SHARIN' with SHARRON

Pair-a-Chute! Friends Playing Together

2012-01-31T14:13:00.000-08:00

Celebrate love and friendship during the month of February by introducing the Pair-a-Chute (PAIRUP) to your children. Designed in favorite childhood colors, Pair-a-Chutes invite children of all ages to play. This new active play item is designed for children to play with a partner and at the same time practice such social skills as turn taking, sharing and cooperation.

See-Saw Pull - Ages: 3-5 years old
Two children hold Pair-a-Chute handles with an overhand grip (palms down, fingers grasping the handle) while sitting down. The children pull the chute back and forth in a see-sawing motion. This is a good warm up and helps to strengthen shoulder, arm and hand muscles.

Up & Down - Ages: 3-5 years old
Two children hold Pair-a-Chute handles at waist level with an overhand grip (palms down, fingers grasping the handle). When you say “up,” the children lift their arms above their heads. When you say “down,” the group lower their arms back to waist level. Continue until the children are able to move the Pair-a-Chute up and down smoothly. This is a good introductory game that helps children learn to work as a team.

How Many Times? - Ages: 3-8 years old
Two children hold Pair-a-Chute handles at waist level. Place one bean bag in the center of the chute. Following your signals, the children raise and lower the chute with the goal of tossing the bean bag in to the air as many times as possible before it flies off the Pair-a-Chute and lands on the ground. Each time the bean bag is tossed into the air, the children call out the number of times it has been tossed up. If the children are able to keep the bean bag up several times, add a second bean bag, then possibly a third.

Target Practice - Ages: 3-8 years old
The size of the Pair-A-Chutes makes for a BIG target. Lay them on the ground and use them as targets for beanbag tossing (underhand--with hand swung below shoulder level) or hang them on a fence and use them as targets for beanbag throwing (overhand-- hand raised above shoulder).

We Can Fly! - Ages: 3-5 years old
One Pair-a-Chute for each child. Instruct them to hold the chute with a hand in each of the handles on one of the short sides of the rectangular chute. Have them raise it above their heads and run into the wind. The chute will billow in the wind behind them like a giant kite.

Popcorn - Ages: 3-5 years old
Two children hold Pair-a-Chute handles at waist level. Place 4 bean bags (popcorn kernels) in center of the chute. Children chant the following as they shake the pair-a-chute--

4 popcorn kernels sizzling in the pan. (shake chute slowly)
The pan got hot and all of them popped! (shake chute vigorously)

When all the bean bags (popcorn kernels) pop off the chute, children retrieve them and do it again. In fact, they will want to repeat the game over and over again.

Toss & Catch - Ages: 4-8 years old
Two children hold Pair-a-Chute handles at waist level. One person (the tosser) tosses a bean bag toward the Pair-a-Chute. The children holding the chute work together to “catch” or receive the bean bag. The receivers return the bean bag to the tosser as they work together lifting and shaking the Pair-a-Chute.

Partners Toss & Catch - Ages: 4-8 years old
Use both Pair-a-Chutes and 4 children. Two children hold each Pair-a-Chute and stand 5 - 10 feet away from each other. One Pair-a-Chute team tosses a bean bag from their chute to the other Pair-a-Chute team’s chute. The object is for each team to propel the bean bag to the other team’s chute without it falling to the ground or floor. Challenge the teams to increase the distance between the Pair-a-Chutes. This is a great team-building activity as partners need to communicate the tossing and catching of the bean bag

Put Your Best Foot Forward in 2012

2012-01-16T15:37:00.000-08:00

A study just published this month in “Pediatrics,” the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, found that kids spend about 70% to 83% of their time in child care being sedentary, not counting the time spent eating and napping. Only 2% to 3% of the time is spent in vigorous activities. Educators know vigorous activity is important to children. But they cited several barriers, including concerns about injuries, focus on academics and limited outdoor space and playground equipment. Research shows that children are more likely to be active if they are given time, space, freedom, and simple equipment (balls, hoops, and jump ropes). “Put your best foot forward” means to embark on a journey or task with purpose and gusto. Make a good start this year by planning and including physical activity outdoors and inside...while also meeting curriculum standards Be a great role model. Encourage and participate with children in physical activity. Adults demonstrate the importance of health and fitness through their actions as well as their words. Let’s get ‘em moving! Here’s how...

1. Go outside and play Shadow Tag: Instead of tagging bodies, the children step on each others’ shadows in this run and chase game.

2. Shadow Freeze: Play lively music and have children move in the open space. When the music stops, children must “freeze” their shadows. How long can they hold their shadows still? When the music starts again the children resume moving.

3. Shadow Dancing: Imitate each other’s movements. “Shadow Dancing Song” by Greg and Steve on “Kids in Motion” CD.

4. Shape Parade: Take your rhythm instruments outdoors and have a parade. Use appropriate marching music. Draw large shapes (circle, triangle, square, rectangle) with chalk on your outdoor surface. Have children march with instruments around each shape.

5. Create a unique movement path by placing Riverstones (AP6226J) or Activity Hoops on the ground. Pretend they are rocks in a river. Get from one side to the other without stepping in the river.

6. Go for a Wacky Walk: Place Movement Spots (arrows, shapes, hands and feet spots) on the ground outside. Make paths for children to go in straight lines, then zig-zag lines, then curvy lines, and then try walking backwards. Place the hands and feet spots in such a way to encourage children to walk like dogs or bears.

7. I Spy: Go outside and take turns saying, “I spy something ______” and then have the children run to that object

8. Include motor skill challenges during transition times. For example, “Let’s jump like frogs to circle time,” or “Please hop on one foot back to your seat.”
9. Snakes: Give each child a Nylon Jump Rope (RPST) and instruct them to place their rope on the ground in the shape of a “snake.” The snakes should all look different. When you say, “walk,” the children are to walk around without stepping on any of the rope snakes. Now add a variety of other locomotor movements as ways to travel around the snakes--tiptoe, run, jump, hop, gallop, skip, walk backwards.

10. One, Two, Buckle My Shoe: Take children outside and have them line up (shoulder to shoulder) facing you. Instruct children to clap and jump on the numbers in the rhyme and then act out the words. Do it in unison.

                        One, two...Buckle my shoe.
                        Three, four...Shut the door.
                        Five, six...Pick up sticks.
                        Seven, eight...Lay them straight.
                        Nine, ten...A big fat hen.

On the word “hen” let children run in a circle counting from one to ten. On ten, they must be back in place to start the rhyme again.

The Floppy Flipper! Handmade Fun!

2011-12-12T09:57:00.000-08:00

No glue, no scissors, no messy paint! Set out some simple art materials and let the children create an all-time favorite toy of unlimited play value--The Floppy Flipper!

This handmade piece of simple equipment costs pennies to make, is fun to play with and the benefits are priceless...promoting eye hand coordination, striking skills, crossing the midline, vestibular stimulation, spatial awareness, cooperation and creativity. This is the perfect gift to “give” to your child or the children in your care. More importantly, you can play with them...giving them the best gift of all...your time and participation!

A paint stick and packaging tape can be found at the local hardware store. Add a balloon or a small beach ball and let the games begin!

Materials Needed:2 White Paper Plates (thin and uncoated) per Floppy Flipper (DIXIE)
Paint Sticks (1 per Floppy Flipper)
Clear Packaging Tape
Crayons
Washable Markers
Colorations® Washable Chubbie Markers (CHUBBERS)
Colorations Washable Stamp Pads (STAMPADS)
Stampers
Stickers
Stapler (BVST) and Staples (5000)
Balloon or Beach Ball (DYOBALL)
Colorations® Permanent Markers (PERMBLK)
Let’s Get Started:1. Using a couple of pieces of clear packaging tape, tape the paint stick to the middle of one paper plate.

2. Give each child another paper plate and ask him or her to decorate it with the available art materials.

3. When the child is finished, staple the plate to the plate which you’ve taped to a paint stick.
4. Have the child write or stamp their name on the paint stick handle.

5. The Floppy Flipper is now ready to be played with!

Floppy Flipper Wimbledon:Have each child pick a balloon, blow it up (or have it blown up) and tie it. Suggest they write their name on the balloon with a permanent marker. Instead of a balloon have the child decorate their own small beach ball (available at Discount School Supply®).
Let the children explore and play with their Floppy Flippers and balloons. Ask them to find out...

• How high can they hit their balloon?
• How far can they hit the balloon?
• How many times in a row can they hit the balloon (How about five?!!)
• How long can they keep their balloon in the air?
• Can they hit their balloon, spin around, then hit it again?

As the children become more proficient, ask them to try to keep a balloon in the air by hitting it back and forth with a partner. Now they’re playing Floppy Flipper Wimbledon!

Suggest they change partners once or twice.

As a further challenge for older kids, have them attempt to keep two balloons in the air by themselves or with partners!

REMEMBER: Balloons ALWAYS require adult supervision. Always use helium quality balloons or sturdy punch ball balloons. Do not use fragile party balloons. You can cover balloons using knee hi stockings, pantyhose or any fruit mesh sacks (citrus, watermelon, cantaloupe). Should the balloon pop, the covering prevents burst balloon shards from being inhaled by children.

Discount School Supply® Product Recommendations:9” White Paper Plates (DIXIE)
Decorate Your Own Beach Ball (DYOBALL)
Colorations® Regular Crayons (CRS16)
Colorations® Washable Scented Markers (SNIFFY)
Colorations® Mini Dabber Dot Markers (DABDOT)
Colorations® Jumbo Washable Stamp Pad (BIGSTAMP)
Colorations® Uppercase Stamping Sticks (ABCSTK)
Colorations® Lowercase Stamping Sticks (LOWER)
Animal Stamping Sticks (ANISTIX)
Super Stamping Sticks (STICKS)
Assorted Stickers ((2088)
Stapler and Staples (BVST and 5000)
Colorations® Color Permanent Markers (PERMCLR)

Take 5 and Exercise!

2011-11-10T14:12:00.001-08:00

The brain needs to be oxygenated every 15 to 20 minutes and thebest way to accomplish that is to “get off your seat and onto your feet.” When wephysically move, we are sending blood and glucose to the brain, thus providingmuch needed oxygen and nutrients that help the brain to retain information,improve concentration and focus attention. So start your day or intersperse throughout the day five differentstretches or exercises. As you lead eachmovement have the children count out loud to five. For example, start out with five Toe Touches.Instruct children to bend over at waist and touch their toes as they say,“One.” Then say, “Up,” as children raisetheir arms over their heads. Then say,“Two,” as children bend over and touch their toes again. Continue until you have completed 5 ToeTouches. Ask the children to show youwith their fingers/hands and shout out loud how many Toe Touches they havecompleted. Ask the children what otherexercise they can do five times. Hereare some suggestions --
Tummy Twists -- hands on waist as children twist from side toside 5 times

Arm Circles -- arms out to sides and make big circles whilecounting to 5

Jog in Place 5 Miles -- children count a slow but steady and loud1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Jumping Jacks -- arms at sides, feet together. Jump up while spreading arms and legs apartat the same time. Lift arms to ears andopen feet a little wider than shoulder width. Clap or touch hands above head. Return from jumping up by bringing arms back down to side and feet backtogether. Continue with 4 more jumpingjack repetitions.

Remember, after each exercise, to ask the children to show youand tell you how many exercises they did. It reinforces learning and perhaps will encourage you and the childrento include some physical activity when waiting for the next activity orincluding throughout your day a much needed “brain break!”

Let's Go Outside and Play!

2011-10-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

Ask a child what their favorite part of the school day is and they will most likely say, OUTSIDE! October 16-22 is “Take It Outside!” week. Open the door and turn your learning environment inside out. Share the wonders of the natural world with young children while increasing moderate to vigorous activity, fostering creativity and imagination, activating all the senses, extending children’s language skills, encouraging loud and unstructured free play. The many health benefits of outdoor play (vitamin D exposure, increased immunity, better sleep, lower stress levels) create happy and healthy children. Here are some ideas of what you can do in your Outdoor Classroom:
• Roll down a grassy hill. No hill? Pull out a tumbling mat and have children roll like a log from one end to the other.

• Pull out the parachute and move it like the wind, gently blowing (slow and soft movements up and down) or create strong gusty gales (fast and quick shaking movements). When the wind blows in the autumn, leaves fall from the trees, twirling and dancing in the wind. Place some real leaves on the parachute and have the children shake the parachute accordingly as you describe how the wind is blowing, either gently or more briskly. After a big, stormy strong wind the leaves have all scattered. Children will have fun as they “rake” up the leaves that have blown (shaken) off of the parachute.

• Pick up a stick, find a rock, climb a tree, look for bugs, smell the flowers, collect leaves, go on a nature hike, dig in the dirt, jump in a puddle, have fun in the mud.

Go on a hike and count tree rings!

• Play “I Spy Outside.” Take turns saying, “I spy something _____” and then together run to that object.

• “Wanna Play Chase?” Children just want to run and it’s always fun to run with or after someone. Tell the children to always ask the person they want to chase, “Wanna play chase? I’ll chase you first and then you can chase me. On your mark, get set, go!”

• Move like the animals -- fly like a bird, slither like a snake, scamper like a squirrel, walk like a bear, jump like a frog or a rabbit.

• Set up a Nature Scavenger Hunt. After assessing your playground or yard, make a list of things that the children have to find. The list might include an acorn, a Y-shaped twig, a pinecone, a clover, a pillbug, a gray rock, or whatever else might be in the immediate environment. Naturally, the list will depend on the season and the age of the hunters.

• Make a Sidewalk Chalk Obstacle Course. Using sidewalk chalk create a maze for children to follow using different movement skills. Draw -- straight lines, curvy roads, zig-zag paths for children to walk on; lily pads to frog jump onto; shapes to hop into; rivers to cross; and rainbows to jump over.

Make nature and the outdoors a part of your teaching. Lead the way and be the first to say, “Let’s Go Outside & Play!

Alligator in the Swamp

2011-08-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

Toddlers to preschoolers will enjoy letting their imaginations “run wild” as they take a trip over a bridge (carrying a baby doll, animal or other object) crossing a swamp where a hungry alligator lives. Children are to walk the beam and put the object they are holding into a basket at the other end of the beam. When crossing the "swamp" children chant, "I'm walking, I'm walking, I'm walking across the swamp. I hope that alligator doesn't go chomp." Explain that the alligator who lives in the swamp will not bother the children as long as they stay on the beam and don’t drop anything that they are carrying. If they do drop something or step off the beam, the alligator (you) will chase them until they deposit everything they are carrying in the basket. This is play with a purpose -- promoting physical, cognitive and social emotional development. What fun...and learning!

