the challenge I was reminded of the simple joys of life when more than one student arrived that morning and greeted me with: "Happy Picture Day!"
.....On Friday I was able to deliver Fitness Frankie to Go to the first set of second graders who have the opportunity to take him home for the weekend and have a healthy adventure. Students were so excited that it was their turn! I am excited to hear about his adventures! I will be sure to share them next week!
I hope you enjoyed the "Best Parts of My Week"! Visit my website: North Park Physical Education to find out more about our Physical Education program.
