The Best Parts of My Week - 1/23/12-1/27/12

Hi everyone,
      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!

The Best Parts of My Week - 1/16/12--1/20/12

Hi everyone,
     The school was buzzing this week in anticipation of gymnastics!  It was a great week!

.....We had a great week participating in different gymnastics activities!  The students are always so excited to begin and I heard many comments this week about how fun PE is!!!!

.....I watched as a third grader patiently tied the shoes of another who needed help after gymnastics......

.....A third grader stopped me in the hall to tell me that he had brought in a healthy snack - trail mix - for his birthday as a treat to share with the class!

.....As I was informing a class that we would be having a Healthy Highway assembly this week, several responded with an enthusiastic fist pump and a "Yesssss!"

.....Some of my third grade friends read their Fitness Frankie journal entry over the PA system this week.  They did a terrific job and wistfully said good-bye to Fitness Frankie when they left the office!

.....As I was getting ready for a class early this week, a student stopped by and called in "Hi" to me across the gym.  He wanted to tell me about the jobs that he had this week and that he was excited to be coming to PE to participate in gymnastics!

.....I had a t-shirt on this week that says:  "Every BODY needs PE!"  One of my kindergarten (yes kindergarten) students read my t-shirt and explained to me that PE is good for you because you exercise in PE and it helps you to get healthy!

.....We had a wonderful Healthy Highway assembly this week.  We are driving down "Consideration Court" and we challenged students and adults to consider the feelings of others, consider how they take care of themselves and participate fully in the upcoming No Name Calling Week by calling everyone by their first names only.......

.....I am always happy when my students make some connections between Science and Physical Education.  I was happy this week when some fifth grade students asked to borrow a heart rate monitor to use in a Science project.  The students will be investigating the effect that music has on heart rate!

.....We held a school-wide Fitness Friday activity using our PA system.  I took Fitness Frankie to a fifth grade class to exercise.  We had a great time!  On the way back I chatted with another student and asked if he had a good time during Fitness Friday.  He had a big smile on his face as he answered YES!

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!

The Best Parts of My Week - 1/9/12-1/13/12

Hi everyone,
     It has felt more like Spring than Winter lately......we are hoping for some snow!  I hope you enjoy the "Best Parts of My Week"!

.....During a warm-up with a 5th grade class this week, I overheard one of the students say to a friend while jogging "pull-over..."  In and of itself, this phrase is not exciting, but since our school is a Healthy Highway school, it was great to hear students using the "traffic lingo" too!

.....As I was walking down the hallway one morning this week I greeted one of my students who said:  "I can't wait for PE today!"  That made me smile!

.....During another warm-up with one of my classes this week, students were jump roping and a student called me over to show me her performance of the "double-under".  This is a difficult move and one that takes a great deal of practice to master.  As I was watching her I thought about how far these students have come in their jump rope skills.........I always teach them that practice helps you get better and it is nice to see that hard work pay off!

.....One of my third grade classes were participating in a game this week and one of the activities was jumping jacks.  One of the students called me over to show me a new variation on jumping jacks and said:  "This is a re-mix!"

.....A new student arrived this week and when the student's class came to PE, one of the other students took the time to introduce me!

.....Near the end of this week we began our gymnastics unit.  We are so very fortunate to have a wonderful set-up for gymnastics which includes multiple balance beams, bars, wedge and other mats, vaulting boards and a beautiful carpeted floor for many activities.  I am always grateful for the equipment we have and despite the work that it takes to set everything up, I am excited to begin the unit.  My students were so excited this week as they saw the gym transformed!  Many teachers commented on how gymnastics was the main topic of excitement during the day!  The faces on the kindergarten students were especially priceless as they walked into the gym to see all of the equipment set up for the first time!

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!

The Best Parts of My Week - 1/3/12-1/6/12

Hi everyone,
   Could it really be 2012?  My career began in January of 1984, so I have officially started my 29th year of teaching!  To say it has gone by fast is an understatement.......I feel like I still have so much to do!  When you have such great moments to reflect on, time seems to fly by!

.....I tried a new parachute activity this week called the "washing machine".  During the activity, students pretend to be the clothes under the parachute and the other students make the parachute move in specific movements to wash, rinse, and spin-dry the clothes!  I had fun with my students during this activity!  During one class I asked the "clothes" (students) how they were doing under the parachute.  One student remarked "clothes can't talk!"  Of course, he said this with a grin and I smiled too!

.....My upper elementary students were playing a game that I created using that uses pedometers and chips.  Based on the number of steps that students logged during a particular exercise, they put chips in a cup.  At the end of the activity we compared the exercises based on the number of chips in each cup.  The visual of the chips in the cup helped students to make the connection, but when I asked "does this make sense?" - they all agreed!

.....My primary students used dice this week to complete a warm-up.  Their task was to roll the dice and then use the number to perform an exercise of their choosing.  I was impressed at the choices that they made!  Kindergarten students in particular came up with terrific exercises; including abdominal and upper body exercises!  As I walked around the gym and commented on some of the exercises I noticed a kindergarten student who repeated several push-ups.  I asked her if she liked push-ups and she said:  "not really, but I figure if I get better at them maybe I will like them more!"  I must repeat - a kindergarten student actually said this!!!