Materials and Set Up:
1. Low Balance Beam (248) - a bridge over a swamp (floor) where a hungry alligator lives.
2. Variety of safe objects to carry—soft babies, plastic animals, beanbags, blocks, etc.
3. Basket or bucket placed at far end of balance beam.
4. Adult to role play alligator moving around in open space (swamp).

Lets Get Started:
1. Give child one object.
2. Ask child to walk (heel-toe) across the balance beam slowly carrying the soft object, chanting, "I'm walking, I'm walking, I'm walking across the swamp. I hope that alligator doesn't go chomp."
3. When child reaches end of the beam they are to toss or drop the object into the basket.
4. Explain to children that they should not step off the beam or drop anything into the swamp (floor) because the hungry alligator (adult with extended arms moving up and down like alligator’s jaws) will chase them until they put what they are carrying into the basket.

Furthermore:
1. Give children more things to carry each time they attempt to walk across the alligator swamp.
2. Ask children to carry beanbags balanced on their heads and shoulders.
3. Have children move across the balance beam using other modes of travel. Continue by interjecting other movements such as: “I'm swimming, I'm swimming, I'm swimming across the swamp. I hope that alligator doesn't go chomp.” Can also do tip toeing, jumping etc.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes:
1. Gross motor coordination—using the trunk and large muscles and limbs of the body—to walk with legs and hold and toss items with arms and hands. Gross motor movement is the predecessor to fine motor skills that are required for formal school work.
2. Dynamic Balance—being able to hold the position of the body when the body is moving—walking across the balance beam. Self-control is important for learning.
3. Eye hand coordination—eyes and hands working together to toss the beanbag into the basket. Eyes and hands need to work together in order to write.
4. Imagery—formation of mental images by memory, imagination or fancy—pretending to cross a bridge over a swamp inhabited by an alligator. Imagination is the precursor to intellectual development.
5. Self-confidence—faith in oneself and one’s own abilities---children can cross balance beam and deliver the object without dropping it.

Product Recommendations:
Balance Beam (248)
Step-A-Logs (STEPLOG)
Beanbags (MEGABEAN and CBB)
Plastic Animals (BABYFARM and BABYZOO)
Multicultural Velour Soft Babies (ALL4BY)
Soft Velour Blocks (VLRBLK)
Willow Baskets (WILLOW)

Rainy Day Active Play Ideas

2011-06-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

No shoes, no problem! It’s summertime. It’s wet and warm outside and water play comes naturally to young children. And don’t hesitate to join in too. As long as there is no lightning or thunder, being outside is a joyful experience! “Get your feet wet” with some of these rainy day active play ideas.

1. Splash and jump in puddles. Ask the children, “How many puddles did you find to jump in?

2. Blow bubbles in the rain. Challenge the children to pop them using sand blocks or to catch them with a chopstick.

3. Run and find a rainbow. If it’s a sunny rainy day, chances are that you just might spot a rainbow or two. Encourage the children to run to it and try to find the legendary “pot of gold” at the end of the rainbow. If no rainbow in sight, let children run with their own Rainbow Dancing Wrist Band in hand.

4. Colorful rain dance. Allow children to paint an arm or leg with Colorations® Simply Washable Tempera paint or even draw a silly face on their stomach. Now it’s time to get out in the rain and “dance, dance, dance” until the color washes away.

5. Nature walk and insect and crawly critter hunt. Some bugs become active when it rains. Bring along a magnifying glass to look along sidewalks, in the grasses, or under rocks and pieces of wood to find worms, beetles, slugs, snails, roly-polies, ants.

6. Wet and Wild Obstacle Course. Kick a ball around cones, walk the river logs (Step-A-Logs Balance Beam), jump the river (two jump ropes laid on the ground in a V-shape), toss soggy foam balls into a bucket, and go mountain climbing in the rain (Cones and Poles -- thread a pole horizontally through medium or high level holes in two cones to make a crossbar (mountain) for climbing (stepping over).

Jump, run, walk, kick, dance, toss, throw are all active verbs that encourage active play.

Head outside and have some rainy day fun!

Round, Round, Round, Round...I Run Around

2011-06-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

A ball is round and invites play with a partner or a group of friends. Let’s go outside, and play an active game that combines kicking a ball, as in soccer, and running around bases, as in baseball. No wonder kickball is sometimes called soccer-baseball.

Kickball for Little Kids

There are no outs or fouls in this preschool friendly game, just a lot of kicking and running.

Materials Needed:
Rubber playground ball
3 Bases and 1 Home Plate
10 Colored Cones

Set Up:
• Playing field - grass, dirt, asphalt or cement
• Place bases and home plate in the same general arrangement as you would a baseball diamond but make the base paths much closer to each other (i.e., 20 feet apart)
• 2 or more adults/play leaders
Let’s Get Started:
1. Gather children and have them watch and listen as directions of how to play are demonstrated.
2. An adult/play leader places the ball on home plate.
3. One child stands or approaches and kicks the ball as hard as he/she can.
4. Children who are not “kickers” can position themselves near the basesto catch the ball that is kicked into the playing field,
5. The “kicker” runs around the bases and returns to home plate.
6. The game continues until every child has had a turn or “runs out of breath.”
7. Every child is a winner when they cross home plate! Be assured that they will want to kick the ball and run the bases again and again. This is play with a purpose and promotes coordination and lots of vigorous physical activity!

Furthermore:
• As children become more skillful, the adult/play leader can roll the ball to the child at home plate and the child stands and kicks the ball that is rolled at them.

Recommended Products:
SETC - Colored Cones
BASES - Indoor/Outdoor Bases
PGSET - Playground Balls
KICKBALL - Kickball for all Ages
BALLKIT - Ultimate Ball Kit

Fruit Family Exercise Game

2011-05-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month! Being physically fit encompasses muscular strength and endurance (increases bone growth and fortifies bone density), cardiovascular endurance (exercises the heart) and flexibility (moving joints and muscles through their full range of motion). Spring into action with this cooperative group game that highlights healthy eating, produces endorphins, promotes physical fitness as well as moderate to vigorous physical activity. Be Fit, Be Happy, Be Healthy!

Fruit Family Exercise
Materials Needed: Available indoor or outdoor space
Music: CD player and CD

Let’s Get Started:
1. Children sit in a circle. Have children count off as an “apple,” “orange,“ and “banana.”
2. “Apples” stand up, leave the circle and scatter in the available space.
3. “Oranges” go and stand toe to toe with an “apple.”
4. “Bananas” go join an “apple/orange” pair to create a “Fruit Family” consisting of an “apple, orange and banana.”
5. When the music starts, apples will do an exercise of their choice (jumping jacks, jog in place, touch toes, etc.).
6. “Oranges” will count the number of completed exercises the “apples” do.
7. “Bananas” will be the “cheerleaders” and encourage the “apples” with actions and words to motivate and inspire by jumping up and down, arms in the air shouting “You can do it!” “You have the power!” “You have the energy!” “You GO!”
8. When the music stops, “oranges” tell the “apples” how many exercises they did, and “bananas” will give the “apples” a high five, pat on the back, round of applause or any other affirmation of their choice.
9. The game continues with the “oranges” exercising, “bananas” counting, and the “apples” cheerleading. When the music stops, the “bananas” tell the “oranges” the total amount of exercises completed, and the “apples” share in the celebrating with the oranges.
10. The game ends after the “bananas” exercise, “apples” count, and “oranges” cheer encouragement.

Scrambled Eggs and Icebergs

2011-04-12T09:16:00.000-07:00

Have a few minutes and don’t know “what to do next???” Here’s an “egg"-ceptionally active game for the whole group. It promotes moderate to vigorous physical activity and an opportunity to practice gross motor skills and even some creative movement. Let the “egg"-citement begin!

Materials:
Indoor or outdoor space with boundaries -- Colored Cones or Hop Around Steps

Let’s Get Started:
1. Children standing or sitting as they listen and watch as the directions are given and demonstrated.

2. When children hear the command, “scrambled eggs,” they are to jog (running at a slow pace) in the play space without bumping into each other.

3. When the command “icebergs,” is given, children are to freeze (children cease all activity) in place without falling down.

4. Other commands of locomotor transport skills/traveling actions will be given, such as jumping, marching, hopping, galloping, tiptoe, etc. When children hear that command they must switch to the new movement.

5. Example of how game would flow: “scrambled eggs” (jog), “icebergs” (freeze), “jump” (blasting off with two feet and landing on two feet), “scrambled eggs” (jog), “hop” (blasting off on one foot and landing on the same foot), “icebergs” (freeze), “marching” (a precise type of walk, accompanied by lifted knees and swing arms), “icebergs” (freeze).

Furthermore:
1. Try to trick children by repeating a command twice in a row.

2. Encourage creative movement by asking the children to “fly like an airplane,” “gallop like a horse,” “move like a train,” etc.

3. Ask the children give the movement commands or let one child be the game leader and give all the commands.

Goals:
1. Physical activity: any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure.

2. Locomotor transport skills or traveling actions: body propels, projects, or moves from one location to another by jumping (with both feet), hopping (with one foot), galloping (step-hop with one foot leading forward), tiptoe (balance on balls of feet and toes with heels raised), skipping (series of step-hops done with alternate feet), among others.

3. Gross motor skills: using the large muscles of the arms, legs and trunk(to perform traveling actions).

4. Space awareness: knowing where the body can and should move in relationship to other people in the play space.

5. Shared space: all of the designated play space that can be used by everyone.

6. Cooperative play: games and activities that the participants play together rather than against one another.

7. Listening skills: ability to follow verbal directions.

More Parachute Play!

2011-03-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

Never been introduced to the parachute? It’s time you finally used this outstanding “loose material” that you can successfully play with indoors or out. In my blog post of March 11, 2010, I shared some “Parachute Play” ideas with you. Recently, at a Kindergarten conference in California, I brought out the parachute to the delight of the participants. One teacher commented, “This is the first time I’ve played with the parachute...very fun, exciting and educational! Thanks for the experience!”

Here are some more ideas to use with toddlers to kindergartners...

Come Under My Umbrella (Tune: “Did You Ever See a Lassie?”)
Have the children hold the parachute at their waist (belly button), then the teacher says, “Touch toes, ready, lift,” while singing...(and keep touching toes and lifting)

Come under my um-brel-la, um-brel-la, um-brel-la.
Come under my um-brel-la, it’s rain-ing today.

Hold parachute at waist and shake up and down, while singing...

With thunder and lightning,
With thunder and lightning!

Touch toes, ready, lift, repeat - while singing...

Come under my um-brel-la,
It’s rain-ing today!

After a few verses, let the children sit under the parachute and enjoy the visual, auditory, and tactile stimulation with adults shaking the parachute above their heads while continuing to sing...with thunder and lightning, with thunder and lightning...

Volcano
Have the children hold the parachute at their waist (belly button), then say, “Touch toes, ready, lift.” The parachute is inflated and the children take three steps forward on your command of “Volcano.” They quickly bring the parachute down and kneel on the outside edge (the air that is trapped inside of the parachute makes it look like the shape of a volcano). On the command, “Volcano Erupt,” the children creep on hands and knees or crawl on their bellies to the center of the parachute which deflates the parachute making the “volcano erupt.” The children love this activity which has them working cooperatively as well as using their imaginations. Please...do it again and again!
Motor Boat
Sit one child on top of the mesh hole in the center of the parachute or two children sitting back to back on top of the mesh middle. Everyone else holds the parachute with one hand and steps backward so the parachute is very taut and up off the floor, except for the children sitting in the middle on the floor. All those holding the parachute walk in a circle going left (everyone should be walking forward--looking at the back of the person in front of them). As we walk, we chant--

Motor boat, motor boat go so slow,

Walk faster or jog the next time we go around, chanting--

Motor boat, motor boat go so fast,

The last time around the circle pick up more speed and all run, saying --

Motor boat, motor boat, step on the gas!

Continue playing Motor Boat until everyone who wants a turn gets a ride on top of the parachute.

A parachute (plus lots of other really great equipment to use for physical activity) and a DVD with me actually conducting parachute activities can be found in Sharron’s Play Power Motor Skills Set. You can’t go wrong with this teacher-friendly resource kit to get kids up and moving. Any questions or need more info just contact me at 925-980-8353 or sharronkrull@gmail.com.

Driving with Hoops!

2011-02-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

I never tire of sharing games and activities using the very versatile Activity Hoop. In a blog I posted in May of 2010, I gave directions on how to play a non-competitive version of musical chairs using the hoop. This time, we’re going to use our imaginations as we pretend that our Activity Hoop is a steering wheel. Get ready to start your engines!

Car and Driver
Materials and Set Up:
One hoop per child
Available indoor or outdoor space

Let’s Get Started:
1. Children watch and listen as directions of how to play are demonstrated.
2. Each child, standing up, holds the hoop in front of their body. Tell them to imagine that the hoop is the steering wheel of a car and that they are the driver.
3. When children hear the following commands they are to do the corresponding movements as directed:
Green Light = GO (walk and turn hoop like driving)
Yellow Light = MOVE SLOWLY (getting ready to stop)
Red Light = STOP (freeze in place as if at a stop light or stop sign)
School Zone = SKIP
Highway = RUN
Uphill = MARCH
Flat Tire = HOP
Tunnel = DUCK DOWN (bend knees and lower level of body)
Pot Hole = LEAP
Woo-Woo-Woo = MOVE TO THE SIDE AND STOP (emergency vehicle coming)

Furthermore:
• With younger children only use 3 – 4 commands/movements.
• Vary the length of time between the commands.
• Try to “trick” children by repeating commands twice in a row.
• Children may devise other commands and movements.

On the Road Again
Materials and Set Up:
One hoop per child
Available indoor or outdoor space
Music player and music (i.e., Song: Little Deuce Coupe by The Beach Boys or On the Road Again by Willie Nelson)

Let’s Get Started:
1. Instruct the children to put their hoop on the ground and stand inside it.
2. Tell them that the hoop is their steering wheel. When the music starts, they are to lift the hoop up to waist level and use both hands to turn it right and left as if driving while they walk around in the open space.
3. When the music stops, the children stop and drop their hoops to the ground as if they’ve reached a stop sign or stop light.
4. When the music starts again, they bend down and pick up their hoops and continue to drive.
5. Fun ensues when you start and stop the music for short intervals or keep it on for long stretches. Add some dialogue to the game by mentioning that they may be caught speeding if going to fast.
6. The game lasts the length of one song.

Furthermore:
Challenge children with this variation of the game. When the music stops ask the children to pair up. One partner steps inside the hoop and holds it at waist level. The second player steps in front of his partner in the hoop and holds his hoop in front of his body like a steering wheel. Children are to work together and move using both hoops when the music starts. When the music stops, they switch places and get to play opposite roles. This game teaches the children to work together and make cooperative decisions about moving in the same direction. Encourage the partners to come up with other ways to move together using both hoops.

