My Movement Prezie!

Move Your Body!

This past Thursday, my classmates and I showed the world what it means to get off your bottom and move.  Under the direction of my professor, Dr. Yang, the class and I were able to put together a great video showcasing our version of Beyonce Knowles' video, "Move Your Body". This song was rearranged by Beyonce, and re-coreogrphed to make it an appropriate video for kids in schools to use as a possible warm up; for unification. Michelle Obama actually asked Beyonce to create this rendition of her song, to help curb childhood obesity. Everyone had so much fun while participating, it was an experience I will never forget. Here is one of the videos from camera 2, I think we pulled it off: Go Cortland!

St. Mary's Day 6

Our final day at St. Mary's was a great closing experience, but also an experience which opened up my horizons to my future physical education students. The theme for today was Star Wars, and the kids knew more about the story than I thought. My group was assigned the PRE K classrooms, and we did a craft and read the children books. The books we read were about space, and then one book about the actual characters in the movie. My knowledge about picking books appropriate for their age groups was further instilled, as the teachers told me I picked great books which had some religious views in it, perfect for a catholic school.
     For the craft, my group member, Brittany made cut outs for the children to glue to a stick, forming a 'Yoda' stick puppet for every student. The students really love crafts. I learned a lot about the instructions I must give to children their age when it comes to making a craft that looks good and will stay together. I learned to hand out only parts of the craft at a time, then had more distributed to keep everything out of control.
     For the closing of the lab we played with a big parachute and the children loved it, I can not wait to have one of them in my future physical education classroom. I learned safety cues should be given before using them, as students may be running into each other underneath. The final activity we did was a giant dance, which involved a couple locomotor movements such as claps, jumps, and high-knee raises. The older kids really took to the dance and it was a great way to show much how we appreciated them having us at St. Mary's. Along with this we also made posters thanking the school for us using their facilities and ability to work with their children. St. Mary's is an awesome school and I will never forget the memories I have had there with all of the wonderful children and teachers and all of the wisdom they have added to my teaching style.Lab 6 Write Up

St. Mary's Day 5

      My fifth visit to St. Mary's was a bit different from my previous visits. The week's theme was Easter, and we were assigned the younger group of children. Instead of playing and interacting with the older children, today I was able to read, play and make crafts with the Pre-K group of children. The children were very well behaved and were eager to learn about my book I had brought in for them. I believe the children understood the story line and enjoyed every bit of it, and at the book's conclusion we had the kids make paper bunnies complete with cotton tails thanks to my group member, Brittany's efforts. I really enjoyed spending time with the younger children, it was interesting seeing the variety of development in the room, despite the age difference being no more than a year! Some students developed a good vocabulary and were able to do things on their own, while others needed some assistance and encouragement to finish their paper-bag bunny.

     Once we brought the children in the gym, they were really excited for our games, which turned out to be a success. The kids were able to understand directions despite their young age. The kids even showed how good they were at dribbling during one of the games. Maybe the kids from St. Mary's are more prone to basketball and dribbling because of the community and the availability of courts; they had some great skill for such youngsters.

     The two children my class and I observed, Todd and Sally were able to demonstrate a good understanding of dribbling a basketball and kicking a soccer ball. Some common mistakes seen were sometimes dribbling with two hands, and kicking the soccer ball without following through to maintain stability. The kids at St. Mary's continue to surprise me with their knowledge and skill. The children remind me of how the developmental steps we all once took to get our bodies where they are today and how important it was to make good habits early in life.

Lab 5 Write Up

"Lil' Baby Move It" - Group Project

Here is my group's motor development video for chapter 8, Rudimentary Movement Abilities.

A Sojourn on a Whim!

     This weekend a couple of my friends and I decided to take a visit to our neighboring college's Ithaca's Buttermilk Falls. The experience let me know spring was on its way, as we experienced sun for most of our sojourn with vivid green plants and flowers emerging. We saw some beautiful sights of waterfalls, trails, fallen trees, and numerous other pieces of nature. Some portions of the trail we had to hike up, while others were easygoing flatland. It is important to have fun while exercising with friends, as these are the types of activities I will be teaching and encouraging my students to partake in.  Despite a few rain drops, we ended up having a blast and can not wait to go back the next time central new york grants us a sunny day. Having fun outdoors is a great for the mind, body and soul. If you are ever in the area and want some exercise, check out some of SUNY Cortland's walking trails.

Here are some photos from the trip!

 

Invest In Your Community

     Yesterday, I took some time to visit St. Mary's Elementary school and volunteered for their second annual 'Run for the Stars'. It was a great experience to help out such a deserving group of people. I felt inspired once there, as so many people showed to support each other on their active endeavor. People of all ages arrived for the same reason, to support their community, socialize, and have fun while exercising. I recognized most of the children, as I see them weekly. It felt great to be there for the kids and I feel they really enjoyed our presence and extra support as we cheered them on in their 1k race and for some, a 5k. Not only did I recognize the children, but some of the school's staff was in attendance.

     I can definitely see myself creating such a race for my school, to bring the community together. Asking local markets, and chain restaurants for sponsorships is a great idea when planning these events; as most of these places will be interested in getting their name out for such a large group of locals. Races, along with other types of engaging large group activities are great ways to bring people together. Adding these types of activities for your district's community will keep everyone interacting and staying active while keeping up with the newest trends in physical activity.

     Working with the community in the district you teach will definitely show the community, district, and school you teach in how much you care for the children. People will recognize the extra time put in outside of school time, and appreciate how much more involved your are in their child's life. I can't wait to initiate new fun activities for my future school or district's community, because the town and its children deserve it.