Turkey Rescue

During the week of Thanksgiving, students played a fun game called Turkey Rescue.  The goal is for students to move with a turkey across the forest without getting hit by a hunter.  If they made it safely across, they put the turkey (bean bag) in their teams basket and went back a second time.  If the turkey got hit by a hunter, the student put the turkey on the hunter's plate for dinner (a hula hoop).  Students had fun being hunters by riding on scooters and throwing soft yarn balls at their friends.  This activity also gave us a chance to discuss what foods are our favorite during the Thanksgiving Holiday.

After discussing all the food we are going to eat, I reminded students that this is their last weekend to do the Turkey Trot.  Students are encouraged to work off the extra energy they will be eating and get outside or play with family and friends.  Here are the results after week #3:

Kindergarten: 1, 036 miles

1st Grade: 717 miles

2nd Grade: 825 miles

Turkey Trot

At the beginning of November, students started the Turkey Trot in Physical Education. The Turkey Trot motivates students to be active on the weekends and strive for 60 minutes of physical activity everyday! 

Each student in the school documents the number of hours of physical activity they do over the weekend.  On Monday, the hours are totaled for each grade level.  For every hour, the grade's turkey moves a mile on our turkey highway.  Students can get bonus hours for each family member that participates with them.  At the end of November, the grade's turkey that trots the furthest will receive a P.E. Party! 



Results

after two weeks:

K:      538 Miles

1st:    528 Miles

2nd:   396 Miles 

Halloween Stations

One of my favorite things to do as a teacher is decorate my gym for the holidays!  It is so fun seeing students walk by and get excited for P.E.  Holiday stations are a great way to review and introduce different skills from different units.  Of course I also play some holiday music to help set the mood :-)

Station #1:  The Witches Brew

• Students tried to help create a potion by overhand throwing ingredients into the witch's cauldron. 

 Station #2: Pumpkin Bowl

• Students attempted to roll and knock over 3 ghost pins with a pumpkin using a "tick tock" motion with their arm.

 

Station #3: The Haunted House

• Students glided on their tummy while on a scooter through my haunted house.  We were surprised to find spiders at the end!

Station #4:  Spider Bump

• Each student had a balloon or shared with a partner and tried to keep their "spider" in the air as long as they could.  Students could use their head, elbow, nose, knee, or foot to keep the spider from touching the ground.

 

Growing Gates

 



This activity is a great way to test a student's ability to jump for height.  Each student is with a partner and has a foam noodle.  One partner holds the noodle loosely on the ground to start.  The jumper stands next to the noodle and then lock, loads, and explodes as high as they can      over the noodle landing safely on the other side.

Each time the student makes it over safely, the holder will raise the noodle slightly off the grounds.  When the jumper touches the noodle, the partners switch spots.  Safety is very important during this activity.  Students are told to hold the noodle loosely so that if bumped, it will fall to the ground instead of tripping their partner.  I love this game because it challenges each student at their own level.

My Activity Gym

 This is a post of some of the things that you would see in my gym that I use almost everyday in Physical Education.

The first is my 5 Star Listener Poster.  This is a helpful reminder to all students of what their body should look and sound like when they are listening to the teacher or others speak. When I grade on listening, these are the expectations that I follow for all students.

 These are the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) Standards.  The standards are used to develop physically educated individuals who have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to enjoy a lifetime of healthful physical activity.

Everyday students sit in front of the whiteboard after warm ups and we read our learning target for the day.  It is important that students understand what I want them to be able to do or know by the end of class. Our message is also great for expanding each student's movement vocabulary.