Both of these hoop games promote and develop the following goals or learning outcomes:

• Locomotor transport skills: body moves from one place to another by walking, leaping, hopping, skipping, etc.
• Gross motor development: using the large muscles of the arms, legs and trunk to perform movements such as walking, running, marching
• Directionality: the inner sense and knowledge of where things are in relation to the body
• Spatial awareness: coordinated movement in relationship to other objects in the environment
• Bilateral coordination: using both sides of the body in unison
• Midline: the invisible line running from the head to the toes and dividing the body into right and left halves
• Crossing the midline: means that one hand spontaneously moves to the other side of the body to work there (i.e., turning the hoop like a steering wheel in a large arc)
• Listening skills: ability to follow verbal directions
• Cooperation: two or more people playing together rather than against one another, just or the fun of it
• Agility: quick, easy, lively movements
• Imagery: formation of mental images by memory, imagination or fancy

I Am Moving, I Am Learning!

2011-01-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

This month I attended the “I Am Moving, I Am Learning” (IMIL) Facilitator Training in San Jose, CA. As a play and physical activity specialist, I totally embrace the IMIL program. It is a proactive approach for addressing childhood obesity in Head Start children and one of the BEST models I’ve seen for implementing a literal “call to action” on a very serious issue impacting our country. The program is also consistent with the objectives of the First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative. While at the training, I thought, “I am learning (and moving!) so much!” and I wanted to share a few of my ah-has with you:

• Our children inherit more than our genes. They inherit our lifestyles. We need to be healthy and consistent role models for physical activity and nutrition. We have the first generation of children who will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

• “Approximately one in five children are overweight or obese by the time they reach their sixth birthday...” (White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity report to the President, May 2010.)

• As little as 10 minutes of physical activity (short bursts of moderate to vigorous physical activity) is beneficial to children and adults. It yields improvements in blood pressure, waist circumference, mood and attention span.

• Many children can be the “boss of their body” and “tell their muscles what to do.” In other words, they can self-regulate their movement behaviors and motor activity. We just need to provide the space, time and opportunities!

• There are many motor milestones (i.e., hopping, skipping, throwing, catching) in early childhood. We should make a career of celebrating early childhood milestones with children.

• We need to be intentional about how children play; we need to provide quality experiences facilitated by informed adults.

• Make physical activity FUN and children and adults will COME! (Plan and participate in the activities or games that you are facilitating.)

• Here are two great resources that I look forward to tapping into: http://www.choosykids.com/, http://www.headstartbodystart.org/

Physical activity and play is receiving a great amount of attention that we should all take to heart and body! Now, let’s get moving! Remember to keep checking back here to see the many games and activities that will be featured in this year’s Sharin’ with Sharron Blog on Movement, Play and Physical Activity!

No Batteries Required: 5 Great Gifts That Get Kids Moving

2010-12-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

1. Balls -- Throw them, toss them, catch them, roll them, kick them, bounce them. Children of all ages love balls. They develop gross motor and fine motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination. A Basketball Hoop, Soccer Goal, or Target Toss make for a value added gift that spans across ages!

2. Jump Ropes -- Simple and inexpensive, this piece of equipment can be taken anywhere. Jumping rope is a cardiovascular activity which also improves strength, balance, agility and coordination. Preschoolers, not ready to jump rope, can walk and balance on a straight or curved rope on the ground or jump over a stationary rope held a few inches off the ground.

3. Hoops -- What goes around comes around! When using hoops, the goal is to keep the hoop moving on your hips as long as possible. The hoop can also be rotated around other parts of the body-- arms, legs, neck-- just for the fun of it. Young children can roll the hoop and run to catch it before it falls flat on the ground. There are even smaller Activity Hoops that some children will feel more comfortable using. The Hula Hoop was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 1999. While still being fun for children to play with, it has taken a turn in even offering health benefits for adult fitness.

4. Trikes & Wheeled Toys -- Experts recommend about 1½ to 2 hours of physical activity for toddlers and preschoolers daily, especially outdoor activities like pedaling a tricycle and using push/pull/ride toys. The tricycle is a great first set of wheels for children younger than 5. Inside or out, time spent wheeling around puts children in the “driver’s seat,” allowing them to explore the limits of their skills in a positive way. Watching a child’s excitement as he or she learns to ride their first trike is thrilling and fun! Plus, tricycles are such a memorable part of childhood.

5. Hopscotch -- Whether you make your own grid with some Sidewalk Chalk or purchase a Hopscotch Play Carpet, the game of hopscotch is a classic children’s game. Start by tossing the marker (typically a stone, coin or bean bag) into the first square. The player then hops through the course, skipping the square with the marker on it. Single squares must be hopped on one foot. Side by side squares are straddle jumped, with the left foot landing in the left square, and the right foot landing in the right square. The idea is to go through the entire course without losing your balance. After you get to the top, you turn and head back down the course picking up the stone or bean bag when you come to it. If you complete the course without falling, stepping on a line, or missing one of the boxes, you throw the marker to the next numbered box and repeat the process. If you don’t complete the course, you must wait your turn and then start in the box where you ended your previous turn. Hopscotch lets kids hop and jump their way to being more physically active while developing balance, coordination and flexibility.

Why not give a gift that keeps on giving? Active gifts will give children endless hours of fun, keep them moving and fit and developing important motor skills.

Trick or Treat Halloween Game

2010-10-29T16:46:00.000-07:00

The element of suspense combined with movement makes this a spooktacular active Halloween game. Will you pick a “Treat” or have to do a “Trick?”

Materials needed:
Jack-o-Lantern Bucket or decorated Trick or Treat Bag
Orange construction paper
Pumpkin cookie cutter or stencil shape
Halloween stickers
Pen or markers
Scissors
Halloween music

Before You Begin:
1. Trace and cut pumpkin shapes out of orange construction paper. Have as many pumpkin shapes as the number of children playing plus a few more.
2. On half of the pumpkins place a Halloween sticker on one side of the paper shape and on the other side write the word “Treat.”
3. On the other pumpkin shapes write the word “Trick” on one side and a movement or exercise on the other side. Here are some ideas...
Do 10 jumping jacks
Flap your wings (arms) and fly like a bat
On hands and feet scamper like a spider
Touch your toes 10 times
Float (leap) like a ghost
Move like an elephant
Jump like a frog 10 times
Walk like Frankenstein
Hop on one foot 10 times
Gallop like a horse
Creep (on hands and knees) like a cat
Spin around 5 times
Slither (on your belly) like a snake

Let's Get Started:
1. Have children sit in a circle.
2. Show children all the pumpkin shapes before placing them in the “Jack-o-Lantern Bucket” or “Trick or Treat Bag.”
3. When the music starts, pass around the bucket/bag.
4. When the music stops, the child that is holding the bag removes a pumpkin shape.
5. If the pumpkin shape has a sticker on it, it is a “Treat,” and the child does not have to do anything.
6. If the pumpkin shape is marked “Trick,” the child must perform the movement or exercise written on the paper (standing in the middle of the circle or moving around the outside of the circle of children).
7. The music starts again and the bag/bucket is passed. The game continues until everyone has had a turn.

Furthermore:
1. Let the children help in determining what movements to write on the “Trick” pumpkin shapes. 2. Do not read the “Trick” out loud. Instead, have the children in the circle guess what “Trick” is being performed by the child.

Hit the Deck! Shipwreck!

2010-10-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

Let’s pretend... and get physically active while playing this fun, non-competitive game.

Materials and Set-Up:
Indoor or outdoor space with boundaries using cones or Hop Around Steps.
Tumbling mat(s) placed in center of playing area designated as “the ship.”

Let’s Get Started:
1. Children watch and listen as directions of how to play are demonstrated.
2. The teacher or game leader is designated as the Captain.
3. Commands will be given by the Captain and the children are to react quickly as members of the ship’s crew. (The mats are the ship.)
4. On the command HIT THE DECK all children are to sit cross-legged on the mat.
5. On the command SHIPWRECK all children leave the mat and pretend-swim in the open sea (the space around the mat).
6. On the command LIFEBOATS children leave mat and find a partner. They sit down with legs apart and feet touching. They hold hands across from one another and sing “‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat” as they rock back and forth, pretending to row their lifeboat.
7. On the command SEAGULLS children leave mat and stand in open space with legs apart, arms waving and flapping overhead, making a squawking noise.
8. On the command SCRUB THE DECK children go to mat and get on hands and knees and pretend to clean in a scrubbing action.
9. On the command CAPTAIN’S COMING children stand to attention facing the teacher/game leader and salute.
10. On the command SHARKS children run to the middle of the mat and do a group hug or huddle without pushing or grabbing.

Goals:
1. Physical activity = any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure.
2. Health-related fitness = components of physical fitness that are related in a positive manner to health and well-being: cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition.
3. Gross motor skills = using the large muscles of the arms, legs and trunk.
4. Listening skills = ability to follow verbal directions.
5. Space awareness = knowing where the body can and should move in relationship to other people in the play space.
6. Agility = quick, easy, lively movements.
7. Cooperative play = games and activities that the participants play together rather than against one another.

Furthermore:
1. Introduce the game using only 3-4 commands; add others after children become familiar with the game.
2. Vary the length of time between commands.
3. Try to trick children by repeating a command twice in a row.
4. Let children take turns being Captain and giving commands.
5. Children may devise other commands and actions.
6. A parachute can also be used as the ship, instead of tumbling mats.

Unplug… And Reconnect with Nature

2010-09-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to believe that this week is designated as “Take a Child Outside Week.” The fact that we even need to have an initiative to motivate parents to go outside with their children and connect with nature is beyond comprehension for me!

During my childhood years, there was no better place to be than outside. In fact, our parents didn’t even offer us any other options; they just wanted to know that we were in the “neighborhood.” This could mean the woods near our house, down the street playing in someone’s backyard or at the school playground around the corner. We were always outside even as our parents stayed inside. Our parents didn’t have to “take us outside.” Our parents didn’t buy nor need to steer us away from the HDTV, video games, computers, phones and other technological gadgets that bombard the environment of children today. It seems a bit ironic that it’s the parent’s responsibility to get their children outside when it is they, the parents, who buy all the newest technology and allow (or even encourage) their children to learn how to use it. In Richard Louv’s book, “Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder,” he quotes a fourth-grader as saying, “I like to play indoors better ‘cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are.”

I saw an ad in the paper last week that had the following message, “There is no childhood obesity epidemic. (We just need better role models.)” We need parents to recognize that they are their children’s first teachers and that they are their children’s role models. One in three kids are overweight or obese and electronic media and junk food are partly to blame. And who is buying these pricey video games and high fat and sugar foods? It’s usually not the 4- to 8-year-old child. I feel as responsible adults we need not to be spending money on these items for our young children. Turn off the TV (I think there’s a designated week for that too!), and consider playing a video game or watching a movie a “treat” and not something to be consumed 5-6 hours daily!

What if we open the door and give children the time and opportunities to explore and discover nature on their own? Finding worms and dirt and leaves and sticks and rocks and bugs and whatever the outdoor space has to offer, the natural world is rich in sensory experiences for children. Smell the flowers, listen to the birds, feel the wind on your face, roll in the grass, stomp in the puddles or watch the shapes of clouds in the sky. Even in urban environments, children can experience nature. Provide magnifying glasses, tweezers , and small shovels for children to explore a small patch of dirt or grass. Even weeds grow in sidewalk cracks, ants can be found there too. Place a thermometer outside and read the temperature. Watch shadows, use binoculars for bird or squirrel watching. You don’t have to be a naturalist to instill in children an awe of the world and a desire to discover and uncover what is around them. You can nurture children’s interest in nature simply by demonstrating your own excitement and curiosity. Let’s go outside! You are a role model!

Drawing Relay

2010-09-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

Keeping kids up and active can be a challenge during the school day, but the following activity, courtesy of TeacherQuickSource, is a great way to incorporate movement into a fun, creative arts activity. This is easy to set up can be done indoors or out, which makes it great for any season!

Drawing Relay

Materials Needed:
A large piece of butcher paper or large individual sheets for each team
Crayons or markers
A large area for a group relay activity

Let’s Get Started:

1. Divide the children into 4-5 teams so that there are only 3-4 people on each team.
2. Attach the butcher paper, or individual sheets for each team, to a wall, fence or other barrier.
3. Tell the children that one person from each team is going to go up to the paper and begin drawing a picture.
4. At the end of 30 seconds, the teacher will blow a whistle. At that time, the child will run back and give the crayon to the next person on his team. That person then runs up and continues drawing.
5. This relay should continue until each child has had two turns.
6. Take down the pictures and have the teams discuss what they drew.

Morning Moving Routines

2010-09-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

Get the blood flowin’ and brains growin’ when you begin each day with some physical activity! The start of a new school year is a great time to establish a daily morning routine that gets kids up on their feet and out of their seats. Here are some of my favorite ideas for active starts to the school day:

Super Hero Exercises
With a little imagination and your verbal cues, children will be smiling and moving as they perform each exercise. Count to ten aloud as you do each one with the children.

Superman Stretch: children attempt to keep their balance while up on their tiptoes with arms stretched over their heads. (Imagine: “Superman is flying!”)

Batman Bounce: children jump in place with feet together 10 times as they count aloud to ten. (Imagine: “Batman is jumping into his Batmobile!”)

Robin Run: children run in place as they count to 10 aloud. (Imagine: “Robin is running to catch up with Batman. Wait for me Batman!”)

Spiderman Swivel: children stand with feet are shoulder width apart. Twist from side to side with arms and hands moving across the body. (Imagine: “Spiderman is throwing his web!”)

Wonder Woman Windmills: children stand in with feet shoulder width apart and arms are stretched out to the side. Use the hand of one side of the body to touch the foot on the opposite side. To help children perform this movement say, “Turn, touch toes, and up!” “Up!” means body is in a standing tall position. Repeat instructions several times with children using opposite hands to touch opposite toes. (Imagine: “Wonder Woman is getting her Magic Lasso!”)

The As-If Game
Have the children act out each sentence:
1. Jump in place as if.... you are popcorn popping
2. Walk forward as if... you are walking through glue
3. Jog in place as if... a big, scary bear is chasing you
4. Shake your body as if... you are a wet dog
5. Move your feet on the floor as if... you are ice skating
6. Reach up as if... grabbing balloons out of the air
7. March in place and play the drums as if... you are in a marching band
8. Swim as if... you are being chased by a shark

9. Move your arms as if... you were juggling scarves

Ask the children to create their own “As-If” sentences for the group to act out.

These activities can be great fun for the young children in your classroom or home. Are you an early childhood educator or parent with an idea for an active start of the day activity? I invite you to share your favorite ideas, too!

