The Best Parts of My Week - 3/20/17--3/24/17

Hi everyone,

    While I had a great time at the SHAPE America Convention in Boston it was nice to get back to school.  I had planned a busy week which was going to include snowshoeing, a Veggie Taste Test Day, a CPR/AED training event for our fifth grade students, and of course many classes of Physical Education.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to fit it all in but I was ready to embrace the week!  

…..The excitement in the air on Monday morning was incredible!  Students were ready to snowshoe.  I had previously taught the students a bit about how to put on the snowshoes during an indoor class but then we did not have any snow.  The week before last we had a huge snowstorm but I was away at a conference.  I was hoping that the snow would last and it did!  We had a great time outside and as we were coming in I asked students for some comments on the experience.  Some of the comments included:  “Can we do this again?”, “Where can you buy them?”, “I’m going to ask for them for my birthday!”, “This was fun!”, “It’s hard”, “It’s challenging”, “Sometimes you fall”, and  “It was fun!”  While many students needed my help to strap on the shoes it was so wonderful to see those students who were independent and then helped others!

…..I brought my snowshoes in so that I could snowshoe along with my students.  They are pink and for some reason my students were surprised that I would have pink snowshoes!  I guess I don’t wear pink very often…….  :-)

…..During part of one of the PE classes that I took outside to snowshoe I did not put my snowshoes on because I wanted students to see the difference in how my feet sank in the snow as compared to how their feet stayed on top of the snow.  I asked students why this was happening.  One of my fourth graders explained how when you have snowshoes on the pressure on the snow is spread out  so you can stay on top and when you don’t your foot is pushing on the same spot and sinks.  Yes!  Not only could students experience and understand the value of snowshoeing but they could explain it and verbalize it!  Mission accomplished!

…..One of the activities that I like students to do when they are snowshoeing is to look for animal tracks.  They love to explore and found this task very exciting.  One student told another student that she found bear tracks.  The other student’s response was to explain that bears sleep during the winter so the tracks could not be bear tracks!

…..Another activity that I encourage students to try while snowshoeing is to climb the snowbanks.  Now, normally this is not allowed during recess so students were surprised that I was going to let them do this in snowshoes.  At the conference I attended one of the sessions was about teaching students how to manage risk and that if we constantly “bubble wrap” our children they will not learn how to do this.  I thought that climbing the snowbanks with supervision would be a perfect opportunity to help students understand the benefit of hiking in snowshoes as well as build confidence as they learned how to manage risk.  Off we went to the large snowbank at the end of the parking lot and students loved it!  While some were hesitant and others completely confident, most students attempted the task.  One student in particular showed me her confidence when, as I reached out to help her she smiled and said:  “I got this!”  She absolutely had it under control and confidently climbed up and down the snowbank!  

…...One day this week our dismissal was very late due to a fire in our town which closed one of the roads.  Thankfully no one was hurt in the fire.  Students waiting for their busses were housed in the gym and I had a great time chatting with students.  One conversation was about my step count on my FitBit.  Students started guessing about how many steps I took that day so far.  They were surprised to find out that I was already nearing 25,000!

…..We held our Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Veggie Taste Test Day this week.  We met on Tuesday morning before school to organize the event.  This year’s taste test included a salad mix of shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, shredded brussel sprouts and a bit of Italian dressing.  Our families helped by donating some of the vegetables and other materials that we needed for the event. Their generosity was amazing! Our Student Ambassadors are such a great group!  They busied themselves by dancing away using Go Noodle while they waited for their turn to help with the vegetables.  They were so organized and excited to lead the event.  We asked them why we were doing the taste test so that they could practice the answers that they would need to give to their classmates when asked.  They had wonderful responses.  They said that it is good to try something new, when vegetables are mixed they sometimes taste better, that you need to taste something at least ten times before you can be sure that you like it or not, and that this is a great way to get family support to try new vegetables at home!  They could not wait to get started!

 

…..During the taste test I had the chance to visit some classes.  I think this was one of our best taste tests yet!  Students loved the salad mix and I got several thumbs up from students participating in the taste test!  Many students asked for more, some said they were going to ask their mom to make it at home and one fifth grader told me that he was going to make it at home himself!  Indeed he did just that!  That evening I received an email from his mom who told me that he made it for dinner!  I saw this particular student the next day and complimented him and he told me that he also had just had it for lunch!  I feel so grateful for the opportunity and support that allows us to give students the chance to experience the joy of trying new and healthy foods!  

…..Physical Eddie came to PE with a fourth grade class and luckily I had his snowshoes ready!  He decided that mine were too big for him but his were just the right size!

…..While all of the snowshoeing was happening with the upper grades, primary students were practicing ball control.  I was impressed when a kindergarten student came over to me and said:  “Watch this!”  He was doing a crossover dribble!

…...Our warm-ups have included a variety of dances lately.  I teach my students that dance is great exercise and it requires respect.  We had fun doing line dances and partner dances this week.  One of our K-1 teachers stayed for a minute at the beginning of class and I asked her if she needed me for something.  She responded that she wanted to stay so that she could join in the dancing!  

…..Another one of our special events this week was a CPR/AED training for 5th grade students.  I was so proud of their maturity and sense of purpose that they exhibited during the event. Our trainers were impressed at their behavior and attention and we are all truly grateful for the opportunity to have our students learn a lifesaving skill….....

…..One of our paramedics who came for the CPR/AED training is the grandmother of one of our 5th grade students.  Her son was in my first kindergarten class and now (since I am retiring) her granddaughter (her son’s niece) is in my last fifth grade.  How is that for full circle???

…...I can’t believe that I am still finding students whose parents were my students! This week a first grader asked me how long the basketball hoops had been in the gym.  When I told her that they had been there forever she said that means that they must have been there when her mom went to school.  After a bit more conversation I discovered who her mom is and I now I see the resemblance!  

…..As a second grade student was working on ball control using letter tiles to spell words she came over to me to say “I spelled health!

.....A fourth grade student asked me what was the name of my favorite basketball team. I told him that my favorite basketball team is a college team nearby. He said: "No, I mean a real team!" I responded that college teams are real teams but he insisted that NBA teams are the only real teams! When I told him that I really did not follow NBA basketball he was disappointed but wanted to know if I at least knew the names of some of the players. He was happy to know that I at least I could name a few pros!

…..I started Friday knowing that I have two more classes to take out for a snowshoe experience before the snow is gone.  One was scheduled for Friday and the other for this coming Monday.  I have been hoping that every class in grades 3-5 will be able to get out for one class.  It has certainly been a challenge!  This week we had snow but one day was too cold to go out!  Well, we barely squeaked one in on Friday because right after we finished it started sleeting and raining!    One more class to go!  Hopefully I will be writing about that class next week in this blog!  

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.