Hi everyone,
It was a busy week as we continued to get ready for Jump Rope for Heart. As we began February I was struck by the speed at which this year is passing…….
…..At the beginning of the week I worked on a journal entry for Physical Eddie’s backpack. There are so many demands on the school day that sometimes the classroom teachers do not have time to contribute to the journals for our fitness bears. I always offer to help and work on it during PE and Physical Eddie’s latest host classroom took me up on it! We had fun talking about all of the wonderful experiences he had!
…..We use a theme song for our Healthy Highway program and I was playing it on the PE iPod this week during some activities and one of my second graders told me about how she was with her dad and the song came on the radio. She said: “Dad! This is our song!” This is our song!”
We also do a dance to the song and another student spontaneously started dancing to the song by doing the “windshield wipers” step when I played it as background music to our activity stations this week!
…..Each year I ask students to create posters to advertise and celebrate the message of our Jump Rope for Heart event. These posters decorate our school and are always a wonderful reminder of the reason why we do this event. Each student who creates a poster also earns a mile for their class car as it travels down the Healthy Highway. Their creativity never ceases to amaze me. This week a student delivered a huge poster that she and her mom made together! Another student created a jumping heart out of a cardboard paper roll. This one even had a tiny jump rope attached! Still another student made an origami heart and several of the other posters had hearts to open with a message inside. One said: “You should practice in PE!” Each poster was delivered to me with pride……..and I am so proud of my students! The message is clear. Students absolutely know why Jump Rope for Heart is important to themselves and others! How about these pictures!
…..Students were not only creative with posters this week, but they were also creative with their jumping! A pair of fifth graders created a new variation to the 2 in 1 side-by-side jump rope trick! It was so great I filmed it and put it on the PE in Motion section of my website! Check it out!
…..You may know that I am somewhat of a technology “geek”. I love all technology and this week I used an app called Virtual Heart to show students a connection between the heart rate that registered on a heart rate monitor they were using and and a “virtual heart”. I started by saying: “You all know that your heart does not look like a Valentine’s Day heart right?” Of course they all said yes and smiled! I explained the meaning of virtual reality and many of the students understood that based on video game technology. Knowing that some students would not want to see a virtual heart I gave them the choice to use it during PE but most were intrigued enough to use it. One of the students said: “That’s awesome!” and so many of them had such incredible looks on their faces when they saw, heard, and felt, the virtual heart. One fifth grader asked “Can we get it on our iPad’s?” We have such amazing technology and I always feel fortunate to be able to share it with my students. As I looked around my gymnasium I felt such gratitude for the iPads, heart rate monitors, pedometers, tripods, apps, and wi-fi that we were using in just one lesson! (By the way....Basketball Betty likes technology too!)
…..Jump Rope for Heart “Honor Hearts” are starting to come in. I decorate our gymnasium walls with them and each one has a wonderful memory or sentiment. This week a few came in that were decorated lovingly and in memory of family members….
……I was watching a student practice many attempts at the “double under” jump rope trick. He said: ”You know what you should get for these? A speedometer!” Too funny!
…..We had an early release due to an impending snow storm this week and I was sitting with a student who was waiting to get picked up. We had a terrific conversation about a healthy meal. He told me that he was going home to have healthy food. When I asked him what he was going to have he said: “Salad and spaghetti, and then I’m going to play with my little sister!”
…..Well, it happened again. This week I remembered something that I forgot to add to last week’s blog. I had a kindergarten student suggest that we sit in a heart shape and then take a picture for Jump Rope for Heart! How could I forget that????? We are planning on it for our event!
…..I work in such an amazing building! No matter what the event or situation, you can always count on everyone to be supportive. This week one of our second grade teachers asked her students to make a JRFH poster as homework. The posters that came in were fantastic! Students were proud to hang them up and decorate the school. Now that’s collaboration!
…..I was walking down the hall this week and a second grade student stopped to show me his American Heart Association lanyard which he decorated with a variety of his pins. He said: “I’m just like you!” I have decorated my ID lanyard with pins from my travels with Fitness Frankie and he wanted to have one just like it…..My heart was smiling inside and out!
…..Speaking of support, Friday was Go Red for Women Day and my school showed amazing support the American Heart Association by wearing red, red dress pins, and bracelets, and by making donations to further the cause! What a group!
…..I introduced my students to a Super Hero warm-up by Pete Charrette. His fitness super heroes show students how to do a six station warm-up. One student said made the connection and said: “I’m wearing a Super Hero shirt” (Superman!). Thanks Cap’n Pete!
…..I visited a first grade class on Fitness Friday to do some Go Noodle to start the day and had so much fun. They had some great dance moves! It was a great way to begin the day and end the 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.