Tumbling and Wrestling and Roughhousing, Oh My!

2010-08-18T17:20:00.000-07:00

Preschoolers Sally and A.J. are ready to engage in some tumble play, also sometimes known as roughhousing or wrestling. The tumbling mat is out and they are in the starting position, on their hands and knees facing each other. Shoes are off and other items are removed -- glasses, name tags, belts, jewelry or other impinging articles. We have gone over the rules for this kind of contact play:

1. No hitting
2. No kicking
3. No biting
4. No pinching
5. No choking
6. No hair pulling
7. Respect one's face, eyes and other sensitive parts of the body

At the signal, ringing of the triangle or bell, the action begins as Sally and A.J. tumble and wrestle each other. When one of the pair is off the mat, the action ceases. It’s now time for another pair of children to take their places on the mat, facing each other on their hands and knees.

“Roughhousing,” as we called it, was always a positive part of my preschool curriculum. On those days when we were pent up inside due to inclement weather or when there was a buzz of high energy in the room, I would take out the tumbling mat, place it in the middle of the circle time rug or carpet, and announce that it was time for roughhousing.

Children who wanted to participate would sit around the edge of the mat and talk with their friends who had joined them about who was going to wrestle with whom (participation was voluntary and children could pick their own partners). An adult was always present. We would go over the rules and demonstrate the difference between a hit or punch, with a closed fist, and a soft push with an open palm or soft shove with a shoulder. There is a world of difference and it is necessary to illustrate it.

Usually, I would ask one of the children or one of my colleagues to demonstrate with me so that I could visually show the group what is acceptable and what is not appropriate behavior.
The children would pick a partner, usually someone who matched their own weight and height, and those two would take their place on each half of the mat. I always had the children start on the ground at the same level.

If you feel an activity like this might be appropriate for the children in your care or classroom, it's important to note that play that involves tumbling and roughhousing is meant to be active and fun for both participants, not a time to knock each other down or intentionally hurt each other. There are differences between aggression (hostile, injurious or destructive behavior) and roughhousing (rowdy, uproarious play or behavior). When aggressive, children frown and fixate on hurting the other child. In rough and tumble play, children willingly participate while smiling and laughing. At the ring of the bell they begin and at the next ring they end (when one of the children is off the mat). The entire “match” lasts between 30 - 90 seconds. The children return to their places around the edge of the mat, ready to wrestle with another friend. After 15-20 minutes, we would be done and the mat was put away.

Children who learn the difference between play wrestling/tumbling and aggressive fighting also develop important social skills. It can, over time, improve a child’s ability to solve problems that arise in social situations -- the give-and-take mimics successful social conversations and interactions. Physically, children are benefiting from the intense physical exertion of rough and tumble play which supports cardiovascular health. Tumbling and wrestling can also help develop gross motor coordination, spatial orientation, directionality, laterality, body image, visual motor control, body awareness and eye hand coordination. After active play such as wrestling/tumbling, children are much more able to sit still and concentrate because they’ve been able to participate in some physical activity.

Many boys and girls enjoy the experience of the big-body play that tumbling/wrestling offers. The preschool period is a critical period for children to develop both physically and emotionally. Tumbling and wrestling for preschoolers can indeed be developmentally appropriate and if you feel it can be appropriate for your youngsters, I encourage you to give it a try!

Want To Have Fun? STOMP ON IT!

2010-08-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

I’ve been using a stomp board (also known as a launch board) for over 25 years! It is a must-have, and one of the kids' all time favorite item for active play! I’ve used it in the classroom as well as at children’s birthday parties and citywide children’s festivals. I use them in obstacle courses inside (on carpet or linoleum) or outside (on cement, grass, etc.) As far as I’m concerned, every classroom could use at least two stomp boards! Discount School Supply carries one called the Joey Jump. In my opinion it really is superior compared to the wood ones I’ve used in the past. The Joey Jump is lightweight, plastic, comes with two bean bags and can be used by both preschoolers and school-age children.

The board is designed for a stomp—forceful step with one foot (not an actual jump)-- on the short end, propelling into the air a soft object (i.e. bean bag) was placed on the other end. The child then tries to catch the object that was launched off the board when they stomped. Because of the design and incline of the board, the object does not go shooting off randomly but propels straight up off the board and the child with outstretched arms can try to catch it in his/her hands.

Children must concentrate on getting their hands ready to catch the beanbag and focus on watching the beanbag as it moves through the air. Children should first focus on attempting to catch the beanbag with both hands at the same time, then try with the right and the left hand alone. As children get better at catching, other challenges can be added such as: stomping more firmly on the board so the beanbag goes higher; attempting to catch two beanbags at the same time; and launching and catching other items such as a foam ball, fleece ball, sensory ball and even a small stuffed animal.

I also like using foam dice with the stomp boards. Kids can put the die on the end, stomp and launch the die. Ask the child what number is facing up when he/she catches it. When using dice, we are not only working on the fundamental motor skill of catching but also addressing the core standard of mathematics--number concepts, counting and geometry (the die is a cube). The stomp board promotes physical development with the use of eye-hand coordination, eye-foot coordination, gross/fine motor skills, and it promotes social/emotional development: self-confidence and independence.

Kids love to do the stomp board over and over again as they try to catch the bean bag or sensory ball. It does take them a couple of times to get the hang of it, but once they do—they are self-motivated to experience THE FUN over and over again!

Animal Moves

2010-07-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Adapted from TeacherQuickSource, this activity is a great one for helping young children work on gross motor skills and to get them up and moving. This activity can be done indoors or outside, and is great for any size group. "Animals" can be big, small, real and imaginary. They can go on a parade, have a dance or take a wild romp through "the wilderness." The creative possibilities with this activity are as large as the animal kingdom itself!

Goal: To introduce or enhance balance and control during locomotor activities.

Materials needed: Pictures, drawings or video of animals

Let's Get Started:

1. Show the children one of the animal pictures.

2. Discuss the sounds and movements of that animal.

3. Have the children move around the space pretending to be that animal.

4. Repeat the activity with a different animal.

Summer Brings...

2010-07-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

Summer Brings...

Picnics and watermelon,
Bike rides and ice cream,
Friends and family,
Camping and s’mores,
Swinging and cool breezes,
Swimming and fishing,
Bugs and butterflies,
Summer fairs and carnivals,
Sunshine and gardens,
Birds and beaches,
Sand and water,
AND PLAYING OUTDOORS!

I do hope you and the kids are going outside as much as you can... If even only on the playground or in the backyard. Field trips and neighborhood walks can be difficult to conduct these days, but that doesn’t mean that you and the children can’t have lots and lots and lots of outdoor play. Did I say LOTS?! Open the door and explore outdoors. Nature abounds even on asphalt playgrounds.

Bikes, trikes and wheel toys promote gross motor development and lots of dramatic play. Just listen to the cyclists as they speed around on the bike path. Using some props, set up a gas station, car wash, or service station. Socialization, language development as well as physical activity are many of the benefits.

Want more ideas for dramatic play that can take place outdoors?

Have a pretend snack or lunch outside, picnic style. Make a “Picnic Prop Box” that includes a blanket, plastic food and dishes.

Camping is an all-time favorite activity in the summer. Pretend with a small tent, rest mat, firewood, metal dishes. Don’t forget the fishing pole!

Make available to your "junior rangers" or "nature detectives" magnifying glasses, binoculars, shovels, nets, observation boxes for found ants, bugs and butterflies. Collect leaves and rocks and provide containers (i.e., empty egg cartons) for them to sort, count and explore their treasures.

Gardening can also be a fun summer activity for kids. No space for a garden? Did you know you can plant seeds and grow vegetables in old tires, in giant pots, window boxes or a raised garden bed? Raised garden beds can help protect young or more fragile plants from active preschooler play. Choose plants and veggies for species diversity, various colors, different heights, textures and fragrances. Have the kids help plant and care for them. Or, you may want to purchase a simple greenhouse. Greenhouses provide a great opportunity for children to grow their own food and work with plants throughout the year.

Can’t get to the beach? Turn on the garden sprinkler or fill up the wading pools. Set up the sand and water table to include items to enhance digging, pouring, constructing, and dramatic play with sand and water. Kids love to explore sand and water with funnels, sifters, pails, molds, shovels, rakes, scoops, spoons, cups and saucers, sand wheels, trucks, plastic animals and even craft sticks. Children may want to add natural objects such as shells, sticks, stones or leaves. Fill your sensory table with only water and children will want to make bubbles, wash dishes or give the baby doll a bath.

Fresh air, open spaces and a little imagination and creativity... That's all it takes to make time each day to be outdoors with the children, exploring, making discoveries and appreciating nature this summer season.

Ready, Set... RUN!

2010-06-24T15:08:00.000-07:00

It’s official: This week marked the beginning of summer! Summertime means more time for outside play, and when children go outside they naturally want to move—and not just move, but run and run! Running is a fundamental motor skill that helps children move from one place to another. Once children learn how to crawl, creep and walk, running naturally follows in the developmental order of learning locomotor skills. And when children discover that they can run, they usually can’t get enough of it.

Running’s benefits include the promotion of gross motor skills, vigorous physical activity, and the development of the components of health-related physical fitness--muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and cardiovascular endurance. Here are some activities that will get you off to a running start in helping children in your classroom or home to master movement:

Run Like the Wind
Set up boundaries using ropes or the Start to Finish Lines 15’-24’ apart. Have children run from one line or boundary to another holding a crepe paper streamer, scarf or Rainbow Dancing Wrist Band. They will automatically return to the start line and ask to do it again and again!

Flying Paper Plates & Newspapers
Set up boundaries using ropes or the Start to Finish lines 15’-24’ apart. Have children place a paper plates or sheet of newsprint (9” x 12”) or newspaper (11” x 12”) on their chest and start running. As they run faster and faster they will discover that the newspaper or plate will stick to their chest... a lesson in science, too! Another option is to put a paper plates on the palm of each hand and start running to see what happens.

Run & Roll
Set up boundaries using ropes or the Start to Finish lines 15’-24’ apart. Place a tumbling mat or playmat a few feet in front of the finish line. When you say, “Get ready, get set, run,” the child at the “start line” runs to the mat and falls, rolls or tumbles to a stop. Without even directing children to the start of the running course, they will be in line just panting and waiting for another turn to “Run and Roll.”

Non-Competitive Red Rover, Red Rover
Set up boundaries using ropes or the Start to Finish lines 15’-24’ apart. Two people at the finish line hold a sheet of newspaper (~ 22” x 24”) with two hands on each corner. When you say, “Get ready, get set, run,” the child at the “start line” (with the palms of his hands touching and pointing forward) runs and bursts through the newspaper!

Tails
Set up boundaries using ropes or cones in the available space. Each child tucks a scarf or Rainbow Dancing Wrist Band ribbon into their waistband behind their back. The scarf or ribbon is now their “tail.” The game starts when the music starts and the children run in the available space. The game is played like tag, but instead of tagging each other, children pull the scarves or ribbons out of others’ waistbands and drop them on the ground. The child whose scarf or ribbon is pulled, picks up his scarf (tail), goes to “the tail repair area” (a designated spot, such as a classroom door, tree, etc.) to replace the scarf in their waistband. Once the scarf is secure in their waistband, the child returns to the game and resumes pulling “tails.” The game ends when the music stops. This group game promotes cooperative play, vigorous physical activity and offers lots of laughter!

Play It Safe!

2010-06-10T15:35:00.000-07:00

The National Safety Council has designated June as National Safety Month.

It is the responsibility of adults who care for and teach young children to ensure that outdoor and indoor play areas and equipment are safe and free from danger. The fact that children are attempting new physical challenges makes it impossible to eliminate all risks, but much can be done to the environment itself to reduce the number of injuries. Here are some tips to safer play this summer:

In the Heat: Games and activities played in the heat should be shortened and more frequent water/hydration breaks should be instituted. On both sunny and cloudy days use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater that protects against UVB and UVA rays.

Movement: Remove hoods or drawstrings than can get caught on equipment and have all children run in the same direction so they don’t run into each other. Most young children are not yet skilled in dodging objects while running.

Safe Stops: Teachers should not ask children to run to a wall or fence or any other immovable object. Most young children cannot yet judge distances or stop quickly. Some children may be likely to run full speed into the wall. Place a tumbling mat or playmat several feet in front of any wall or other immovable object. This gives children a great place to fall, roll or tumble as they stop.

Jumping: Children should not jump from distances that are more than half their height. Teachers may instruct, "You can jump off everything that is lower than 4 feet tall," as they let the children help find and measure structures and places that are safe and appropriate jumping places. Teach children how to land softly on two feet when jumping by bending their knees. Show children how to break falls by putting their arms in front of their bodies.
Equipment: The indoor and outdoor play equipment should suit the children’s ages and developmental abilities. Children will not usually climb up a structure or piece of equipment if they think they cannot not get down on their own initiative. If they do, teachers may choose not “rescue” children by lifting them off of the piece of equipment or climbing structure, as rescuing may encourage the behavior. Ask them to go back down the way they came up or direct them to a safe place to descend. Of course, an adult would remain present to coach the child patiently down by helping the child anticipate the surface below.

Climbing: Did you know that when you lift young children up to a piece of equipment (i.e. monkey bars, etc.) they often do not yet have the cognitive connections to internalize that they are not moving across the monkey bars with their own body and upper arm strength? Many unfortunate “playground accidents” happen when children think they can accomplish a movement task on their own. Limit the number of children using a climbing structure at the same time. For example, learning to wait on the ground before ascending the ladder to a slide gives the child in front of them time to begin sliding or to come back down the ladder. It also eliminates opportunities for horseplay at the top of the slide.

Playground Regulations: The playground should have safety-tested mats or loose-fill materials (shredded rubber, sand, wood chips, or bark) maintained to a depth of 12 inches. This type of surface absorbs the impact of a jump or fall. The protective surface should be installed at least 6 feet in all directions from the equipment. Swings require 16 feet of clear area in front and behind with 6 feet free on each side. Equipment should be carefully maintained. Open “s” hooks or protruding bolt ends can be hazardous. Make sure children cannot reach any moving parts that might pinch or trap any body part. All indoor climbing structures should be surrounded by a mat at least 2 inches thick and 3 feet wide. Place these structures at least 4 feet away from walls, doors and other solid structures. Teach children how to climb and maneuver on large structures.

Riding: Children should wear trike helmets when riding wheel toys and trikes. When purchasing a helmet, look for a label or sticker that says the helmet meets the CPSC safety standard.

Watch the children at all times during physical activities. Adults should position themselves near the most populated pieces of equipment. Teach young children the rules of safety and watch children for safe and appropriate behavior. Notice changes in a child’s activity level that might indicate a health issue.