.....A second grade teacher commented to me that when her class was beginning a Science unit, she asked her students if they had heard the term "energy" before.  One of her students answered that she had heard of the word energy in PE class!

.....During a parachute activity with my primary students I used number spots that were shaken on the parachute.  Students were asked to add up the numbers that were facing up when we stopped shaking the parachute.  I was impressed with their math skills as they added up the numbers!

.....As classes were lined up ready for their teachers to pick them up this week I asked if students had eaten healthy snacks during vacation.  Students readily volunteered the snacks that they had eaten.  Some of the answers I heard were:  grapes, apples, clementines, carrots, bananas, and more!

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!

The Best Parts of My Week - 12/19/11-12/23/11

Hi everyone,
     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!

The Best Parts of My Week - 12/12/11-12/16/11

Hi everyone,
     On Friday afternoon I had logged over 71,000 steps for the week!  It was a busy one, but definitely a fun one!

.....A third grader was using a heart rate monitor and suddenly said:  "Look at my heart beating!"

.....We have many wonderful adults who work in our building as aides.  As one class was leaving PE this week and choosing a face to answer the question:  "Did you help out in PE today?" an aide in the class answered it to!  She chose the happy face because she was a great help!

.....I have begun to create a PE portfolio for my second grade students this year.  I have been talking to students about the portfolio and the kinds of things that will be a part of it.  I recently had created the file with all of the students names in individual files and this week students had completed a Rock Wall Safety Test to be put in the portfolio.  I showed the students the box and their reaction was "Oooooh!"  They were very excited!

.....Our upper grades finished their lessons on the rock wall this week with a number climb.  Climbers chose a number from a cup and then had to climb to the next number randomly placed on the wall.  Groups of three took turns being the climber, spotter, and recorder.  Recorders wrote down all of the numbers on a white board and at the end of class worked together to add up the numbers.  I was impressed at the excitement that a combination of Math and PE could create!

.....My primary students have moved on to lessons learning about levels.  During one of the activities, a student smiled and said:  "My cat jumps in a high level!"  Another activity to reinforce the concept of levels is called the "Zany Zoo".  Students choose cards with animals and then pretend to be that animal in a zoo ring that I had created out of noodles.  One student said this week "Look!  The animals are escaping from the zoo!"

.....I asked two students to help me this week put the rock wall mats back in place so I could get ready for my afternoon classes.  I smiled when they reminisced about the lesson that was set up for the younger students coming that afternoon.  They remembered fondly the lesson from a previous year and were happy to help!

.....A bean bag frog landed on a student's head during an activity and as she was giggling about it I commented on how silly it was to have a frog land on your head.  She replied:  "Yes, that's why I'm laughing!"

.....Exercise Ernie spent the week in a K-1 class and participated in PE several times this week.  One of the days that he was in the gymnasium, a first grader noticed that "PE Paddy"(Fitness Frankie's friend from Ireland) was out and asked if PE Paddy and Ernie could play together!

.....Fitness Frankie spent the week in a 5th grade class.  On Friday I was in the library and asked the students how he was as I hadn't seen him all week because it was so busy.  A group of students chatted with me about all of the activities that he had participated in during the week.  He was as busy as I was this week!

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!

The Best Parts of My Week! 12/5/11--12/9/11

Hi everyone,
     The holidays are approaching and the excitement is building!

.....I was in the lunch line this week when a kindergarten student turned to me and said:  "I always eat a healthy lunch"!

.....Prior to using the climbing wall with my upper elementary classes, we engaged in a trust lean activity.  This activity requires a significant amount of trust on my part as well as on the part of my students.  I take the lesson seriously and expect that of my students as well.  When I asked for a volunteer in one of my classes, I was happy to see many hands go up.  I chose one student to help me demonstrate the trust lean.  I was so pleased at the trust this student placed in me as we showed the rest of the class how to do the trust lean......when the rest of the class participated in the activity, I was pleased at the trust they placed in each other!

......We continued to climb our rock wall this week.  We have a magnetic rock wall and a set of letters that I can add to the wall randomly or in words.  One of the upper elementary classes asked "Are we spelling words today?  That's fun!" Some students spelled their names, others read the words that I had made and yet another student spelled the word "pixy"! I think it's great that students want to spell and it is a great way to create an interdisciplinary approach to our Cooperative Activities unit!

.....We had our Winter Concert at school this week!  For many of the students it is the first time that they have performed in front of a large group.  We have wonderful music teachers who always have the students ready to perform and they did a great job!  I always enjoy seeing the students in a different light and I am proud of how hard they (and their teachers) worked and I am impressed with their talent!

.......One of the things that makes North Park so amazing is how we come together as a community to work hard to make our school the best it can be and help others in need.  This week our North Park family did both and I was proud to be a part of it...........

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!