Use your own good judgment in anticipating and preventing anything that might be unsafe for the children. Balance fun and safety in children’s play!

Why Play Musical Chairs When You Can Play Musical Hoops?

2010-05-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever watched children play Musical Chairs? When the music stops, the kids push and shove to get to a chair. The first child who doesn’t find a seat sits out of the game, all alone. As the game continues, the kids can get more and more aggressive, stopping at nothing to be the winner. In the meantime, the losers may feel left out, bored or upset. This game is an example of a competitive game. Young children feeling left out is one of the reasons I like to recommend cooperative games for early learning, where every child is a winner.

Competitive games can pit children against each other; during active games children may learn that, if you shove, push, hit or trip, you might gain advantage over the other players and win. Competitive games with just one winner means a whole group of losers. Young children generally play games to have fun and be involved; they don’t want to be quickly eliminated, rejected, left out, hurt physically or emotionally. (Who does?!)

Cooperative games include everyone. Every child is allowed to stay involved, there’s no pressure to win, no fear or anxiety about losing. Musical Hoops is a cooperative game for young children that helps promote self-esteem, sharing, kindness and teamwork as well as develops spatial awareness, gross motor skills and listening.

Musical Hoops

Materials Needed:
One hoop per child
Music/CD player and CD

How to play:
1. Scatter hoops in available space either indoors or outdoors.
2. Each child stands beside a hoop.
3. Start the music and instruct the children to walk around the hoops, making sure not to touch them while the music is playing.
4. When the music stops, each child steps into the nearest hoop. Tell them that it’s fine if more than one child ends up in one hoop. In fact, encourage it!
5. Start the music again and remove a hoop or two. When the music stops, the children step into the nearest hoop.
6. The game continues with you starting and stopping the music, gathering up more hoops and the children scrambling to all fit into the remaining hoops.
7. Musical Hoops ends with one or two hoops on the floor and all of the children working together to make sure everyone finds a place inside a hoop (even if it’s just one foot inside the hoop). It’s crowded but lots of fun!

Furthermore:
• Vary the locomotor skill children use to move around the hoop each time you restart the music. Ask the children to jump, gallop, skip, march or walk on tiptoes.
• When the music stops and children stand in the hoops, ask them to count and/or show with their fingers the total number of people in their hoop.

Trike Traffic Town

2010-05-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

May is National Bike Month. A fun way to celebrate with young children is to go outside and set up a Trike Traffic Town course on the blacktop or concrete using cones, traffic signs, chalk road markers, directional arrows and children on trikes, scooters or any favorite wheeled toy. (Don’t forget to provide each child with a properly fitted child-size or toddler-size helmet.) This activity also provides a perfect time to reinforce bike safety and the “rules of the road” on your playground.

Before children attempt pedaling through Traffic Town, teachers should ask them to stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the side of the course and watch as you direct one child in demonstrating the how-to’s of the course. Verbally describe directions for each part of the course, i.e., “ride around the cones,” etc.

Next, line up the first riders on their trikes, at the start of the course and tell them to follow the leader, while you guide them safely through the course. Emphasize that Traffic Town is not a race and they should not speed through the activities. Stress to the children to keep some space between them. If a traffic jam does occur, tell the children to please wait patiently and not to rush their fellow trike riders.

Materials Needed:
10 Colored cones
6 Cones with Holes,
6 Traffic Signs,
Arrow Spots
2 Nylon Jump Ropes
Bubble Wrap or Textured Packing Material
Sidewalk Chalk

Traffic Town Course

1. Put the GO Traffic Signs, in the hole in top of a cone. Children on trikes begin here. Teachers may want to stagger the starting time of each child.

2. Put ONE WAY Traffic Signs, in hole in top of a cone. Place the 6 Colored Cones about 4-6 feet apart from each other. Using Sidewalk Chalk, make directional arrows around the cones to make a zigzag slalom course. Following the arrows, the trike riders zigzag from the right of one cone to the left of the next, and so on until they complete the 6 cone slalom course.
3. Place 2 ropes horizontally on the ground, parallel to each other and 2-3 feet apart to create a crosswalk. Put the yellow School Crossing Sign in the hole in top of a cone. Set it in front and to one side of the ropes. The trike riders continue traveling but must stop and wait for “pedestrians to cross” (other children or parents/teachers.) If no one is in the crosswalk, riders can proceed forward over the ropes.

4. Place several long strips of bubble wrap on ground. Put the yellow SLOW Sign in the hole in the top of a cone. Set it in front and to one side of the bubble wrap. Tell children that there is “Roadwork in progress. It’s a bumpy road,” as they drive their vehicles over the bubble wrap.

5. Set up 4 colored cones side by side horizontally in the middle of the traffic town. Put the DO NOT ENTER Sign in the hole in top of a cone, and place it in front of the 4 cones. (Tell the children that “The road is blocked! It looks like there was a rock slide!”) Place the Arrow Spots on the ground in front and to the side of the cones, indicating the direction the drivers must turn to maneuver their trikes around the blocked roadway.

6. Put the STOP Sign in the hole in top of a cone. Here. “We’ve come to the end of Traffic Town. Let’s do it again!” Using the remainder of the Arrow Spots, direct trike riders back to the beginning of the course.

Children will want to repeat traveling this popular roadway over and over again. Be alert to children traveling too fast and not being able to manage the curves safely. Children at this young age are figuring out what their muscles can and cannot do.

This activity promotes...

Gross motor development (using the large muscles of the legs and arms)

Visual discrimination (ability to recognize the traffic signs and arrows to follow directions)

Bilateral coordination (using legs to pedal the trike and arms to steer the trike)

Spatial awareness (children moving in the space with other children on trikes)

Traffic Town also fosters cooperative play and turn taking as well as dramatic play while preschoolers pretend to be “drivers” and following the road.

Ducking Out of Duck, Duck Goose

2010-04-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

The rules to play the traditional children’s game of Duck, Duck, Goose are generally that all players except "IT" sits in a circle. IT (sometimes called the "goose") walks around the outside of the circle, behind the players’ backs while tapping gently on each of the seated players’ heads, saying “Duck...Duck...Duck...” each time they tap a head. When IT taps a player's head and says, “Goose!” the new "goose" jumps up and chases the first child around the circle. If the new goose doesn’t tag the other child before s/he reaches the open seat in the circle, IT takes the place in the circle and the new goose resumes the game by tapping heads. (If the new goose did happen to tag IT, s/he gets back to his/her spot in the circle and the first child remains IT.)

However, I've noticed sometimes the person who is IT doesn’t just “tap” a child’s head gently, they “hit”! Also, children who don’t want to be “hit” may put their hands on top of their head and lower their heads into their laps. Other children may follow that child’s lead and then there are no heads to “tap,” indicating that no one wants to play the game.

I want to share with you what I feel is a more developmentally appropriate way for young children to play this game in an early childhood classroom or home setting.

A Tisket, A Tasket, My Fruit & Veggie Basket

Materials Needed:
Small basket filled with plastic fruits and vegetables
How to play:
1. Sit young children (players) in a circle.
2. One child is chosen to hold the fruit basket and walk around the outside of the circle, behind the players’ backs while the group chants:

A tisket, a tasket,
My fruit and veggie basket.
I went walking down the lane,
And on the way I dropped it,
I dropped it, I dropped it...

4. On the last verse, the child walking around the circle drops the basket behind a player’s back.
5. That player picks up the basket and runs after the first child, who is running back to the open place in the circle.
6. If unable to tag the player before s/he gets to the open spot, the new player holding the basket must now walk around the outside of the circle, dropping the basket of fruits and veggies behind someone who has not yet had a turn.
7. The game ends when every player has had a chance to hold and drop the basket.

Another way to play this game in a similar way is to have the first child hold a small cardboard pizza box and walk around the outside of the circle, behind the players’ backs while the
group chants:

Pizza delivery in the box,
Pizza delivery piping hot,
Pizza delivery ready or not.
Ding, dong, PIZZA DELIVERY!

On the last words, “Pizza Delivery,” the child drops the pizza box behind a players’ back and the game continues per the steps above.

Preschool children love the element of surprise that these games offer. Whose back is IT going to drop the basket or pizza box behind? They also love to play chase and the activity of running and increasing heart rates is very beneficial for physical health and development.

These activities are also great for teachers to use when children are in transition -- i.e., waiting for parent pick up or for their group’s turn at the art center in the classroom, etc. Remember young children do not need to engage in competitive games with definite winners and losers. Having fun and playing cooperatively is a great main objective!

Kids on Parade! Rhythm Stick Fun

2010-04-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

Rhythm sticks or clave (klah-vey)—a Latin name for rhythm sticks—are indisputably one of the best first instruments for young children.

Rhythm sticks are members of the “percussion family” of instruments—which are musical instruments sounded by striking, shaking or scraping—and are tapped together to make a sound. Small percussion instruments are the most appropriate for children ages 2-7 and include the triangle, maracas, bells, tambourines, drums, cymbals and sand blocks.

Rhythm sticks are a natural extension of the sounds children make with their hands (clapping) and feet (stamping). Basic rhythmic concepts about beat, tempo and patterns are great for teaching to young children and can be experienced through a variety of fun activities, including playing rhythm sticks. When rhythm sticks are used in musical activities for young children, the process, rather than the product, is the important goal. Children thrive on the familiar; they enjoy the security of repetition and it’s an essential component for building basic skills and understanding.

It is important that rhythm sticks for the 2- and 3-year-olds be the appropriate size. Chunky Rhythm Sticks from Discount School Supply. are specifically made for little hands and fingers to easily grip and hold. This set includes 24 sticks or enough for 12 children with one for each hand.

Rhythm Stick Play: Objectives/Learning Outcomes
Playing and using rhythm sticks promotes and develops the following:

Small motor development—using the small muscles of the hands and fingers
Eye-hand coordination—eyes and hands working together smoothly
Dexterity—skill and ease in using hands
Eye tracking—eyes being able to follow an object as the object moves in space
Directionality—the inner sense and knowledge of where things are in relation to the body
Auditory discrimination—being able to hear and identify differences in sounds
Listening skills—ability to follow verbal directions
Coordination—parts of the body moving smoothly together
Rhythm—aspects of music having to do with time; patterns of sound perceived in relationship to a recurring beat
Beat—recurrent throb or pulse in music; important rhythmic skill to develop before the age of seven as the ability to keep a steady beat is linked to linguistic development
Tempo—the speed of music
Thinking processes—creative thinking and problem solving; develops memory (pattern and sequence)
Crossing the midline—occurs when left or right arms or legs cross over the center of one’s body and promotes communication between the brain hemispheres

Rhythm Stick Play: Rules
It is helpful to establish rules that will make the playing experience a happy and enjoyable one for both adults and children. As the teacher or leader of the activity, do not pass out the rhythm sticks until you have made clear what your expectations are regarding use of the rhythm sticks. The teacher or leader should demonstrate the activity first. If a child does not use his or her sticks properly or safely, an appropriate consequence might be to take them away for a short period of time, allowing that child to observe and rejoin when he/she feels able to follow the rules.
The following are some suggested rules and ideas for classroom and home activities using rhythm sticks:
1. Children sit cross-legged in a scattered or circle formation, ensuring that each child has his or her own personal space.
2. An adult or class helper is the keeper of the bin of sticks and walks around the group to allow each child to pick two sticks.
3. Rhythm sticks are passed out and children lay them on the ground in front of them and put their hands in their lap.
4. Upon teacher or leader instructions, or when the music starts, children can pick up their sticks and follow your lead.
5. When the music stops or the teacher says “freeze” and all activity ceases. If children are sitting, the sticks go back on the ground and hands go in their laps.
6. For organized clean up, an adult or class helper brings the bin around and instructs the children to put the rhythm sticks in the bin.

Rhythm Stick Play: Activity Idea
Pass out the rhythm sticks—, have children practice following a leader as they keep time to the music. Ask the children to stand up and get ready to march (a precise type of walk, accompanied by lifted knees and swinging arms) in the rhythm stick band! The teacher or a child can be the leader of the parade who marches in front, setting the direction and pace of the parade. Select a musical selection with a short, regular beat for a melodic and rhythmic background to accompany the sticks.

Parachute Play!

2010-03-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

Open it up, spread it out and the kids will come running! A parachute or play canopy is big, colorful and inviting. In preschool classes and teacher trainings, I’ve been sharing games and activities that promote gross motor skills, physical activity, lots of smiles and tons of fun. Here are some parachute activity ideas you may want to try with your own children or the children in your classroom:

Brave the Waves and Pop the Bubbles

While sitting down around the outside edge of the parachute, have children grasp the parachute and shake the parachute up and down. Select two or three children to crawl (on hands and knees) on top of the parachute and pop the “bubbles” that are created when everyone moves their hands up and down making “waves.”

Hi and Hello

While standing and holding the parachute, ask children to follow your directions with the correct movements: “Touch your toes, ready... lift!” Children lift the parachute up and over their heads. While the parachute is inflated encourage children to greet one another by waving with one hand while saying “Hi or Hello” as the parachute deflates. Repeat the activity, but this time wave with the other hand and to friends on another side of the parachute.

Mushroom

While standing and holding the parachute, ask children to “Touch your toes, ready... lift!” When the parachute has reached its apex, instruct children (while still holding parachute) to quickly walk toward the center of the inflated chute and look up at the mushroom cap above them. As the parachute deflates, direct children to walk backwards to their original positions while still holding onto the parachute.

Dome Camping Tent

While standing and holding the parachute, ask children to “Touch your toes, ready... lift!” Direct children to walk forward one step while pulling the parachute behind them and sitting down on the edge of the parachute. By sitting down inside the parachute they seal as much air as possible while creating a dome tent.

Popcorn

Children stand around the parachute, holding it with an overhand grip. Throw 6 -10 foam balls into the middle of the parachute. Tell the children that it is time to make popcorn. The balls are the kernels of popcorn, and if they shake the parachute hard enough, the corn will start to pop. Designate one child to be the “Popcorn Police” whose job it is to retrieve the kernels (balls) that have flown off the parachute and throw them back onto the parachute. Children keep popping the corn until they are “too pooped to pop.”

High-5 Exchange

Children stand around the parachute, holding it with an overhand grip. Ask two children across from each other to let go of the parachute. These two children will exchange places, walking beneath the inflated parachute, while the group lifts the parachute on the teachers' command. As they pass each other under the parachute, they can slap palms with a “High 5” as they go to their new place on the other side of the parachute. Continue playing until everyone has had a turn to exchange places.

Young children in your classroom or home love to repeat these activities. Remember that they learn best through repetition and experience--and so do you! The more and more you play with the parachute the more confident you will become in using this outstanding piece of equipment as part of your daily physical education or movement activities.

3, 2, 1... Blast Off to Space Academy!

2010-02-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity this week to see the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It was the last night launch of the space shuttle program and the sight of it left me awestruck. It was powerful and inspiring!

I was watching the launch with my two young grandsons. They have always had an interest in the solar system and outer space as many young children do. We talked about the astronauts and the training they received in order to prepare themselves for the rigors of spaceflight.

We, as caregivers, parents and/or teachers of young children, can build on children’s interest by setting up Space Academy and providing physical challenges for our “young astronauts in training” to complete. Below are the course components of what the “astronauts” are to perform at each station. They are not only fun to do, but they also promote gross motor development, fine motor coordination, eye-hand coordination, eye-foot coordination, balance, spatial awareness, language development, creativity and imagination!

Blast Off: Designate a “launch pad” with a Hoop or Poly Spot Marker. The “astronaut” assumes a squatting position on the launch pad and begins the countdown chanting loudly and slowly, “10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,0...BLAST OFF!” Children “blast off” (stand or jump) from squatting position, arms raised toward the sky.

Flying Saucer Throw: Hang a Hoop from a tree or a beam and instruct astronauts to throw a “flying saucer” (flying disc) through the hoop.

Orbiting Planets: Place 4-6 Cones two feet apart from each other. Children hold a Hoop around their waist and “orbit” (circle) around each cone as a planet would around the sun.

Asteroid Toss: Use Foam Balls or Sensory Balls and plastic Buckets. Astronauts toss the “asteroids” (balls) into the buckets to prevent them from hitting the earth!

Moon Walk: Set out Pods or Riverstones randomly but not too far apart. Astronauts step on each pod or stone as they walk on the moon’s uneven surface.

Ride a Moon Rover: Set out Roller Boards and Cones or Hop Around Steps. Astronauts sit on a “moon rover” (Roller Board) and travel around the Cones using their feet.

Return to Earth: Use a Joey Jump and Bean Bags. Astronauts place bean bag at end of “launch board” (Joey Jump). They step on the opposite end of the board to catapult the “retrorockets” (bean bags) and catch the rocket in their hands--ensuring a safe landing and the completion of another successful Space Shuttle mission.

Angels in the Snow

2010-01-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

Growing up in the Midwest, snowy days provided us with winter fun and entertainment in the form of making “snow angels” or “snow fairies.”

A snow angel is created by lying down on your back in powdery snow and moving your outstretched arms on the snow, going from head to waist in a sweeping motion while also moving your legs apart as far as they will go and then bringing them back together.

Keep repeating these motions (it’s like doing jumping jacks while lying on your back) until a large enough indentation has been made. You’ll see the shape of an angel or fairy (a body with a skirt and wings) when you stand up. We would try to make several angels in the snow, always looking for the perfect angel (one without foot prints or handprints in the middle of it).

I didn’t grow up having Liquid Watercolor but wouldn’t it be fun to put some Liquid Watercolor™ into a spray bottle and spray the finished angels different colors to make them stand out?

Making snow angels can be great fun for the kids in your care. Mastery of angel-making in the snow is a fine example of building physical coordination (parts of the body moving smoothly together.)

The best news is that kids don’t have to live in snow country in order to make snow angels/fairies. These can be made on tall grass, in sand, and invisible ones can even be made on classroom or home carpets or on tumbling mat . Making snow angels can be a good cool-down activity to conduct after active play as it helps the heart and body to return to its normal resting state. To create a calm and relaxed mood, a teacher or caregiver can put a CD such as Putamayo “Dreamland” CD in the CD Player. As the soothing music plays, lead the children in the activity of angels in the snow.

For the developing young child, this activity may be harder to do than it looks.

Provide direction and guidance by following this procedure:
1.Child lies down on back.
2.Staying in contact with the surface of the floor, mat, snow, ground
or carpet, the child opens and closes legs. Arms are kept down to sides of body.
3.Child practices opening and closing legs, keeping legs in contact with floor.
4.Once a smooth, sustained legs-apart, legs-together movement is mastered, instruct the child to move arms away from sides of body to shoulder height and then return them to side of body, keeping arms in constant contact with floor.
5.Now instruct the child to open and close legs while moving arms.
6.Emphasize that the arms and legs stay in touch with the surface of the floor while there is movement.

Obstacle Courses = A"maze"ing Fun!

2009-12-17T14:40:00.000-08:00

Versatile and inviting, an obstacle course can be great fun for young children, and a course is easy to set up inside or out. Weather permitting, consider setting up the course outside. Fresh air can help energize brains and bodies!

An obstacle course is an arrangement of physical challenges or tasks, using simple equipment, set in a line or route around an area. For young children, moving around, over, under and through an obstacle course promotes motor planning abilities, physical skills and movement concepts. Colored yarn, chalk, traffic signs or hand and feet prints can be used for the children to follow. Depending on the age of the children, start with 4 to 6 tasks or events that make a simple yet challenging course. Spread out the obstacle course as much as possible. Adapt, add and change the course to fit your location and abilities of the children.

Before children attempt any obstacle course, ask them to watch as you or a child demonstrate the “how-to’s” (verbally describe directions for each task). Next, line up everybody behind each other at the start of the course and tell them to follow the leader through the course while you describe the physical challenges they are attempting. Emphasize that the obstacle course is not a race and they should not speed through the activities. The teacher or adult leader should stress to the children to keep some space between them. If a “traffic jam” does occur, tell the children to please wait patiently while the person in front of them completes the challenge on the equipment before proceeding ahead.

Having a theme or focus for an obstacle course provides structured physical activity for children because it is purposeful play with a clear goal. An all-time favorite is the “The Super Daring Obstacle Course.” It’s adventurous because of the "maze" of obstacles and the “perilous dangers” the children are challenged to avoid by correctly maneuvering through the course. “Dangers” are pretend and explained with great fanfare, such as the “quicksand” area or the “bottomless swap.” The more creative and imaginative the adventure, the more the children will love it!

The Super Daring Obstacle Course:

1. Start--place a pole, rope or piece of clothesline between two cones to make a crossbar for jumping over. Place a hoop on the ground on the other side of the rope or crossbar for children to jump into. Children jump over the “flaming” rope/bar and land with two feet in the hoop.

2. Jumping Pattern--place 4 hoops in a hopscotch pattern. Children jump with two feet into the first large hoop; straddle jump (feet apart) into the medium hoops placed side by side; end with two feet together again in the last large hoop.

3. Bridge Walk--place a rope lengthwise on the ground or set up a balance beam. Children try to walk heel-toe from one end of the beam/rope to the other, balancing above the “bottomless swamp.”

4. Helpful Turtles--place 4 to 6 spot markers, Hop Around Steps or Balance Pods in a row 6- 12” from each other. Encourage children to step or leap from one spot marker (shells of turtles to help them avoid the “quicksand”) to the next as they travel on their adventure.

5. Tunnel of No Return--set up a cloth or nylon tunnel or use a large box. Children creep through quietly on hands and knees to avoid waking the “alligators.”

6. Perilous Path--set up 4 to 6 cones in a row about 2-4’ apart from each other to make a pathway. Children to travel in a zigzag pattern, snaking their way around and through without waking the “snakes.”

7. Stop--place a tumbling mat several feet away from the last cones of the Perilous Path. Children run to the mat and fall down on it or log roll to the end, survivors of The Super Daring Obstacle Course!

8. Direct children to the start of the course as you inevitably hear them ask, “Can we do it again? Can we do it again?”

As I once heard a child say, “The obstacle course is THE BEST thing I like at school!” It’s a wonderful thing for preschool teachers and early childhood caregivers to include as part of physical activity or movement programs.

2009 Toy of the Year: The Ball!

2009-11-11T15:47:00.000-08:00

This year, the ball officially bounced into the National Toy Hall of Fame (NTHOF) at Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York. It is the only museum in the world devoted solely to the study of play as it illuminates American culture.

I had heard about this museum and always wanted to visit it. Recently, I happened to be in Rochester to conduct some teacher trainings and I finally had a chance to go to the museum.

For me, a mixed review; it was big and glitzy and much more commercial than what I had envisioned. However, I did like the many quotes about play embellished all over the walls and learning about the museum’s history. I couldn't wait until we got to the part of the museum that housed the Toy Hall of Fame. Last year the stick was inducted into the NTHOF, and I wanted to see how it was displayed. Another disappointment! It was ensconced in a little cube behind glass! But, I do love the idea of objects being recognized for their play value and do appreciate what the museum represents—PLAY!

The LEGO® exhibit is opening next month. LEGO®s were inducted in 1998 and then named “Toy of the Century" in 2000. My son grew up with LEGO®s, and now his two sons are enjoying them with the same passion as they build and discover. I like to claim that LEGO®s laid the base for my son’s current career in e-commerce. He didn’t have a computer or techno gadgets growing up, but he did have many open-ended toys, including sticks and balls for playing outside! I’ve praised the play-value of a ball before because it inspires fun, movement and creative play.

How do toys make it into the Toy Hall of Fame? They must meet the following criteria for induction:

Icon-status: the toy is widely recognized, respected and remembered

Longevity: the toy is more than a passing fad and has enjoyed popularity over multiple generations

Discovery: the toy fosters learning, creativity or discovery through play
Innovation: the toy profoundly changed play or toy design

I really like to talk about and share my ideas concerning toys and educational materials for young children. Many times, as a consultant for Discount School Supply, I am asked to give input on new products being developed. This too, is one of my favorite jobs-- especially after seeing an idea become with a finished item for play! Why do some toys literally disappear and others last for a lifetime?

Today there are so many toys that do more on their own than the child does playing with them! Let’s not forget the classic toys beloved by many generations that perhaps, you too once played with: blocks, baby dolls, jump ropes, hoops, crayons, puzzles, marbles, trains, etc.

Parents, grandparents, teachers, caregivers of young children: ‘Tis the season of gift-buying and present-giving, and I say, “Get on the ball!” Make sure that you put toys into the hands of the children in your care that inspire creativity, discovery, and learning through play!

Snickelfritz Partners Switch

2009-09-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

September signals new beginnings. School has started and children are meeting each other for the first time or reconnecting with old classmates. This game is a good icebreaker or get-acquainted activity.

Materials:
Indoor or outdoor space with boundaries.

How to Play:
1. Children find a partner and stand back-to-back.

2. The teacher or game leader calls out a body part and partners react quickly to touch the part mentioned. For example, the teacher might say, “Hands to Hands.” The partners turn around, face each other, and touch hands to hands.

3. When the teacher says another body part, the partners then put those body parts together (releasing the last round’s pairing.)

4. Other body parts the teacher could call out:

Shoulder to Shoulder, Knee to Knee, Hip to Hip, Ankle to Ankle, Elbow to Elbow, Knuckle to Knuckle, Wrist to Wrist, Toes to Toes, Side to Side.

5. Whenever the teacher or game leader says, “Snickelfritz Partners Switch!” all players must hurry and find a new partner that they haven’t already been paired with in the game. With the new partner, they stand back-to-back again, ready to listen. Play resumes with the teacher calling out different body parts.

6. Giving the command, “Snickelfritz Partners Switch!” frequently gives children a chance to interact with all members in the group as they have to find a different partner every time.

7. There is no right or wrong way to connect body parts to each other. Point out the different ways that partners completed the challenge.

8. The teacher may give the same command twice in a row to keep the players alert.

9. Avoid calls such as Head to Head, or Nose to Nose where kids are forced to share breathing space.

10. A fun way to end the game is to give the command, “Hug to Hug,” as teacher says, “Thanks for playing the game with me.”

11. Challenge older children to each touch different body parts as they are called out. For example, the teacher might say, “Ear to Knee.” One child will place his/her ear to the partner’s knee. Other commands may include:
Shoulder to Shoulder
Knee to Knee
Hip to Hip
Ankle to Ankle
Elbow to Elbow
Knuckle to Knuckle
Wrist to Wrist
Toes to Toes
Side to Side

Learning Outcomes/Goals:
1. Physical activity: Any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure
2. Listening skills: Ability to follow verbal directions
3. Tactile stimulation: Body learning from the sense of touch, skin contact and pressure
4. Body awareness: Knowing and understanding the whole body and its parts and function
5. Space awareness: Knowing where the body can and should move in relationship to other people in the play space
6. Shared space: All of the designated play space that can be used by everyone
7. Cooperative play: Games and activities that the participants play together rather than against one another

No Less Recess!

2009-08-20T11:21:00.000-07:00

A first grade teacher recently called me in a panic. She was very upset because her school board was considering eliminating recess from the school day. She did not want her school to be one of the nearly 40% of U.S. elementary schools to eliminate or are considering eliminating recess (according to the American Association for the Child’s Right to Play.) This policy is being implemented in part because of increased school accountability and student testing procedures, and the belief that time could be better spent on academics. My friend asked me to help her make a case to keep recess for the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of children.

The term recess refers to a break during the day to allow children the time for active, free play. During recess learning occurs in ways not possible inside the regular classroom.

Benefits of recess:

· It’s physically important! Physical movement is essential for healthy growth and development. Active play and movement helps prevent weight gain and weight-related diseases. Young children learn about their bodies’ capabilities and how to control their bodies through active movement. Exercising their own choices in the practice of physical skills, such as running, climbing, jumping, chasing, traveling, batting, kicking, catching, balancing, hanging, swinging, stretching, pushing and pulling can happen during active play in a way P.E. classes do not (Council for Physical Education and Children, 2001*.)

· It’s cognitively and academically important! Physical activity fuels more blood to the brain, thus giving it greater oxygen and energy supply and increasing the number of connections between neurons. These connections make the brain better able to process a variety of information, leading to improved retention of facts, a greater understanding of concepts, and subsequently higher academic achievement (Healy, 1998). Students who get a break are much less fidgety in the classroom. (Jarrett et al., 1998*) And, unstructured play gives the child an opportunity to exercise a sense of wonder, which leads to exploration, which leads to creativity.

· It’s emotionally important! Chemicals secreted by the brain during and after exercise enable it to deal better with stress and anxiety. (Healy, 1998).

· It’s socially important! Traditional recess activities encourage children to take turns, negotiate or modify rules, and interact cooperatively. Recess also gives the classroom teacher another opportunity to assess the child's social skills. And, group play allows children to interact with peers and to watch and learn from other children.

Did you know the U.S. Army requires that soldiers be given a 10-minute break every hour during training sessions in order to maintain productivity? Professors are required to give college students the same. Teachers’ contracts often include a daily 30-minute preparation time that offers them a break from class work plus duty-free lunch. And we know parents would complain if they didn’t get at least one break at work.

How can we expect young children to work all day with few, if any, breaks? I believe children should not only be allowed a longer recess at lunchtime but also a 15-minute recess break in the morning and afternoon.

While there are arguments against recess, I can find no research that clearly supports less recess as beneficial. The available research suggests that recess can play a very important role in the learning, social development, and overall health of children. I support my friend, and any other parents, preschool and elementary school teachers and caregivers of young children making the argument: no less recess!

*As cited by ericdigests.org

Animal Movers

2009-08-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

This is a fun activity for preschoolers and is another great way to incorporate movement in what could be a passive lesson. When young children are learning about animals, teachers often encourage the children to describe the animal, make the animal's sounds, talk about the habitat of the animal, etc. Part of learning about an animal can include understanding how an animal moves and modeling that movement through active play. This is an activity idea from the Preschool TeacherQuickSource:

Animal Movers
Goal: Introduction or enhancement of balance and control during locomotor movements.
Before you start: The teacher may want to prepare several Animal Poster Cards or pictures of animals, and a large room or safe movement area.
Let's Get Started:
1. Show the children one of the animal pictures.
2. Discuss the movements of that animal.
3. Have the children move around the space pretending to be that animal.
4. Repeat the activity with a different animal.

Beat the HEAT with COOL Games

2009-07-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

It's summer time and in many places it’s hot, hot, hot! Don’t let the heat keep young children inside all day. A fun way to cool off is with some wet and wild water play—whether you’re 3 or 63 years old! Kids of all ages will enjoy these splashy summer games and activities that encourage movement, physical activity and cooperative play.

Drip, Drip… Drop!
Where:
Outdoors
Who:
Every participant in a swimsuit
What You Need:
Water source and a small plastic bucket or cup

How to Play:
1. The teacher, parent or caregiver has all the children sit in a circle
2. One child is chosen to be “IT” and leaves the circle
3. IT holds a bucket of water and stands outside of the circle
4. S(he) walks around the circle saying “drip, drip, drip…” as s(he) drips water
from hands and fingers onto the heads of the children sitting in the circle
5. When IT says “drop,” the entire bucket of remaining water is poured out onto one child
6. IT runs back to their place in the circle with the wet child running behind them.
7. The wet child is now IT and fills up the bucket to resume the game of “drip, drip…drip…DROP!”

What if …
Children don’t want water on their heads? Designate another body part that IT can only drip or drop the water on (i.e., hands, shoulders, knees, etc.)

The game ends when everyone in the circle is wet.

It’s a cool way to end a hot day through fun and play!

Jump the Stream!
Where:
Outdoors
Who:
Children dressed to get wet, barefoot (or in shoes that can get wet) and a teacher/parent to hold the water hose
What You Need:
Water hose
How to Play:
1. The teacher, parent or caregiver has all the children stand in a circle
2. The adult squats down in the center of the circle holding the water hose
3. When the water is turned on the adult turns around slowly, keeping the steam of water from the hose close to the ground
4. When the stream of water gets close to the kids they are to jump over it to avoid getting wet
5. Each time the adult completes a full revolution, s(he) begins to turn a little bit faster and raises the stream slightly higher off the ground

While the object of the game appears to stay dry, young children often have the most fun getting squirted by the hose and, of course, getting very wet!

Waterlogged!
Where:
Outdoor playing area with designated boundaries
Who:
Children dressed to get wet
What You Need:
Foam ball, Plastic bucket of water, Cones to mark off boundaries
How to Play:
1. The children should be scattered around the playing area
2. One child is selected to be “IT”
3. IT is given a foam ball and soaks the foam ball in water.
4. The game begins with IT chasing the other children, trying to tag/touch them with the wet ball
5. When IT tags someone with the wet ball, that child becomes the new IT and the game starts again

Touched players are “waterlogged” and can be spotted very easily by the water dripping off the spot where they were touched.

Water Brigade!
Where:
Outdoors
Who:
Children dressed to get wet
What You Need:
Foam balls for each player, A water table or tubs filled with water, Buckets (one for each player)
How to Play:
1. Fill water table and/or one or more tubs with water
2. Set up empty buckets 10 (or more) feet from tubs/table
3. Give each child a foam ball
4. Children stand at water table/tubs with their foam ball
5. The game begins with each child thoroughly soaking the foam ball with water
6. Instruct the children to run to the buckets at the other end and squeeze the water out of their balls into the buckets
7. The game continues with the children running back to the water tubs, resoaking their foam balls and running to their bucket to wring it out and fill their bucket entirely.

This can easily turn into a fun summer team sport with partners at either end tossing the balls to each other for soaking and wringing. Being physically active with a purpose makes this game a real winner!

Abracadabra! Scarf Magic!

2009-07-07T16:14:00.000-07:00

The thin, nylon juggling scarf has unlimited possibilities of play value. This loose material is lightweight and easy for children of any age—infants, toddlers, preschoolers and school-aged kids—to manipulate and use to promote gross motor and fine motor development. Scarf play helps with hand-eye coordination and encourages movement of eyes and hands to cross the midline important pre-reading and writing skills for young children.

Teachers, parents and other early childhood caregivers don’t have to be a magician to conduct age-appropriate activities that involve all children in scarf play; just follow the child’s lead and have fun!

Here are some ideas:

--Throw the scarf in the air with one hand and catch with the other.
--Toss & try clapping once or twice before catching the scarf.
--Hold the scarf together with a friend as you move together around the classroom.
--Toss the scarf in the air, spin around and catch it before it falls to the ground. Try looking at the world through the fine mesh fabric. What do you see?
--Throw the scarf up in the air and clap until it touches the ground and count how many claps it takes.
--Move around the room with the scarf on a body part; try not to let it fall.
--Toss the scarf and try to have it land on different body parts (hand, elbow, foot, back and head.)
--Catch and toss with a partner.
--Pull out the CD player and put on some favorite music and dance with the scarves.
--Play “Follow the Leader” where the child at the head of the line does a movement with the scarf and all children will copy that movement (waving scarf overhead, swinging arms back and forth, jumping with the scarf, galloping with the scarf, etc.) When the music stops the child that was at the front of the line goes to the back and the next child in line becomes the leader. The music starts again and the game continues until everyone has had a chance to be the leader.
--Use the scarf to sing the following song and do the appropriate movements:
Shake to My Lou (Tune: “Skip to My Lou”)
Shake, shake, shake to my lou, shake, shake, shake to my lou, shake, shake, shake to my lou, shake to my lou my darling. (Shake scarf in front of body)
Other verses you can add:
Shake up high, shake down low (Shake scarf overhead, then down by feet)
Shake to the right, shake to the left (Shake scarf on one side of body and then the other)
Shake it out, shake it in (Shake scarf with arms extended to the sides, bring arms together in front of body)

The scarf also lends itself to exploring colors and shapes. Ask children what shape their scarf is. Can they make the scarf into a smaller square? Can you make it into a triangle? Can it become a rectangle? Discuss the geometric properties of each shape as they are made. Place all the scarves on the floor in color groups to see a graph of colors. Talk about sorting, quantities, more/less.

Use your imagination and be creative with the scarf… It can be a tail on a horse, a wing of a butterfly, the cape of a hero, a kite... The children can turn it into anything they can imagine and have fun as they incorporate movement into their day.

What else can you do with your scarf?

BRAIN FITNESS! Connecting Exercise and Learning

2009-05-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a presentation by Harvard Psychiatry Professor and best-selling author, Dr. John Ratey. He wrote SPARK! The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, which I read. I was very interested in hearing about his research, especially with the of No Child Left Behind Act (which requires schools to raise students’ test scores in core academic subjects) and the resultant cutbacks in physical education classes and recess.

Dr. Ratey began his presentation by stating that he is on a mission to put exercise, recess and play back into our schools. Being an early childhood and school age active play advocate myself, I was thrilled. He shared emerging research and case studies that correlate exercise with a wide range of brain-related benefits: improving attention, reducing stress and anxiety, and staving off cognitive decline.

Ratey says that exercise is the single most important tool people have to optimize brain function. He doesn’t claim that exercise makes kids smarter, but he says it can make them more ready to learn. The prefrontal cortex-- which plays a major role in executive function (thinking processes that involve planning, organizing, abstract thought or self-control) -- is most affected by exercise. Laboratory studies in mice and humans show that exercise prompts the brain to produce greater amounts of a protein called BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, which Ratey likes to call “Miracle-Gro®” for the brain. It encourages brain cells to sprout synapses, which are crucial to forming the connections the brain needs in order to learn. BDNF also strengthens cells and protects them from dying. Other research also suggests that exercise plays a role in neurogenesis, the production of new brain cells, in middle-aged and older adults and in laboratory animals.

Ratey shared a case study that I found interesting: At Naperville Central High School in IL, many students participate in 45-minute early-morning fitness-based PE sessions where they can choose from more than a dozen activities (treadmills, elliptical machines, stationary bikes, jumping rope, lifting weights, running, etc.) Students on average raised their grades by one letter just by participating in this “Learning Readiness PE Class.” This is a new approach to PE, and I find it confirms for me the research mentioned above that exercise helps prep the brain for learning.

And what about our youngest learners? Ratey emphasized that young children love to move and should be engaged in play activities that are vigorous and fun. For our young children, we need to provide instant and active involvement for every child. He mentioned a new book by Stuart Brown, Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul. He said that every early childhood teacher should have it. Ratey states on the jacket cover: “This is one of the most important books I have ever read… Without play and physical activity, we can’t cultivate the skills necessary to handle changing times… Anyone who cares about the future of our world should read this book. It is a gift.” I gave myself the gift of Brown’s book, PLAY and Ratey’s book, SPARK. Perhaps you will consider doing the same for yourself or any preschool, school-age or early childhood educator, caregiver or parent you know.

Current statistics show that some 37% of U.S. schoolchildren are overweight, one in five American 4 year olds are obese and only 6% of schools now offer physical education five days a week. At the same time, kids are spending an average of six hours per day in front of a screen of some sort—television, computer or handheld device. Inactivity is killing our brains as well as our bodies.

The more we know about brain development and the importance of play, the better teachers and parents we will be. Keep moving, keep learning!

Trikes: 3-Wheeled Freedom!

2009-04-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

The weather is turning warmer and invites us all to go outside for some active play. Trikes are a great way to engage young children outdoors. For 12 years I was the “Outdoor Teacher” at a preschool. I pulled out the tricycles, “big wheels,” bicycles, scooters, wagons and pedal cars daily. They were always very popular with the children, and riding toys such as trikes offer many opportunities for children to grow physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively. Toys that children can ride on their own offer opportunities for them to feel autonomous, develop gross motor skills, role play and to learn to follow rules. You know the educational benefits exist, so here are some ideas to help get you rolling:
First, remember that children should wear bike helmets when riding wheel toys. The helmet should sit on top of the child’s head, not tilted back at an angle. Make sure the strap fits securely and that the buckle stays fastened. (Visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission for more information at http://www.cpsc.gov/.) Helmets should only be worn while riding and should be taken off during play, especially on a playground as a child’s head may get stuck in playground equipment while wearing a helmet, causing serious injury. Children who associate wearing a helmet with riding a trike from the start are more likely to adopt the habit permanently.
For safety reasons, the space for using riding toys should be distinct from the equipment areas. If possible, choose a part of your playground with a hard surface and set up a safety zone. Provide vehicle pathways with adequate staging areas and routes in and out with painted or lines for parking spaces of trikes and bikes. You can enhance children’s use of this area by adding traffic signs, chalk road markers, directional arrows and cones to control traffic. Build a ramp so children can drive their trikes into the “garage.” Invite children to be riders or traffic officers; this will help involve children who are not on a trike and creates an opportunity for cooperative group play.

Prop boxes can extend trike play activities, too. A “hospital” prop box, for example, can turn bike riders into ambulance drivers and non-riders into “doctors.” Children also enjoy using tricycles in conjunction with fire station, police and mail delivery props. Similarly, you can introduce ideas or materials to support gas station or car wash dramatic play that can include practice of counting and learning currency. Whatever props you choose to use, whether elaborate or entirely imaginary, the result will be fun!
Riding a trike puts the child in the “driver’s seat,” providing that sense of power and freedom. To pedal a trike and keep one’s balance are abilities worth a lot in the life of a preschooler!

Belly Swinging and Spinning is Good Brain Food!

2009-02-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

I was visiting a preschool recently. The young children were outside playing and I found myself standing and observing the children on the swings. A four-year-old child was draped over a swing seat on his stomach while swinging back and forth. At the same time he was spinning around and around as the swing chain twisted high above him. Soon he could twist it no more and then, propelling himself in the opposite direction, he spun around and around as the chain untwisted-- his small arms extended as if flying in space, a great big smile on his face. I smiled back, happy that he was stimulating the mind/body connections. He was in the process of repeating the action, when from across the playground came a loud voice commanding him to stop belly swinging and informing him it was against school rules.
Children are innately programmed to spin, swing and be upside-down. When children are spinning and swinging, special receptors in the little “vestibule” of the inner ear are stimulated and communicate a sense of where the body is in space. This vestibular system controls the sense of movement and balance.

I often mention "brain food" in my workshops. Physical activity is good brain food for young children. When a child is swinging and spinning, they're having fun, but their little body and brain is also unconsciously telling them that they need this kind of movement for a healthy sensory "diet." Swinging and spinning helps kids regulate their bodies. It helps them focus and increase their body awareness. Young children do not get dizzy as easily as adults do because connections between balance and other systems are still being formed in the first eight years of life. We, as adults, take our sense of balance and our fundamental understanding of our place in space around us for granted. For children, those abilities are still developing, becoming more complete and connected. We need to give children opportunities for movement and physical activity so they can develop these crucial abilities (and so they won’t be bouncing off the walls when the teacher needs the child to sit down and be attentive.) Remember that teacher who was shouting at that child to stop belly swinging? I wished that early education teacher could have instead celebrated the child’s movements and his need to feed his body and brain-- one belly swing, one belly spin at a time.

Games With Heart

2009-01-28T16:55:00.000-08:00

Valentine’s Day is just a heartbeat away and provides an opportunity to share friendships, promote cooperation, and just have some plain good fun while participating in non-competitive, active games. Pick and choose from these games –or play them all to your heart’s content… Or, better yet, for the benefit of your heart!

Give Your Love Away
Materials needed: Heart-shaped piece of paper or small heart-shaped pillow or ornament
How to play:
1. Sit all children in a circle
2. One child is chosen to be “it” and leaves the circle. The space where “it” sat is still open.
3. “It” holds the heart and stands outside of the circle.
4. Teach children the following verse or chant:
Love is something
If you give it away,
Give it away, give it away,
Love is something if you give it away,
You end up having more.
5. Children are to chant the verse as “it”, holding the heart, walks around the outside of the circle.
6. On the last word of the song, “it” drops the heart behind a child’s back.
7. That child picks up the heart and runs after “it”, who is heading back to his place in the circle.
8. The child holding the heart is now “it” and the children start chanting the verse again as “it” walks around the outside of the circle, dropping the heart behind someone who has not yet had a turn.
9. The game ends when everyone has “given their love away.”

Musical Hearts
Materials needed:
Red yarn or red masking tape or red Mavalus Removable Poster Tape or sidewalk chalk

Music (with the words “heart” or love” in the title—i.e., “The Heart of Rock and Roll” by Huey Lewis and the News or “The Love Shack” by The B-52’s) and a music player.
How to play:
1. Using red or pink yarn or tape make giant red heart shapes on the floor or carpet. (If you can play outside, draw hearts on cement or asphalt with red or pink chalk.)
2. Direct children to stand outside of or beside a heart.
3. Play theme-related music and instruct the children to walk around the hearts, making sure not to touch any hearts while the music is playing.
4. When the music stops, children are to find a heart to stand in. More than one child in any heart is okay and encouraged.
5. The game continues with the starting of the music and children leaving a heart and traveling around the hearts. When the music stops, they once again jump into the nearest heart.
6. Use a variety of locomotor movements, such as marching, tiptoeing, galloping, hopping, skipping, jumping and running as children move around the hearts when the music is playing.
7. Challenge the children by stopping and starting the music at shorter intervals.

A Heart of Stone
Materials needed:
Heart doilies (one for each child)
Music (with the words “heart” or love” in the title—i.e., “The Power of Love” by Huey Lewis and the News) and a music player.
How to play:
1. Each child places a heart doily on top of their head.
2. Play theme-related music and instruct children to walk around the space while balancing the doily.
3. If the doily falls off a child’s head, he must turn to stone (freeze).
4. To remove the "spell," another player picks up the fallen doily (while placing his hand on his own doily on top of his head) and hands it to the player turned to “stone,” who places the doily back on his head. The spell is broken and he becomes “unfrozen.”
5. After a “thank you” and a “you’re welcome” are exchanged, the players proceed to walk in the open space, heart doilies on head.
6. The game ends when the song is over.

These fun Valentine's-themed games for your early childhood/preschool classroom or for young children at home can add an enjoyable active play element to your Valentine's Day parties or celebrations this year. These simple games are easy enough for even the youngest children to participate, and teachers or parents can also tweak them to best fit the needs of the kids in your care.

Kids on the Ball!

2009-01-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

We can promote brain development by providing equipment that helps facilitate movement in our early childhood classrooms and/or home environments. A favorite piece of equipment that I like to use with young children is the exercise ball (a.k.a. gym balls, physio balls, stability balls, fitness balls, therapy balls or Swiss balls.) These large, colorful balls attract kids and help build neural connections in the brain. They are great for working on balance, coordination, postural control and sensory integration, which is the ability of the brain to receive, organize, interpret and use the vast amount of sensory information that enters the body and neurological system through both external and internal stimuli. Try some of the following activities and watch children line up to have their turn with the ball:

Tummy Roll - Holding onto their legs and arms, have a child lay face down (on their stomach) on top of the ball and roll the ball back and forth. Belly laughs begin as the child rocks and rolls, enjoying the sensations produced from this movement which activates the vestibular system in the inner ear. The vestibular system takes in messages about balance and movement from the neck, eyes and body; sends the messages to the central nervous system for processing; and then helps generate muscle tone (which allows us to move smoothly and efficiently.) Rocking and rolling also provides kinesthetic and proprioceptive input—awareness of sensations that come from receptors in the muscles, joints, skin and tendons.
Bouncy Time - Sit a child on top of the ball and hold their hands or body and gently bounce the child up and down. Sing a song or recite a nursery rhyme as you bounce the child to the rhythm. Rhythm and rhyme facilitates language and memory while bouncing enhances the respiratory system.

Play Ball - Roll, dribble or bounce and catch the exercise ball with a child. This addresses bilateral integration, the coordination of the two sides of the body.

Pizza Dough - Have the child lie tummy down on an activity mat or carpeted floor. With consistent pressure, roll and press the exercise ball up and down all over the child’s body. Say, “I’m rolling out the pizza dough nice and flat.” Ask, “Want me to press harder? Not so hard? More? Tell me when you want me to stop.” (Give the child the chance to be in control and to guide the activity.) Say, “It’s time to add the toppings to make you extra delicious! Here’s some pizza sauce.” Rub the child’s arms, legs and back with your hands. Continue with, “Here’s some pepperoni,” and with palm flat, press a hand on back of body in several different places. “Chopped onions would be tasty, too.” Using side of hand, move it up in and down along their body in a chopping motion. When you and the child agree that s/he’s “done,” pretend to put “the pizza” in a pretend oven.

There are so many ways to incorporate active play and movement with large sensory balls in early childhood classrooms. Children from preschool to school age will literally have a ball! What are some ways you use them in your school activities or with kids at home?

Crossing the Midline, Cross-Lateral Movement & Brain Development

2008-12-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

The midline is an imaginary line that runs down the body, separating it in half vertically from head to toe thus dividing the body into right and left halves. "Crossing the midline" refers to the ability to move a part of the body-- such as a hand, foot or eye-- into the space of the other hand, foot or eye. Being able to cross the midline indicates that the child has reached the point in his or her development that the right and left side of the brain are working in tandem. An example of crossing the midline is using your right hand to reach over your body and scratch your left elbow.

Connecting the two sides of the brain is a fiber bridge known as the corpus callosum. When children do cross-lateral movements (arm and leg movements that cross over from one side of the body to the other) the two sides of the brain are forced to communicate and this strengthens the nerve-cell pathways that link both sides of the brain through the corpus callosum.

Crossing the midline is necessary for reading and writing because in order to read and write one must work from one side of the paper to the other fluidly.

To encourage cross-lateral movement:

Sing songs and repeat chants using hand motions that cross the midline of the body such as “Pat-a-Cake” and “Hot Cross Buns.”
Dance using streamer ribbons or scarves. Play a music CD and ask children follow along as you swish the ribbon or scarf across the front of your body, make figure eights in the air, circle the streamer in front of your body like a Ferris wheel or circle it over your head like a helicopter blade.
Play games like Simon Says or Follow the Leader where actions require crossing the midline, such as touching your right knee with your left hand.

In my next post, we’ll look at more playful ways to encourage brain development. Stay tuned!

Found Ball = Spontaneous Play

2008-11-13T16:56:00.000-08:00

It was the Saturday after Halloween and the unexpectedly warm Pennsylvania weather beckoned us all to go outside. The grandchildren were riding bikes and the adults, walking with the dog, were trying to catch up. Upon nearing the neighborhood lake, complete with geese and grassy knolls, the children called out to us, “Let’s play here!” Nana, Papa and the dog were left with the kids as the other adults headed home to gather the fixings for a picnic lunch.

We removed our shoes and started exploring the terrain barefoot – experiencing the sandy beach of the lake, trying to avoid goose poop between our toes. The lake water cleaned our dirty feet and enticed us to look for fish and skip stones. Looking for a container to fill with water, I found a discarded water bottle and, deeper in the tangled brush, a bright green playground ball.

My grandson and I started playing with it, tossing it back and forth. He proceeded to make up his own game of bounce-catch on top of a nearby picnic table.

“Nana, how many bounces will there be before you catch it?” he asked. Then he announced some rules about the number of points received depending on where the ball bounced on the table.

The green ball became the center of attention after lunch as well as children began kicking it on the grass and said, “Let’s play soccer!” Parents, grandparents and kids aligned across from each other, three against three. Toy sand trucks became goal posts on either end of our “field” and the game commenced. Running and kicking, fetching and throwing; children and adults all laughing and sweating. The best part of our afternoon was the unplanned, spontaneous play initiated by the boys.

A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics says what children really need for healthy development is time for more old-fashioned play. Free play is essential for healthy physical, emotional, social and intellectual development and helps form the foundation for creative thinking.

The found ball was the provocation for family time, physical activity and FUN! Being involved, active and playful is one of the best gifts grandparents, parents or teachers give our children.

Halloween Game: Ghost Dancing

2008-10-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

I just asked Grant, my 4-year-old grandson, "What was your favorite game that we played at your preschool’s Halloween party today?" He replied, “Try to keep your ghost up in the air.”

He and his other classmates loved this active play game that required some open space, music and white balloons to make “ghosts.” Teachers/parents can set the tone for this game by explaining that their “ghost” (white balloon) has been stuck in the attic for almost a year and wants to come out and play with them; try not to let the ghosts touch the floor or they might want to stay forever! The kids are exuberant as they jump and dance, keeping their ghosts up in the air. Hoots and howls abound!

Materials needed for this activity:
Balloons, blown up (a 9” or 11” helium-quality balloon works well)
Indoor open play space
Music (Halloween music is fun for this) and Music Player

How to play:
1. Start with children sitting in a circle.
2. Give each child an inflated balloon "ghost." (If you are working with very young children or children who may be tempted to chew on broken balloons, blow up the balloon inside a knee-high stocking. This will keep the balloon pieces contained if the balloon should accidentally pop.)
3. Tell the children that when they hear music they are to stand up and keep their balloon up in the air with their hands. When the music stops they are to catch their balloon and sit down as quickly as they can.
4. The game continues with the starting and stopping of music, usually continuing as long as the length of one song. Make the game more difficult by stopping and starting the music at shorter intervals.

Besides the obvious FUN, children will benefit from this activity by—

Getting physical activity, which is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure
Getting health-related fitness, defined as components of physical fitness that are related in a positive manner to health and well-being—cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition
Building gross motor skills by using the large muscles of the arms, legs and trunk
Practicing listening skills by following directions
Building space awareness, which means knowing where the body can and should move in relationship to other people in the play space
Understanding shared space as all of the designated play space that can be used by everyone
Engaging in cooperative play, which are games and activities that the participants play together rather than against one another

Happy Halloween!

Where Have All the Swing Sets Gone?

2008-10-13T18:38:00.000-07:00

As I visit preschools and observe children playing outside I am continually reminded that the swing set that was once a staple on every playground is now absent. Swing sets seem to be disappearing like dinosaurs of an era long gone—they are becoming extinct!

I’ve heard the reasons. Children can pinch their fingers while grasping the chain; other children can run in front of a child swinging and get hurt; swings present a safety hazard on the playground. Strict federal guidelines, state licensing and the insurance costs make it impossible to keep swings where they once were. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Handbook for Public Playground Safety requires that swings be set apart from any other structure, with a clearance both in front and back equal to twice the height of the swings, and six feet of clearance on either side. That’s sometimes most of the space in a typical preschool playground! And the standards also call for costly new playground surfacing beneath swings to cushion falls. There are certainly unsafe swing sets out there but to totally eliminate them has created some unexpected developmental delays for many children. Swing sets are being torn down but nothing is being erected in their place that offers the same contributions to a child’s physical, cognitive and social development.

When a child is swinging, both the vestibular system and proprioceptive system are being activated. The vestibular system is comprised of several structures in the inner ear. When the head tilts in any direction fluid moves small hairs within the structures and their movement lets us know our position in relation to the earth’s gravity. This is how we know when we are in motion. The proprioceptive system gathers information from the muscles and joints to tell us our body position and posture. Swinging naturally helps children to develop balance and coordination. The visual connection between vestibular and proprioceptive systems is also developed through swinging, as swingers use visual cues to adjust their balance and movement. The influence of these systems plays a major role in the developmental milestones of sensory processing and gross motor skills for children. And let’s not forget the relationship between swinging and social development. Whoever thinks that swings don’t promote cooperation never heard best friends say, “I’ll push you, if you push me.”

Do the benefits of swings outweigh the risks?

Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA)

2008-10-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

Physical activity simply means movement of the body that uses energy. For health benefits, physical activity should be moderate or vigorous and add up to at least 30 minutes a day.

Moderate physical activity means you are exercising but not pushing or exerting yourself. Your heart is beating, breathing increases, but you won’t break a sweat. Brisk walking, hiking, riding a bike on level terrain and shooting a few baskets are examples of moderate physical activity.

Vigorous physical activity means your heart is beating fast, there is a large increase in breathing (conversation is difficult or broken) and you sweat. Jogging or running, riding your bike uphill and playing a high speed game of basketball are examples of vigorous physical activity.

In future discussions on this blog, I will share materials and equipment as well as give you many ideas of how to include moderate to vigorous physical activity on a daily basis in your program.

Recent studies conclude that children who attend school with more resources and better-educated teachers have significantly higher levels of MVPA. Do you incorporate MVPA in your classroom?

Why Should We Get Our Kids Moving?

2008-10-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

There is a new epidemic targeting our young children and it’s called childhood obesity. Children are less active and consuming more junk food. The amount of “screen time” from TV, computers, Internet and video games contributes to the lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating choices. Diseases once thought to affect only adults—heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol—are now common in children. If this trend continues, children of this generation are not likely to live as long as their parents. Research shows that by influencing children early in their lives to adopt active and fit lifestyles and make healthy nutrition choices, childhood obesity can be prevented and even reversed. Childhood obesity also lowers self esteem, affects relationships with peers and contributes to poor self image. These social and psychological consequences impact children’s ability to feel accepted and learn.

One of the biggest reasons to get kids moving is because of the growing evidence that shows physical activity enhances brain function and academic performance. Physical activity fuels the brain with key nutrients, like oxygen and glucose. A lack of oxygen to the brain results in disorientation, confusion, fatigue, sluggishness, and concentration and memory problems. Moderate to vigorous physical activity gives the brain its needed nutrients. It improves short-term memory, creativity and reaction time. It not only increases blood flow to the brain, but also speeds recall and reasoning skills. Mental focus and concentration levels in young children improve significantly after engaging in structured physical activity. All things being equal, a physically active child will have an advantage in learning versus an inactive child. Fit kids are smart kids!

Movement, Play & Physical Activity for Children

2008-08-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

Children need to, want to and, in fact, are innately programmed to move. They are constantly communicating through their actions and words-- as you well know, actions do speak louder than words-- "MOVE ME!" We as educators need to help our young children move and be active. We teachers need to intentionally plan and facilitate daily the time, space and opportunities for movement and physical activity. This format/discussion will help me share with you my experiences, observations, and knowledge that I have learned over the past 30 years of the importance of movement and the crucial role it plays in the overall development—physically, socially, emotionally and cognitively—of young children! Join me on our journey to understand, implement, and embrace the importance of movement, play, and physical activity!

Please send me your ideas and suggestions of how you incorporate movement and physical activity in your program and curriculum. The more educated we are, the better teachers we will be!
Sharing is caring,
Sharin’ with Sharron
skrull@discountschoolsupply.com